Batman: All 10 Bat-Signals ranked from worst to best

2. Batman (1989)

There may not be a more iconic scene in the history of cinema than the silhouette of Batman, perched on the top a building, watching the Bat-Signal illuminate the night sky. It was a thrilling, haunting, and most of all, triumphant moment that served as the perfect finale to Tim Burton’s Batman; one that highlighted that, no matter what evil would rise in Gotham City, the Dark Knight was there to stop it.

The Bat-Signal didn’t play a major role in the 1989 film, it couldn’t because the whole purpose of the movie was Batman proving himself to be a force for good to the GCPD, but that’s exactly why it ended up being such a fulfilling moment to see it finally get lit up by Commissioner Gordon.

The Bat-Signal that would define the Bat-Signal itself, this one features the traditional, circular Bat emblem inside a white haunting spotlight. It’s simple, but after all these years, it’s still very effective. It’s not any old bat shape, it’s Batman’s actual logo in the film, so that final sequence carries so much more weight.

If the people of Gotham need him, they can call him. And with that symbol in the sky, they know that he’ll always be out there for them.