Throughout April, we’re counting down to the release of Marvel’s Iron Man 3 with our picks for the Greatest Comic Book Movies of All Time; here’s #25…
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, 1993.
Directed by Eric Radomski and Bruce W. Timm.
Featuring the voice talents of Kevin Conroy, Dena Delany, Hart Bochner, Stacy Keach, Abe Vigoda, Dick Miller, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Bob Hastings, Robert Costanzo and Mark Hamill.
A mysterious new vigilante appears in Gotham, hunting down and killing a number of the city’s major crime bosses. With the finger of suspicion pointing towards Batman, the police launch a manhunt for The Dark Knight as he attempts to uncover the true identity of The Phantasm – a path which forces the Caped Crusader to confront his a figure from his past and leads to a showdown with his nemesis, The Joker.
Created by the Batman: The Animated Series producing team of Bruce Timm, Eric Radomski, Paul Dino and Alan Burnett and featuring fan favourites Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill as Batman and The Joker, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm was rushed through production in just eight months, only to be largely forgotten about by Warner Bros.’ marketing department in the run up to its release on Christmas Day 1993. Nevertheless, Mask of the Phantasm managed to capture everything that was great about Batman: TAS, and is arguably the definitive animated Batman movie (with the others being direct-to-video they are ineligible for our list). It’s also the highest-placed animated film in our countdown, and gives The Dark Knight his second appearance after Tim Burton’s Batman Returns (#27). And of course, it won’t be his last…
Keep up to date with our entire countdown here.
Holy Franchise, Batman! Bringing the Caped Crusader to the Screen – Available now via Amazon.co.uk
Originally published April 1, 2013. Updated November 7, 2019.
