We don’t see the Batboat on-screen that often, but it has made quite a few appearances. Which version of Batman’s water ride is the best of the best?
The Dark Knight really is the hero who has an answer for everything, especially when it comes to catching criminals. If you’re running away from him on land, he can chase you down with the Batmobile, the Batcycle, or even the Batwing – the latter of the three being especially useful for chasing bad guys in the air, too. However, if those villains find their way out onto the water, he has a special ride for that situation as well.
The Batboat has been a fixture of The Dark Knight’s comic book adventures for years, first making its presence felt in the DC lore all the way back in 1946. It’s had many variations over the years, and it has taken on many names, too, including the Batstrike and the Batsub.
It’s also made quite a few appearances on the silver screen, joining Batman for his movie and TV adventures over the years. It’s not as regular a presence as the Batmobile, but we’ve seen a number of cameos from the Batboat and all of them are memorable.
Taking that into account, and with the legendary Batman Day still fresh in our memories, let’s take this opportunity to rank all of the Batboats and see which one really is the coolest ride.
5. The Schumacher Batboat (Batman Forever)
Batman Forever thought everything looked better with neon lights attached to it, and the Batboat is no exception to that. Making its first appearance in the ’80s-’90s movie quadrilogy, it very much took its cues from the Batmobile designed for the Joel Schumacher movie, with a single large tailfin on its back and that blue fluorescent light display radiating throughout its main body. It also features that unbelievably long exhaust flame that powers it forward.
It’s a look that the Batman Forever vehicles pulled off incredibly well (even the wings of the Batwing had that blue light display) but if we’re being honest, the Batboat is the least exciting design of the three. It’s not that there is anything wrong with it, but it’s just a little less cool than its counterparts. Nevertheless, it’s still very, very cool.
It doesn’t last very long in the film, as The Riddler destroys it when Batman and Robin approach his hideout, but thankfully an ejector seat meant that the Boy Wonder could escape without injury. And hey, even with its short amount of screentime, it looked incredibly badass – especially in that epic shot where the Batwing flies overhead as the Dynamic Duo make their way across the water to take down some villains.
4. The first DCAU Batboat (Batman: The Animated Series)
The DC Animated Universe is renowned for introducing The Dark Knight to a whole new generation, and that goes for everything that came with him. Of course, the Batboat is part of that legacy.
It wasn’t a regular aspect of Batman: The Animated Series, appearing in just four of its original 109 episodes, but that meant that we appreciated it more when we saw it. And there was a lot to appreciate.
This Batboat may be the most unique of all the designs. A rotund, submarine-like vehicle, it is also the most versatile as it can function as both a typical boat that glides across the water while also acting as a submarine that can partake in underwater chases. In fact, we get to see it do just that in the episode “Deep Freeze” when Batman and Robin are escaping exploding sharks.
It’s quite fish-like in its shaping, and features a sliding canopy like the Batmobile, as well as a single large tailfin at the very back of it.
It’s not as well remembered as some of the more iconic aspects of Batman: The Animated Series but it was a seriously underrated, and welcome addition to the long line-up of gadgets and vehicles The Dark Knight used throughout these legendary animated adventures.
3. The second DCAU Batboat (The New Batman Adventures)
When Batman: The Animated Series received its revival revamp, the vast majority of its characters and gadgets were redesigned. The Batboat was no exception, with its The New Batman Adventures design opting for a more sharp look. To say it paid off would be an understatement.
If you read our Batwing ranking article, you might remember that we pointed out how the show’s Batplane and Batboat were quite similar in design, as the latter also has a large rocket-shaped body and features large wings on either side. Of course, for the Batboat, its “wings” were designed to keep it above the water, with the Batfins on either end allowing it to do that. In fact, it owes a lot of its design to Batman Returns‘ Batskiboat which likely inspired its appearance.
The only downside with this version of the Batboat is that its built for staying above the water, so it likely wouldn’t have been able to go underwater like the previous animated series’ iteration. But then again, we are talking about Batman here, so who knows.
The Batboat was a semi-regular aspect of The New Batman Adventures but perhaps its greatest moment came in “Over The Edge” when Batman and Robin had to use it to escape from the GCPD in a high-speed chase during a Scarecrow-induced dream sequence. Seeing it crash against the waves and still speed on truly made for a sight to behold.
2. The original Batboat (Batman: The Movie)
The classic Batman TV series had some of the coolest gadgetry in all of Batman’s adaptations, so you can bet damn sure that that Batboat was going to look every bit as cool as the Batmobile. When it finally made its debut in the 1966 movie spinoff, it got all of our attention.
The boat was one of the many additions to the show continuity that came about because of the film’s bigger budget. It was designed from a Glastron V-174 by Mel Whitley and Robert Hammond before it was subsequently Bat-ified, with plenty of the iconic accessories we’d recognize from the Batmobile.
The main body of the boat took a great deal of inspiration from its land counterpart, with the center console featuring twin windscreens and a red overhead light exactly like the ones seen in the Batmobile. Its front also featured that odd-but-cool looking nostril-like design seen on the front of the Batmobile.
Now this is the Batboat so you can bet there was a large tailfin on its back, and this one even had the classic 1966 Batman emblem on it. The boat also had flames painted onto each side of it; perhaps a nod to how fast the Batboat was on the water.
Batman: The Movie wanted to go bigger and better, and that’s exactly the impression that the Batboat gave off. And whenever it was on-screen, you couldn’t help but appreciate the grandeur of seeing it in live-action for the very first time (as well as that catchy theme music that would play every time the Dynamic Duo made their way onto the water).
1. The Batskiboat (Batman Returns)
When The Penguin decided to launch an all-out assault on Gotham City in Batman Returns using actual penguins, Batman decided it was time to track the nefarious fiend down and stop him once for all. For that, he called upon the Batskiboat to tunnel into the sewers of Gotham (and avoid some of those deadly penguins on his way there).
Essentially just a Batmobile for the water, the Batskiboat was a long missile-shaped vehicle with two large wings on either side that helped it glide on the water. When above water, the end of those wings formed two extra Batarang-shaped fins, which complemented the iconic tailfin on the back of the vehicle. It also featured smaller, slit-like windows that allowed Batman to see out, and a camera within that gave him a clearer view of what was in front of him – which allowed him to steer out of the way of some deadly missiles coming his way.
Taking its similarities to the Batmobile into account, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to learn that it featured a similar weapons system, although it was capable of launching some torpedoes should it come across a threat in the water.
Perhaps the most unique of the Batboats, we don’t talk about the Batskiboat enough, but its influence on the lore is clear, particular in The New Batman Adventures as its Batboat looks to have been heavily inspired by it. The underappreciated beauty of Batman Returns.
Which version of the Batboat is your favorite? How are you celebrating Batman Day this year?