I recently found myself at a screening of The LEGO Batman Movie, which got me wondering about the funniest version of Batman. Now, Batman is normally a pretty serious guy. Regardless of if he’s being played on screen by Christian Bale or Robert Pattison, when you think of Gotham's infamous vigilante, you think of the brooding, bare-knuckled detective who is equal parts brawns, brains and traumatized. But it’s because of his serious nature that the campy and comedic versions of him hit so hard. From the surfing and dancing Batman of the 1960s to the infamous nipple-suited Caped Crusader, let’s look at four of the funniest depictions of Batman!
 

Will Arnett, The Lego Batman Movie

This unabashedly silly take on the World’s Greatest Detective is spot on. The LEGO version of Batman explores who the character would be if he were reduced down to a stereotype of himself. And spoiler alert, he would be Will Arnett as a little plastic dude.

In Batman movies and comics over the years, it’s been heavily implied that Batman is the actual man and the playboy billionaire Bruce Wayne is the fictionalized persona. LEGO Batman plays on that by combining the personalities, making Batman and Bruce Wayne equal parts shallow and spoiled. This version of Batman is ruled by his impulses and ego, acting like a petulant child that is heavily parented by Alfred. He also has way too much time and money on his hands, resulting in all kinds of silly shenanigans, like writing heavy raps about how amazing he is. Listen, the song tells you everything you need to know about this Batman. If you haven’t heard it in a while (or ever), give a listen to “Who's the (Bat)Man.”

What makes this Batman so funny is that he’s a pretty accurate depiction of the character through a modern lens. LEGO Batman explores being a billionaire vigilante in the age of the internet. Most of all, though, the movie explores the parasocial relationship Batman has with the Joker. One of my favorite scenes is when, early on, Batman rejects the Joker after the Clown Price of Crime claims he is Batman’s greatest enemy. What unfolds after that essentially amounts to a breakup between Batman and the Joker. While it’s a comedic exaggeration that arguably compares their relationship to a romantic one, it captures the whole thing pretty well. They are obsessed with each other, and Batman is the last to admit it.
 

Adam West, Batman

When thinking about funnier takes on Batman, you can’t help but land on Adam West and his outlandish Bat-gadgets, spandex and absurd plotlines on TV’s Batman. With his brighter colors, skin-tight spandex, loose-fitting cowl, shiny polyester cape, comedically large belt and signature exterior underwear, he offers quite a contrast with the modern take on the character and his large physique, brutal fighting style and militaristic design. In addition to his physical appearance—which I am not critiquing by any means, I love the camp of it all—’60’s Batman cranks the theatrical and cheese up to 11 as we follow the nefarious shenanigans of villains like the Joker (Cesar Romero), Penguin (Burgess Meredith), Catwoman (Julie Newmar) and original weirdos like Egghead (Vincent Price). We see gadgets like the Bat-phone, which is just a landline attached to the Bat-Mobile, and the Bat-Shield, a transparent shield that magically folds up like a piece of paper. It's hilarious to see Batman and Robin (Burt Ward) squeeze together behind the plexiglass-looking bulletproof shield. It is whimsical as heck!

My favorite moment from the series, which I am sure you have seen floating around online, is from season 3, episode 10, “Surf's Up! Joker's Under!,” where we see Batman and the Joker compete in a surfing competition between only each other as a crowd watches in awe. It is ridiculous in the best way possible. About a decade after the introduction of the Comics Code Authority, Adam West’s Caped Crusader reflects the needs and political climate of Batman in the 1960’s and is a time capsule for the history of the iconic character.
 

George Clooney, Batman & Robin

We have to talk about the bat-nipples. Sorry, I don’t make the rules!

There is a lot to say about director Joel Schumacher’s take on Batman and Gotham as a whole. From the return of camp in its depiction of the Dark Knight’s rogues gallery to the inarguably impressive set designs, there is a lot to love (and critique) about this nostalgia-worthy classic. Hollywood heartthrob George Clooney, who played Batman in Schumacher’s second movie, Batman & Robin, might not go down as many people's favorite Batman, but he nevertheless has a special place in the character’s history. Much of this, of course, is due to his batsuit. Batman and Robin both have comedically defined and chiseled armored suits with abs that would put most bodybuilders to shame and the aforementioned bat-nips. (We’ve all seen the memes.) But let’s not overlook Batman’s cowl as well. A large part of George Clooney’s physicality and acting has to be attributed to the incredible thick-necked cowl he wears. Arguably, the cowl needs its own credit on IMDB!

This Batman leans into the whimsy of Gotham and the theatrics of DC. While Clooney’s Bruce Wayne is a believable playboy billionaire, his Batman is absolutely ridiculous. In the first fifteen minutes of the movie, we witness Batman ice skating in full costume and proceeding to sky-surf out of danger with Robin. It is ridiculous, hilarious and absolutely incredible.
 

Diedrich Bader, Harley Quinn

The Harley Quinn animated series is a gem. It explores Harley’s (Kaley Cuoco) liberation from the Joker and her new relationship with Poison Ivy (Lake Bell), balancing serious subject matter with a lot of comedy. The show’s take on the World’s Greatest Detective is a perfect example of that balance. Harley Quinn’s Batman takes himself too seriously, is stubborn, struggles with social interactions and is serious to a fault… So, what's not to love about this incredibly relatable Batman?

This Caped Crusader’s little quirks aren't rooted in stereotypes in the same way Arnett’s take on the character is. Instead, Diedrich Bader captures the mundane human aspects of Batman and amplifies them. For example, his interactions with Damian (Jacob Tremblay) paint him as a father struggling with the growing pains of watching his kid enter his teenage years, while his relationship with Alfred (Tom Hollander) brings out the whiney little kid buried deep underneath that serious exterior.

His stubbornness is first seen after he wakes up from a coma and refuses to let his body heal, which is something we’ve seen his more serious iterations do as well, but it’s the way he does it that makes it funny. Here, Batman is a desperate man who refuses to accept his limitations and flaws, and who can’t take “no” for an answer. (That’s a billionaire for you.) Make no mistake, this Batman is still one of the most skilled fighters in this universe, but he also throws a fit when his drink is too hot, making Alfred blow on it to cool it down. And unlike LEGO Batman, this version of Bruce Wayne struggles with dating, seen through his endearingly desperate interactions with Catwoman, who’s clearly over him. That doesn’t mean we are, however! We’re still waiting for word on a sixth season of this show, so let’s hope we haven’t seen the end of Bader’s bumbling Bat.
 

Sami DeMonster writes about superheroes, horror and sci-fi for DC.com and is the author of our Absolute Universe column, “Thinking in Absolutes.” Follow her at @samidemonster on Instagram and Substack.

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Sami DeMonster and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.