10 best comic book movie sequels ever made, ranked

2. Batman Returns

Previous comic book project: Batman

"“But a kiss can be even deadlier if you mean it.” – Selina Kyle and Bruce Wayne"

One of the biggest reasons that Batman is such a popular character is his rich gallery of villains. The Dark Knight has to find unique and creative ways to beat his enemies because each of them are different. He can’t defeat Bane or Joker with just his fists. He has to outsmart them as well. Every so often he’s up against more than one villain at a time. This forces Batman to be even more innovative. All of that is showcased in Batman Returns. It was also executed better than any other Batman project.

Batman was up against Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer) and the Penguin (Danny DeVito). Both were working together against him for a common goal until Penguin betrayed Catwoman. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne was battling the conniving and underrated Max Shreck (Christopher Walken) on a corporate and political level. Bruce defeated the odds and looked good while he was at it. Walken, Pfeiffer, and DeVito pulled off being unlikely castings and became classic movie antagonists.

Another constant in the Batman lore is how silly Batman can be. As dark as the Tim Burton directed movie was, it also embraced the goofiness, including, but not limited to, a giant, mobilized, rubber duck and weaponized penguins.

Overall, a nearly perfect movie and sequel. Especially since it had to follow Jack Nicholson’s Joker.