10 Best Batman Vehicles From DC Comics

There will be a new Batmobile and Batcycle in the upcoming The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson as the Dark Knight. There’s every chance there could be other vehicles in the movie as well, and comic book fans know that Batman has an entire armada of different transports to use in different situations. Some of the best vehicles Batman uses in the comics are also some of the most iconic of all time.

They include some of the most obscure as well. While many of Batman’s vehicles from DC Comics have made their way into television and movies, a few have yet to, and probably won’t at this point. Still, the Whirly Bird and other transports in Batman’s repertoire are among his best, showing the Dark Knight’s famous reliance on unique ways to get around while he fights crime.

Batcopter

The Batcopter is one of Batman’s best aircrafts because it allowed Batman to keep up with the escalating arsenals of his villains. The original Batcopter was actually an invention of one of Batman’s best comic book villains, the Penguin, who created the bat-themed helicopter for his own purposes.

The Batcopter is a staple of the comic books and has been around for a very long time, first appearing in Detective Comics #171 in 1951. The helicopter allowed Batman to get around Gotham faster and attack from the air on a much greater scale than before.

Whirly Bat

The Whirly Bat is one of Batman’s oddest vehicles, but it’s also one of his best. This small one-man helicopter was one of Batman’s earliest forays into aerial flight and was equipped with smoke grenades and grappling hooks that helped him capture criminals and also get away himself.

He relied heavily on the Whirly Bat from its first appearance in Detective Comics #257 in 1958, using it in numerous adventures and building one for each of his allies, including Robin and Kathy Kane, who comic book fans know is the original Batwoman.

Bat-Sub

The Bat-Sub is one of Batman’s best comic book transports for giving him an enormous, and in many ways unrivaled, advantage in the water. This kind of vehicle became necessary as he fought newer villains like Tiger Shark, who operated mostly in the water.

The first Bat-Sub appeared in Detective Comics #147 in 1949 and has made numerous appearances in upgraded forms in the comics since. A version has also appeared in the movies, sharing the same comic feature of transforming from the Batplane to Bat-Sub.

The Flying Batcave

One of the most unusual but one of the coolest aircrafts in the entire Batman arsenal is the Flying Batcave. This is a dome-shaped flying headquarters and laboratory for Batman allowed him to keep his entire operation airborne.

The Flying Batcave was outfitted with all the resources of the actual Batcave and was necessary for the comics because, in the course of events in Detective Comics #186 in 1952, both Batman and Robin have been outlawed from setting foot in Gotham. The Flying Batcave let them fly above the city without technically breaking the law.

Bat-Gyro

The Bat-Gyro is one of Batman’s earliest vehicles, first appearing in Detective Comics #31 in 1939. This is half one of Batman’s best gadgets ever and one of his best transportation devices, a combination glider and helicopter that predated the Batplane.

Versions of this have appeared in other media, including later comics and some of the most iconic episodes of Batman: The Animated Series. It’s an early example of Batman’s inventiveness and a herald of many great things to come in the comics and elsewhere.

Batboat

There have been many versions of the Batboat in DC Comics, and for good reason. It’s one of Batman’s best carriers. Its best feature is arguably the fact that’s actually a Batplane, able to convert to a boat as shown in its very first appearance in Batman #4.

Depending on the version of the Batboat, it’s a speedboat, hydrofoil, or stealth craft. All of them feature state-of-the-art technology including high speed, radar, and a complement of weapons to deploy against enemies in any kind of situation.

Bat-Tank

The Bat-Tank is actually a variation on the Batmobile, but it’s wholly unique in its armament and purpose. Heavily armored and outfitted with guns, it has more in common with military tanks than it does anything remotely resembling a superhero vehicle.

The Bat-Tank emerged from The Dark Knight Returns, the seminal comic book series by Frank Miller that is one of the best Batman comic books ever. The tank certainly inspired later versions of the Batmobile in comics and on-screen, including the Tumbler version from the Christopher Nolan Batman movies.

Batcycle

The Batcycle is one of Batman’s best vehicles because of how ideally suited to him it is. Though he’s most often associated with the Batmobile, the bike is fast, highly advanced, and the motorcycle steed of the Dark Knight as he rides into battle against his many enemies.

Many versions of the Batcycle exist throughout the comic books, each more advanced than the last. All of them feature impressive speed and abilities. One of the best versions of the bike is the Batpod, which was actually an escape vehicle embedded within the Tumbler in The Dark Knight.

Batplane

The Batplane is one of Batman’s most iconic vehicles and one of the best weapons he has against criminals. The Batplane is incredibly fast, outfitted with stealth capabilities and a variety of offensive weapons that change with the iterations of the vehicle.

From its first appearance in Batman #1 in 1940, the Batplane has been an essential element of Batman’s war on crime. It’s also been a huge part of his arsenal in the movies, with various versions of the craft appearing in virtually every iteration of the franchise.

Batmobile

The Batmobile is one of the most iconic vehicles of all time and is far and away the best Batman vehicle in the comics and in other media. The Batmobile has many versions in the comics but is typically heavily armored, armed, and capable of a variety of tactics that recall those of James Bond’s famous gadget cars.

The Batmobile first appeared in Detective Comics #35 in 1940 and has evolved with the character. Many versions have a jet engine, security measures to keep out intruders, and an autopilot that allows the car to drive independently of Batman.

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