Batman’s 2-Part Franchise That Quietly Beat Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy Is Officially Back On Streaming

Published Sep 14, 2026, 5:21 PM EDT Jeff Dodge (he/him), a published author and graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena. Fun Fact: he’s been to every single Idol Live! Tour. A two-part Batman film that debuted months after Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy ended is once again available on a major streaming platform. Nolan directed the acclaimed live-action Batman trilogy, which began in 2005 with Batman Begins and continued with The Dark Knight in 2008 and The Dark Knight Rises in 2012. The three films collectively grossed $2.46 billion at the box office and posthumously earned Heath Ledger an Oscar for his riveting performance as The Joker. Nolan's take on the DC superhero may have consumed a lot of attention at the time, but another set of Batman movies released on home video just after The Dark Knight Rises received even more critical acclaim than Nolan's trilogy—and they're now available for free. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns — Part 1 and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns — Part 2 are currently streaming on YouTube. The animated movies were directed by Jay Oliva and written by Bob Goodman as the filmmakers adapted Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns comic from 1986. The first installment came out in September 2012, just two months after Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises, and centers on a retired Bruce Wayne, who enters the fray once more to fight crime in Gotham City after Harvey Dent/Two-Face goes missing. The second and final installment was released on home video four months later, in January 2013. The sequel sees a more hopeful Gotham City after Batman intervened to bring down crime. Just when everyone thinks they're in the clear, The Joker shows up to wreak havoc. Superman also flies into Gotham on behalf of the federal government to stop Batman from taking down criminals since he doesn't have the authority to do so. Check out Part 2 on YouTube below: Nolan saw Christian Bale playing the Caped Crusader, while Batman: The Dark Knight Returns had Peter Weller providing the voice of the superhero. His co-stars included Ariel Winter, David Selby, Wade Williams, Michael Emerson, Michael Jackson, Mark Valley, Paget Brewster, Tress MacNeille, Jim Meskimen, Conan O'Brien and Andy Richter. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns films didn't receive theatrical releases like The Dark Knight trilogy did, but the animated two-parter still managed to surpass Nolan's movies in one major area. On Rotten Tomatoes, Batman Begins has an 85% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, with The Dark Knight receiving a 94% and The Dark Knight Rises an 87%. By contrast, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns — Part 1 has a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes. (There aren't enough reviews for Part 2 to generate a score.) The Dark Knight Trilogy vs. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Rotten Tomatoes' Critic Score Batman Begins 85% The Dark Knight 94% The Dark Knight Rises 87% Batman: The Dark Knight Returns — Part 1 100% Batman: The Dark Knight Returns — Part 2 N/A The animated movies are part of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies. Superman: Doomsday, Batman: Gotham Knight, Green Lantern: First Flight, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths and Batman: Year One are just some of the many other films in that series, with the most recent release being Batman: Knightfall – Part 1: Knightfall, which just came out in August. Aside from continuing in animated form, Batman can still be seen in live-action. After the release of The Batman in 2022, Robert Pattinson is currently filming The Batman: Part II. That sequel doesn't arrive in theaters until February 18, 2028, so to tide everyone over, fans can revisit Batman: The Dark Knight Returns for free right now on YouTube. Release Date September 25, 2012 Runtime 76 Minutes Director Jay Oliva