When we turn 10 -years-old as kids, we don’t spend much time looking back. There’s cake and ice cream and superhero toys that seem way more important. But when a website turns 10, that’s a great time to look back at the history of the site. Batman News has been around for the release of 12 DC films, from Green Lantern in 2011 through Birds of Prey at the beginning of this year. That’s also 33 animated DC films, 556 Arrowverse episodes, 71 DC Universe episodes, and too many comic books, trade paperbacks, figures, and statues to count. We’ve covered an incredible amount of news during that time. These ten articles are the ones you, our readers, clicked through to read each year.
2010 – Rumor: Is Tom Hardy Playing Hugo Strange in ‘The Dark Knight Rises’? [Update]
Talk about an intriguing evolution of a rumor! Hardy had been confirmed to be in the film, but no one knew who he would be playing.
2011 – Our first look at Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle in ‘The Dark Knight Rises’? [Kinda]
The photo was eventually pulled, but everyone was anxious to see what her version of Catwoman would look like.
2012 – Think Bane’s too small in ‘The Dark Knight Rises’? Tom Hardy says “Trust me. Trust Nolan”
In 2010 we all thought he would be Hugo Strange, but now we knew he was Bane and it was time to wonder if he was big enough.
2013 – 10 Batman films that almost happened
A lengthy list about Batman films that almost were. A still engaging read to think about what could have been.
A surprising revelation about Man Of Steel?
2015 – Warner Bros. gives permission for R-rated ‘Batman: The Killing Joke’ movie</strong>
The animated version of The Killing Joke was highly anticipated, and learning Warner Bros. was okay with it being rated R was a huge deal.
2016 – Epic new ‘Suicide Squad’ trailer from the MTV Movie Awards
Anticipation was high for the Suicide Squad, and the debut of the trailer was something all of us wanted to see.
2017 – Listen to Mark Hamill read Donald Trump tweets in his Joker voice
Mark Hamill is one of the first things you think of when you now think of the Joker. Reading the tweets of the president was a popular high point of the year.
2018 – Rumor: Really bad DC Extended Universe news is on the way
A hint of a rumor was enough to get people nervous about what was coming.
2019 – Zack Snyder shares graphic outlining his DCEU plan; Batman might have died in Justice League 2
Zack Snyder’s take on the DC universe has taken on a life of its own, and it’s fun to see where he was planning to take us.
2020 – The Suicide Squad cast has finally been unveiled
While Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman are generally thought of as the stars of the DC Universe, fans have started to look toward deeper cuts and a broader list of characters. Each of these properties makes two appearances on the list, and the three could hardly be more different.
Zachary Levi’s Shazam! is exactly what the comic is meant to be–wish-fulfillment for young boys. Joker, meanwhile, is a character study that tries to dive into the mind of one of comics’ most deranged villains. The Suicide Squad is weird, loud, silly, and violent–and that’s just talking about the property. Gunn’s take on the property is still in editing, but Gunn’s proven his ability to work with a huge ensemble including the biggest stars.
And for fun, here are some standouts from the past few years.
These sorts of articles are some of our favorites to create here at Batman News. The daily grind of news can get exhausting, and sometimes it’s fun to dive into the history and origins of a character to remind us where they came from.
Michael Keaton kept saying “I’m Batman” during ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ fight scenes
But sometimes it’s fun to remember that Michael Keaton just loved being Batman and knows the power his most iconic line holds over us 30 years later.
Fox releases images of Batman suit from Gotham
Gotham was sort of Fox’s answer to Smallville, a Batman story without Batman, meant to focus on the GCPD and Jim Gordon. Unlike Smallville, though, Gotham gave in and gave us the bat.
The Batman: New details emerge for Robert Pattinson’s Batsuit
And while Snyder’s take continues to resonate, Matt Reeves is creating a different take on Batman that will supposedly emphasize his skill as a detective, rooting the character in the real world like Christopher Nolan’s Batman–the first Batman covered here at Batman News–but in a world following the bruiser version of Batman portrayed by Ben Affleck.
We’ve only seen the faintest hints of Pattinson’s take on the character, but the Batsuit reveal is our most-read article ever for a good reason. The development of the first solo Batman movie since The Dark Knight Rises has been tumultuous to say the least, and this article represents the moment that character became real and solid, instead of just words on a page about rumors and deals. We’re here to read, write, and talk about all of DC, but Batman will always be our core, and first looks like these are what we hang on for.
Sean Aune contributed to this post.
