One of the reasons fans love Batman is that he’s a regular person who has made himself into something amazing. He doesn’t have super-strength or speed, he isn’t bulletproof, and he doesn’t have any powers at all. However, he has tactical genius, a highly trained body, and an ironclad will. He also happens to have billions of dollars to create specialized equipment when necessary.

Iron Man has powered armor but is not the only one who equips himself with special suits. Batman has created a wide variety of different costumes for fighting enemies, especially for ones stronger than he is. Since he doesn’t have superpowers, he sometimes needs an extra edge to take on some of the most powerful DC threats.

30

Batman Upgraded To Tactical Armor To Save the World

First Appearance: Justice League (2017)

Ben Affleck starred as an older, grizzled take on Batman largely inspired by The Dark Knight Returns. When this version first appeared in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, it was with a fairly comics-accurate batsuit. He even upgraded to a similar armored form that he wore to take on the Man of Steel in the comic.

However, Zack Snyder put his own touch on the batsuit in Justice League, which hit theaters in 2017 and against his renewed vision as Zack SNyder’s Justice League. Batman donned his Tactical Batsuit for the fight against Steppenwolf and his parademons. The Tactical Batsuit was streamlined but still armored and featured more weapon attachments than usual. He also wore goggles with heads-up displays that allowed him to operate his various vehicles more efficiently.

29

Absolute Batman’s Costume Is a Weapon In and of Itself

First Appearance: Absolute Batman #1 (October 2024) by Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta, Frank Martin, and Clayton Cowles

In the Absolute Universe, DC’s Earth is very different from other realities, because this is a world where Darkseid influenced the world’s creation, so everything is a lot darker than normal. So Bruce Wayne in this world is not a multi-millionaire, but rather a working-class hero who found items to create his weapons from whatever he can find in his various jobs around Gotham City.

In the case of his costume, everything is functional as a weapon, including his cape, which can be used as a sort of prop, and a bridge, and weapon. This all came from a design that Bruce Wayne did as a young boy that won him a contest (sadly, his father was murdered at the zoo where Bruce and his friends attended after winning the contest).

28

Luke Fox Inherited And Improved The Advanced Batwing Armor

First Appearance: Batman Incorporated #5 (May 2011) by Grant Morrison, Yanick Paquette, Nathan Fairbairn, Michel Lacombe, Pat Brosseau

David Zavimbe was a former child soldier who became the African version of Batman known as Batwing. He was one of the first to join Batman Incorporated, an initiative to turn the ideal of Batman into a global crime-fighting network. To help with his war on crime, Batwing had a new suit of armor jam-packed with gadgets for the crusade.

Luke Fox then modified the suit after Zavimbe to further increase the Batwing armor’s incredible power. It enhances his speed, strength, and durability, allowing the hero to fly with a jetpack and wings. The armor became even more sophisticated by adding limited medical enhancements and stealth technology, though Fox eventually retired the Batwing armor.

27

Jean-Paul Valley Improved Batman’s Costume to Defeat Bane

First Appearance: Batman #500 (August 1993) by Doug Moench, Mike Manley, Adrienne Roy, and Ken Bruzenak

During the Knightfall crossover, Bane broke Batman by literally breaking his back. This meant that Bruce Wayne could no longer be Batman. He needed someone to step in for him, so that Gotham City wouldn’t believe that there was no longer a Batman to protect it, so he gave the mantle of Batman to Jean-Paul Valley, a young man that he had been working with. Jean-Paul had been brainwashed into becoming the assassin, Azrael, and Batman was training him to use his skills for good instead, but when Bruce went down, Jean-Paul had to step up and be Batman.

Since Jean-Paul had to take down Bane, and Jean-Paul didn’t know that he could defeat him “naturally,” he instead built up a new Batman armor, along with claws, and a device that could fire razor-sharp batarangs at people. Jean-Paul used the new armor to defeat Bane, and take back control of Gotham City.

26

Batman’s Nano-Mech Armor Shows He’s Equipped For Any Situation

First Appearance: Superman/Batman #58 (May 2009) By Andy Lanning, Dan Abnett, Mike Johnson, Whilce Portacio, Richard Friend, Tanya Horie, Richard Horie, Rob Leigh

A battle with the Prankster forces Superman into the nanoverse, leaving Batman to chase after him. Of course, Batman had a plan even for this and entered the nanoverse with a special vehicle and armor to survive there.

Batman’s Nano-Mech armor might not be the coolest suit he’s ever had–even Superman called it ridiculous–but it got the job done. It increases the durability of his normal Batman costume and comes equipped with tons of gadgets his normal utility belt doesn’t have room for. His usage of high-powered explosives and the ability to hack into advanced technology is shown in the battle.

25

Batman Created a Stealth Suit to Hide From Superman’s Advanced Senses

First Appearance: Superman Unchained #2 (September 2013) by Scott Snyder, Jim Lee, Scott Williams, Alex Sinclair, Sal Cipriano

Batman is a sometimes vulnerable hero since he lacks any superpowers. This has led him to create several suits over the years with different functions, including one with advanced stealth capabilities. He designed it with Superman specifically in mind, as he wanted to see if he could make himself undetectable to the Man of Steel’s enhanced senses.

When Superman visited the Batcave, he surprisingly discovered he couldn’t see Batman anywhere. Batman revealed his new stealth suit, a full-body armor that could adapt to any system used to detect it and adjust itself to hide from even Superman’s X-ray vision. The armored stealth suit was handy when Batman used it to fight Wraith alongside Superman.

24

Bruce Wayne Wore an Early Prototype of Batman Beyond’s Armor

First Appearance: Batman Vol 2 #20 (July 2013) By Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Danny Miki, FCO Plascencia, Comicraft

Near the midway point of the New 52, Batman had to deal with a new, improved Clayface without his Batman suit. When he lost, Clayface dumped him and Lucius Fox in a compactor containing experimental WayneTech that hadn’t passed the testing phase. The only thing that saved both Wayne and Lucius was an experimental armor that suspiciously resembled the Batman Beyond costume.

Though Bruce wanted to keep it, Lucius informed him it was “at least twenty years” from being cost-effective. Still, the suit granted Bruce flight and a massive boost in strength as he punched his way out of the compactor to save them both.

23

Batman’s Haz-Bat Suit Temporarily Protected Him From the Amazo Virus

First Appearance: Justice League Vol. 2 #36 (January 2015) By Geoff Johns, Jason Fabok, Brad Anderson, Carlos M. Mangual

After an accident caused Lex Luthor’s Amazo virus to spread, entire cities became infected with the dangerous virus. While Batman wasn’t aware of Lex Luthor’s plans, he did have a suit of armor prepared for the situation. With his “Haz-Bat” Suit, Bruce is completely protected from any virus that could infect him.

The Haz-Bat suit doesn’t just stop at protection, though. It can withstand a blast of fire and easily resist the pull of enhanced gravity. It’s one of Batman’s most durable armors, which is necessary considering the environments he intended to use.

22

Jean-Paul Valley’s Next Batman Armor Was More Advanced, But With a Catch

First Appearance: Detective Comics #675 (June 1994) by Chuck Dixon, Graham Nolan, Scott Hanna, Adrienne Roy, and John Costanza

The problem with Bruce Wayne appointing Jean-Paul Valley as the new Batman is that, well, remember how Bruce was working with Jean-Paul to help Jean-Paul deal with the brainwashing that had turned Jean-Paul into the assassin, Azrael? Well, he wasn’t exactly FINISHED when Jean-Paul became Batman, so sure enough, he slowly succumbed to the brainwashing that had turned him into Azrael, only now as Batman.

This led to him becoming more violent, but also led him to build an even MORE powerful suit of armor, even including a flamethrower! However, when Bruce Wayne (now healed from his broken back) returned to get the Batman mantle back from the crazed Jean-Paul, it turned out that the armor was too bulky to maneuver, so it was a liability in the end, and even when Jean-Paul returned to being a hero later as Azrael, he didn’t keep the armor.

21

Batman’s Justice Armor Was Inspired by His ’60s Batmobile

First Appearance: Justice #9 (February 2007) By Jim Kreuger, Alex Ross, Doug Braithwaite, and Todd Klein

During Justice, the Justice League discovers Brainiac is using miniature worms to control the minds of many of their worst villains…and their best friends. To protect themselves in one showdown, the League all agree to suit up in special armor to shield them from Brainiac attempting to take control.

While most of the suits had to be constructed, Batman had his armor already prepared. It’s a technology based on both Thanagarian armor and the air-breathing apparatus that Atlanteans rely on. The suit granted him various abilities aside from being mind control resistant, allowing him flight and durability against beings with super-strength.

20

Terry McGinnis Wore Advanced Armor As Batman Beyond

First Appearance: Batman Beyond, Season 1, Episode 1, “Rebirth”

1999’s Batman Beyond animated series was a cyberpunk take on the Batman mythos created by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Alan Burnett. Set in the distant alternate future of 2039, an elderly and retired Bruce Wayne handed the mantle of Batman to teenager Terry McGinnis. With guidance from Wayne, McGinnis fought new enemies as the Batman of the future.

Instead of relying on a plane, the Batman Beyond batsuit had its own wings and limited flight capabilities, as well as weapons such as retractable claws, projectile batarangs, and grappling guns. It also worked as an exoskeleton to enhance the wearer’s strength and speed. One major feature was the suit’s cloaking ability, allowing Batman to become invisible to the naked eye.

19

The Batman Featured A Bane-Inspired Bat-Bot Armor

First Appearance: The Batman, Season 1, Episode 2, “Traction”

2004’s animated TV series The Batman followed a new take on the Dark Knight in his second year of crime-fighting. He wore a few different batsuits geared toward defeating his villains. However, the most powerful appeared in the episode “Traction” when he faced one of Batman’s most iconic villains, Bane.

Bane beat Batman and left him for dead in an alley in their first encounter. To defeat Bane, Batman built the Bat-Bot armor to fight for him and reduce his risk in battle. The Bat-Bot was an exoskeleton that made Batman as big as Bane. It also had powerful servo motors that gave him superhuman strength. The Bat-Bot also had a jetpack, so he could fly in short bursts.

18

The Suit Of Sorrows Enhanced But Also Cursed The Dark Knight

First Appearance: Detective Comics #838 (January 2008) by Paul Dini, Ryan Benjamin, Saleem Crawford, John Kalisz, Steve Wands

Talia al Ghul, the daughter of the ancient villain Ra’s al Ghul, presented the ancient armor known as the Suit of Sorrows to Batman as a gift. The Suit of Sorrows was first forged in 1190 during the Crusades. The Suit drove the knight who first wore it insane, leading him to slaughter hundreds of people, but that didn’t deter the Bat.

A splinter sect of the Order of St. Dumas called the Order of Purity forged the Suit of Sorrows from the blades and breastplates of fallen Crusaders. Batman found the Suit made him stronger and faster, but also made him more violent. Batman decided to stop using the armor and kept it in the Batcave. The Order of Purity then stole the Suit of Sorrows to armor their new Azrael.

17

Batman Wore A Robotic Superman Suit To Cover For The Man of Steel

First Appearance: Superman/Batman Annual #2 (May 2008) by Joe Kelly, Scott Kolins, Jorge Molina, and Rob Leigh

Inspired by a classic Pre-Crisis story, Superman/Batman Annual #2 featured a magical villain named Socrates who convinced Superman that he had lost his abilities. He retired to Kansas as Clark Kent, though Metropolis still needed a Superman. When a giant version of Metallo attacked the city, Bruce Wayne debuted one of his most powerful suits.

However, this suit wasn’t a typical batsuit. Instead, it was a robotic exoskeleton that resembled Superman and completely covered Bruce Wayne, much like Iron Man’s armor did for Tony Stark. Batman convinced the world that Superman was still around, which inspired Kent to return to action. He trained with Batman and briefly wore the Superman suit, though it had been refashioned into a version of his Supernova guise. Thankfully, Superman regained his powers, and the suit disappeared.

16

Batman’s Exoframe Batsuit Allowed Him To Hold His Own Against Superman

First Appearance: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns #4 (December 1986) by Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, and Lynn Varley

In 1986, Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns introduced a darker and grittier Batman who came out of retirement to save his city from old and new threats. One of those threats involved Superman, who had become a powerful weapon under the control of a corrupt U.S. government. The government sent Superman to take Batman down, but the Dark Knight was ready.

Batman created an exoskeleton specifically designed to fight Superman. It was heavily armored to take blows from the Man of Steel and equipped with strong motors that enhanced Batman’s strength. The suit also allowed him to deliver a powerful electric shock to Superman’s skull and spray acid to distract him in one of the best graphic novels ever.

15

In the DC Extended Universe, Batman’s Exoskeleton Was Even More Impressive

First Appearance: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

In the film, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, director Zack Snyder was highly influenced by The Dark Knight Returns, and so Ben Affleck’s Batman decided to take Superman just like he did in Frank Miller’s comic book series. However, this time around, it was a different setup, as Batman was actively hunting Superman instead of just defending himself against the Man of Steel.

Therefore, Batman’s armor this time around was even more advanced than it was in The Dark Knight Returns, as he needed to be in better shape to be able to hunt down Superman. Batman had Superman by the throat, but ultimately decided not to kill him when he realized that, although Superman was an alien, he really was a human in the end.

14

Batman Had to Have a Powerful Armor to Defeat an Actual Evil Superman

First Appearance: Injustice: Gods Among Us (2013)

As noted, Batman built a special suit of armor in both The Dark Knight Returns, and in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, to deal with Superman. His reasons were different in each of those two works. In the first, he was wearing it to defend himself from Superman, while in the second, he was hunting down Superman, because he feared that Superman might be a threat to the world.

Well, in the Injustice: Gods Among Us video game, Superman was ACTUALLY a threat, as the Man of Steel was turned to villainy after Lois Lane was murdered. So Batman and a group of otther heroes form a resistance group to fight against Superman and his allies, and so his suit of armor is even more powerful than in the otehr two times that he took on Superman.

13

Batman’s Prototype Exoskeleton Controlled His Man-Bat Transformation

First Appearance: Batman Incorporated #10 (June 2013) by Grant Morrison, Chris Burnham, Jason Masters, Andrei Bressan, Nathan Fairbairn

Batman faced Talia al Ghul and an army of ninjas transformed into half-human half-bat monsters. He turned on his “beloved” after the death of his son Damian at the hands of the Heretic. Batman injected himself with the Man-Bat serum and kicked off his own dark transformation into a monster hellbent on revenge.

Batman wore the aforementioned Suit of Sorrows to increase his strength and speed further. He also wore a prototype exoskeleton with a jetpack and wings for flight and extended metal arms. He could deliver powerful electric shocks into the ground. The short-lived suit also had a “negative refractive index” which allowed him to turn invisible and get the drop on the powerful Heretic.

12

Batman’s Anti-Predator Armor Prepared Him For War

First Appearance: Batman versus Predator #2 (February 1992) by Dave Gibbons, Andy Kubert, Adam Kubert, Sherilyn Van Valkenburgh

Batman faced the alien Predator for the first time in Batman versus Predator. Batman investigated the grisly murder of a boxer who had his spine and skull removed. He soon discovered the ruthless alien warrior Predator was hunting in Gotham City. After the Predator seriously injured him in their first encounter, Batman created an armored exoskeleton to give him an edge.

Batman’s exoskeleton was specially designed to fight the Predator. The suit used sonar to compensate for the Predator’s invisibility technology. It also enhanced his strength and armor to keep the Predator from cutting him open with razor-sharp blades. Batman defeated the Predator and the alien hunter took his own life, proving Batman is one of the galaxy’s greatest warriors.

11

An Aged Bruce Wayne Kept Himself Active With An Exobatsuit

First Appearance: Kingdom Come #4 (August 1996) by Mark Waid, Alex Ross and Todd Klein

Kingdom Come takes place in a dark potential future where the Justice League has retired as the next generation of metahumans fights over the planet. Bruce Wayne has retired after years as the Dark Knight took its toll on his body. Even in his civilian life, he requires an exoskeleton to maintain his active lifestyle.

When Superman and the Justice League returned, Batman was forced to suit up again to lead the heroes loyal to him into battle. His new armored exobatsuit allowed him to fly, and increased his strength to the level that he could actually hold his own against Wonder Woman, even in his weakened condition.