Batman Day 2026 takes place on Saturday, September 19, giving fans around the world another excuse to spend a day in Gotham.

And after 87 years, there is plenty to choose from.

Batman has moved through landmark comics, movies, animation, games, toys, statues, and just about every other corner of pop culture. Every generation seems to find its own version of the Dark Knight, whether that is Adam West, Michael Keaton, Batman: The Animated Series, Christopher Nolan’s trilogy, the Arkham games, or the comics themselves.

For VeVe, Batman Day has a bit of history attached to it too.

On October 14, 2020, Batman Black & White Series 1 became the first digital collectible release on VeVe. At the time, VeVe was still a small team with a big idea, with Co-Founders Dan Crothers and David Yu preparing to set that first drop live and hoping collectors would see the same potential they did.

So before we get into Batman Day 2026, it feels worth going back to where Batman began, and why the character has managed to stick around for nearly nine decades.

Why Batman Has Endured for More Than 85 Years

Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in 1939, and very few characters have proved as adaptable.

The foundation is surprisingly simple. Bruce Wayne has no superpowers. He relies on intelligence, preparation, technology, training, and an almost unreasonable amount of determination.

Around that idea, generations of creators have built one of the richest worlds in comics.

Gotham City feels like a character of its own. The Bat-Signal became recognizable far beyond comic shops. The Joker, Catwoman, Two-Face, Penguin, Riddler, and the rest of Batman’s rogues gallery gave him enemies strong enough to carry stories for decades.

Then there is Batman himself.

For some fans, he will always be Adam West running around a wonderfully colorful Gotham in the 1960s. For others, it is Michael Keaton beneath Tim Burton’s gothic skyline. Another generation found him through Batman: The Animated Series, the Arkham games, Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, or whichever Batman comic happened to land in their hands first.

Batman can work as a detective story, superhero adventure, noir, psychological thriller, animation, or comedy.

What Is Batman Day?

Batman Day is DC’s annual celebration of the Dark Knight, the creators who have shaped him, and the fans who have kept returning to Gotham.

The first Batman Day was held in 2014 as part of Batman’s 75th anniversary celebrations. What started as a comic-focused event has grown into an annual celebration spanning comics, movies, games, collectibles, local comic shops, and fan events around the world.

That leaves plenty of ways to take part.

Read a Batman story you have somehow missed. Rewatch a movie you know almost line for line. Load up an old Arkham save. Head to your local comic shop. Dig a Batman collectible out of storage and remember why you bought it in the first place.

Batman has been around long enough that almost everybody has their own way into Gotham.

When Is Batman Day 2026?

Batman Day 2026 takes place on Saturday, September 19, 2026.

DC’s celebration this year includes new comics, special releases, theater screenings, digital reading, collectibles, and events at participating comic shops around the world.

The centerpiece is Batman of Two Worlds #1, a one-shot built around two very different versions of the Dark Knight.

Batman of Two Worlds Headlines Batman Day 2026

Batman of Two Worlds arrives at participating comic shops worldwide on September 19 for $2.99.

The issue puts two versions of Batman side by side. Matt Fraction and Javi Fernández handle the mainline Batman story, while Scott Snyder and Nick Derington take on Absolute Batman.

It is a very Batman idea for an anniversary comic.

Part of the character’s longevity comes from how many different versions of him can exist without losing the core of who Batman is. The Batman of 1939, Frank Miller’s Dark Knight, the animated Batman, and Absolute Batman can look and behave very differently, but you can still trace the same character through all of them.

Batman of Two Worlds gets to play directly with that idea.

Batman Day 2026 Comics, Collectibles and Exclusives

Participating comic shops will also have four paper Batman masks created for the event.

The designs feature Batman, Absolute Batman, Hush Batman, and The Dark Knight Returns Batman. Availability and activities will vary between stores, so it is worth checking with your local comic shop before heading in.

DC is also releasing five hardcover collections for Batman Day:

• Batman Vol. 1: Daylight
• Batman ’89
• Batman: H2SH Volume One
• Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Deluxe Edition
• Batman: Gargoyle of Gotham, The Deluxe Edition

There are digital celebrations too, giving fans another way to spend Batman Day reading through different eras of the character.

Basically, if your ideal Saturday involves disappearing into Batman comics for several hours, DC has you covered.

Batman Day 2026 Movie Screenings

Batman is heading back to theaters for the weekend too.

Participating Regal locations currently list three Batman Day screenings:

• Friday, September 18: Batman (1989)
• Saturday, September 19: The LEGO Batman Movie 3D
• Sunday, September 20: Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

Exact showtimes and participating locations vary, so check your local theater before making plans.

It is also a surprisingly good three-movie snapshot of Batman’s range.

Tim Burton’s Batman helped reshape the character on the big screen in 1989. Mask of the Phantasm came from one of the most beloved animated interpretations of Batman ever made. The LEGO Batman Movie took decades of Batman history, turned it into a joke, and somehow still understood the character.

How to Celebrate Batman Day

The easiest way to celebrate Batman Day is to spend some time with the Batman that means something to you.

Head to a comic shop and pick up Batman of Two Worlds. Catch one of the returning movies. Revisit a favorite comic, game, or animated episode. Pull an old collectible down from the shelf. Introduce somebody to the Batman story that got you hooked in the first place.

With 87 years of stories behind him, there is no shortage of places to start.

Every generation gets its own Batman.

Batman Day is a good excuse to go back and visit yours.

Batman, VeVe and Where It All Started

For us, that takes things back to Batman Black & White Series 1.

VeVe’s first drop featured four interpretations of Batman shaped by four different artistic visions: Todd McFarlane, Joe Madureira, Becky Cloonan, and Eduardo Risso.

Looking back, that feels like a pretty fitting way for VeVe to have started.

Batman has always invited artists to put their own stamp on him, while collectors have always cared about those differences. The artist matters. The pose matters. The edition matters. The story behind the piece matters. Sometimes the memory of finally finding it matters just as much.

Digital collecting gave those instincts another place to live.

VeVe has changed considerably since October 2020. The platform has grown, the technology has evolved, and collectors can now display digital collectibles in augmented reality, build virtual displays, and buy and sell with other collectors through the Marketplace.

That makes Batman Black & White Series 1 feel even more special.

Before all of that, there was a small team preparing to send VeVe’s first drop live and hoping people would understand what they were trying to build.

More than five years later, we know what came next.

And on Batman Day, it feels right to remember where it started.