Batcave, why I love thee! by the Dork

UPDATED: 07/23/18: One of my friends once asked me, "What's the craziest thing you'd do if you won the lottery?" I told him without hesitation...I'd build a BATCAVE! Ever since I got my first toy Batcave I've wanted the real thing! I know it's completely dorky, but what can I say...it just strikes me as the coolest thing ever. So to that end, this post is dedicated to all the Batcaves that have existed through the ages, including the toy I had as a kid!

The Batcave Toy from 1970's 

History of the Batcave (clipped from Wikipedia): The Batcave first became part of the Batman mythos in the 1943 15-chapter movie serial Batman starring Lewis Wilson. In this version, as later in the comics, it was just a small cave with a desk and filing cabinets.

In 1943, the writers of the first Batman movie serial gave the Caped Crusader a complete underground crime lab and introduced it in the first chapter entitled "The Bat's Cave". Bob Kane, who was on the movie set, mentioned this to Bill Finger who was going to be the initial scripter on the BATMAN Daily Newspaper strip. Finger included with his script, a clipping from Popular Mechanics that featured a detailed cross section of underground hangars. Kane used this clipping as a guide adding the crime lab, stalactites, stalagmites and bats. Thus, the Dark Knight's creators introduced the definitive Batcave in the Batman "dailies" on October 29, 1943 and in January 1944, the Batcave made its comic book debut in Detective Comics #83. 

Brief History about the Pre-Batcave (clipped from Wikipedia): Discovered and used long before by Wayne's ancestors as a storehouse as well as a means of transporting escaped slaves during the Civil War era, Wayne himself rediscovered them when he fell through a dilapidated well on his estate.

The Batcave of the 1940's

 

Fun Fact about the Batcave (clipped from Wikipedia): The Batcave through a secret door in Wayne Manor itself, which is almost always depicted as in the main study, often behind a grandfather clock which unlocks the secret door when the hands are set to the time that Bruce Wayne's parents were murdered, 10:47.

The Batcave of the 1950's

The Batcave Dick Sprang Style.
   

Fun Fact about the Batcave (clipped from Wikipedia): The Batcave stores various memorabilia items, such as a defunct full-size mechanical Tyrannosaurus Rex. The T. Rex comes from an adventure on "Dinosaur Island" (Batman #35, 1946). A giant penny was originally a trophy from Batman's encounter with a penny-obsessed villain named the Penny Plunderer (World's Finest Comics #30, 1947).

The Batcave of the 1960's



The Batcave of the 1960's TV series.

  

Fun Fact about the Batcave (clipped from Wikipedia):Batcave in the 1960's TV series is accessed through Wayne Manor, via the two "batpoles" (one marked Bruce and the other marked Dick), which are hidden behind a bookcase that can be opened by pressing a button hidden inside a bust of Shakespeare. When Bruce and Dick slide down these batpoles, they are instantly outfitted in their costumes.

The Batcave Toys from 1970's.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
The Batcave of the 1970's

First Appearance: Detective Comics #328.
 

Brief History of the 1970's Batcave:  When Alfred Pennyworth was killed saving Batman and Robin, Bruce Wayne established the Alfred Foundation in his name, establishing this building as the foundation's headquarters. When Alfred turned up alive, however, Bruce changed the name to the Wayne Foundation in honor of his father, Thomas Wayne.  Notable for possessing a giant tree within its center, the building contains many offices of Wayne Enterprises and features a Carousel Restaurant on its roofs as well as a penthouse for Wayne himself.  With Dick Grayson off to college, Bruce Wayne decided to move his base of operations to the center of Gotham City. Living in the penthouse of the Wayne Foundation building, Batman moved the contents of the Batcave into a secret sub-basement which became his new headquarters; accessed via an elevator that travels down the center of the tree from the top floor penthouse.

Eventually the base and all of its equipment would move back to Wayne Manor, however, the cave below the building would be reused as the first headquarters for the Outsiders group following its formation. With the penthouse apartment being given to members Katana and Halo until Batman disavowed association with the team and they moved to Markovia to tend to the country's civil war.  The building and its history would later be altered and retconned following the Infinite Crisis

The Batcave of the 1980's

 

The Batcave from Frank Miller's Dark Knight  
 
The Batcave of Tim Burton's Batman 1989

 
 

Fun Fact about the Batcave (clipped from Wikipedia): The Batcave seen in Batman Returns is accessed via a tube/elevator like passage from Wayne Manor, the entrance to which is hidden in an iron maiden and is activated by throwing a small switch hidden on a small replica of Wayne Manor in the bottom of a fish tank.

The Batcave of Batman: The Animated Series 1992
 
 

  

 

Fun Fact about the Batcave (clipped from Wikipedia):In the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Beware the Gray Ghost", the Batcave is revealed to be an exact replica of the lair used by the Gray Ghost, a fiction-within-fiction character and idol to Bruce Wayne.

The Batcave of the 1990's

Fun Fact about the Batcave (clipped from Wikipedia):There is a glass case display of Jason Todd's Robin costume as a memorial to him, with the epitaph "A Good Soldier", which remains even after Todd's resurrection. Barbara Gordon's Batgirl costume also remains on display after her retirement.

The Batcave of the late 90's



Satellite Batcaves 
 
 

Fun Fact about the Batcave (clipped from Wikipedia): Batman establishes satellite Batcaves (most of which were not caves in the literal sense that the original one was) throughout the city on areas either owned by him, his company, or unknown or abandoned by the city in the event that he needs a place to hide and/or resupply, which were pivotal during the No Man's Land storyline. One such Batcave was given to Batgirl, below a house owned by Bruce Wayne himself, during a point where her identity was compromised after she saved a man from rogue government agents, meaning that she could not walk around without a mask. Central Batcave: Located fifty feet below the bottom of Robinson Park Reservoir. It is accessible through a secret entrance at the foot of one of the Twelve Caesars statues at the north of the park. This safehouse was put out of commission by Poison Ivy, her "Feraks", and Clayface. Batcave South: A boiler room of a derelict shipping yard on the docks across from Paris Island. This safehouse is accessible through a number of false manholes planted throughout Old Gotham streets. Batcave South-Central: Located in the Old Gotham prototype subway station, a four-block stretch of track sealed in 1896 and forgotten. Northwest Batcave: This safehouse is located in the subbasement of Arkham Asylum. Batman secretly stocked it with emergency rations, all-terrain vehicles, and battery-powered communication equipment. Batcave East: An abandoned oil refinery owned by Wayne Enterprises. It fell out of use during a gasoline crisis when the company moved all its holdings offshore decades ago.

The Batcave of the 2000s.
 

The Batcave Jim Lee Style
 

 The Batcave of from The Dark Knight/Dark Knight Rises movies 2008/2012
 



The Batcave of 2010
 
 

Bat Bunker: Under the penthouse of the Wayne Foundation building, there is a secret bunker. When Dick Grayson became Batman this became his "Batcave", stating that he wishes to embody the role of Batman in a way that is specific to him as well as getting closer to the action in the city. This is similar to the bunker seen in the 2008 film The Dark Knight. The bunker is as well-equipped as the original Batcave, including the Subway Rocket vehicle stationed beneath the bunker.

The Batcave of 2011-Present

   

 

 The Batcave from Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice 2016

The Batcave from Batman Beyond

Fun Fact about the Batcave (clipped from Wikipedia): The Batcave in Batman Beyond includes a display case with the many permutations of costumes of Robin, Batgirl, Nightwing, and Batman himself. Other items which have been shown to be in the Cave include the Freeze Gun of Mr. Freeze, Harley Quinn's costume, the puppet Scarface, and a 'shrine' to Bruce Wayne's childhood TV hero, the Gray Ghost.

The Legion of Super-Heroes discover the long lost Batcave

 

The Batcave Alter-Verse: DC/Marvel Crossover
 

Arkham City and other video game Batcaves.

Lego Batcave
 

Batcave from New Frontier animated movie.

Batcave from animated Justice League Doom movie.

Batman Caped Crusaders

Batman Who Laughs Batcave

The Batcave Fan Versions
 

 
 
 

 

 

1: Transporter to Justice League Headquarters 2: Passageway for navigating throughout western end of Batcave 3: Tiered underground waterfall streams across the estate from Kane Sound, on Gotham City’s North side 4: Alternate stairway, leading to Wayne Manor’s west gate 5: Underground waterfall that emanates all the way from Gotham River 6: Entranceway from southwest end of Wayne Manor 7: LCD Security Screens, secured from above, constantly monitor vault containing hazardous materials/technology 8: Stairway leading to Wayne Manor’s main entranceway (concealed on the left hand side) 9: Underpass leading directly to multiple levels 10: Vault containing extremely hazardous materials/technology, including a kryptonite ring that is lethal to Superman 11: Vertical HVAC’s (Heating, ventilation and air conditioning) 12: Hydroelectric power generator 13: Servo-conveyor belt, to facilitate transportation of bulk materials 14: Dam controls the flow of incoming water, and feeds power into the hydroelectric generator 15: Inside piping connecting to the hydroelectric dam and water filtration systems 16: Outlet enables the bat-Submarine to enter and exit beneath the waterfall 17: Stairway leading directly to forensic laboratory 18: Passageway leading to library and additional workshops 19: Forensic laboratory and equipment 20: Additional stairways to library area 21: Gymnasium, weight room and training facilities 22: Alfred operates the keypad controls that manage the servo-conveyor and winch 23: Retractable, steel-cable winch, for transporting bulk materials and machinery 24: Mooring for the Bat-Submarine 25: Modular floating dock 26: Central station that powers the Bat-computer mainframe, high-definition flatscreen, hologram projectors, retractable glass maps, and cray XT5 “Plug-in” modules 27: Additional vehicle storage/repair hangar 28: Exploration rover, for surveying uncharted areas within the Batcave or other geological-related missions 29: Robo-mechanics aid in vehicle repairs, diagnostics and maintenance 30: Batboat passageway mooring 31: Batboat, with a maximum surface speed of 170mph (30 knots in submerged mode) 32: Batcave dehumidification system/emergency walkway 33: Cables from the hydrogen and solar generators, distributing power to all areas of the Batcave 34: Solar-powered lighting fixture 35: Display case containing Barbara Gordon’s Batgirl Costume 36: Display case containing the costume of Jason Todd, the second Robin 37: Cabinets containing additional Bat-costumes and utility-belt supplies 38: Walkway to island computer platform 39: Batman stands amid the island platform’s computer mainframe and high-definition flatscreen monitor 40: Outer control deck for the Batplane 41: Elevator shaft to/from island computer platform, continuing all the way down to sub-level 6 42: Underpass from vehicle storage/repair hangar to Batmobiles 43: 2000 Batmobile 44: Current Batmobile model 45: Early-1990s Batmobile 46: Workstation connected to the Bat-computer mainframe 47: Robo-mechanic, for assisting in auto repairs 48: Automated sentry, for remote-control security functions 49: Classic “Hot Rod” Batmobile 50: Late-1990s Batmobile 51: Hydraulic turntable, for lowering the Batmobile down to the Batcave’s southern, northern and eastern ramp exits 52: 2004-05 Batmobile model 53: Underground waterfall continues streaming downward, ultimately existing through other outlets that lead out of the Batcave 54: Southern ramp exit (Headings: Mooney Bridge, Goodwin International Airpot) 55: Vertical airdock, reinforced from the Batcave ceiling, houses the Batplane for storage and repairs 56: Servo-hydraulic pistons raise and lower the Batplane as needed 57: Stealth-engaged Batplane 58: VTOL-ready Batplane 59: Bat-copter hangar area 60: Spiral hangar to lower levels, for access to Bat-copter and Batwing 61: Walkway and stairs to/from spiral hangar area 62 & 63: Independently operating solar generators, fuelled by the rotating solar panels on Wayne Manor’s rooftops, power much of the Batcave’s high-tech hardware and equipment 64: “War Room”, showcasing a collection of warrior armor from different periods in history 65: Northern ramp exit (Headings: Kane Memorial Bridge, Robbinsville, City Hall District) 66: “Futura”-styled Batmobile model 67: Early sports-coupe Batmobile 68: Eastern ramp exit (Headings: Crime Alley, Arkham Asylum, Gotham City Police Dept. HQ) 69: Eastern ramp underpass and stairways 70: 2002-03 Batmobile.