10. Batman (1943)
So many aspects of the legendary Batman comics made their debut on the silver screen in the very first live-action adaptation: The 1943 movie serial that was simply titled Batman.
While the serials didn’t have their own versions of the Batmobile (Batman often used Bruce Wayne’s car), we saw the Batsuit, the Batcave, and some of the Bat-gadgets, and we also saw a version of the Bat-Signal too.
Now, the very first appearance of the Bat-Signal in live-action media wasn’t the official Bat-Signal fans today are familiar with. By that, we mean that it wasn’t a huge light on the top of GCPD headquarters and it wasn’t Commissioner Gordon operating it.
The variation appeared in the midst of the 1943 film serial when Robin shone a flashlight onto the wall, with the large bat symbol notifying the criminals that the Caped Crusaders had arrived.
It’s not the actual Bat-Signal we all know and love, but it definitely deserves to be included on this list as it was the first time that the iconic symbol lit up the big screen. A respectful nod to the comics and the legendary Bat symbol, it was only the beginning for the signal.