In a way, Batman's utility belt is sort of like the TARDIS from Doctor Who. Basically, it holds a lot more inside than it looks like it does on the outside. That could be the only explanation for how Batman has been able to pull just about anything - and everything - out of it in the last eighty years.
It's not only the belt. Whether it's the Bat-Cave, or if it's in the various comics, TV shows, or movies, Batman has a million gadgets. Some are more famous than others, while some are just infamous. Here are ten gadgets you forgot Batman had.
10 The Bat Ladder
Some gadgets are more mundane than others. During the hugely popular 60s Batman television show, the Caped Crusader got really into labeling things. In the 1966 feature film version of the show, he went so far as to tag an otherwise ordinary ladder hanging from a helicopter as the "Bat Ladder." This ladder would come in handy - and come back in a way on this list - as Batman used it to avoid another dangerous situation. Apparently a regular ladder just wouldn't do.
9 Fake Vampire Teeth
Sometimes, all it takes is scaring the bad guys away. And sometimes, it takes a little imagination to do so. In Batman: Year 100, Gotham has become a police state and Batman is a fugitive. Nevertheless, he still fights the good fight. Rumors and legends surround The Dark Knight. No one knows what or who he is, and he indulges their fears by wearing a set of fake vampire teeth. One look at these and bad guys think twice about getting into a fight with a giant bat-vampire-guy.
8 Bat-Sword
In the Brave and The Bold animated series, Batman faces off against the Clock King and his gang of robots. This gets pretty hairy pretty fast, so Batman pulls out what seems like a card up his sleeve. However, it's actually a sword. The collapsible Bat-Sword works something like a lightsaber. Generally, Batman avoids weapons like this, but he excels at planning for every single contingency.
7 The Gossip Phone
Fans probably didn't imagine Bruce Wayne would care much about gossip in Gotham, but the job takes you where the job takes you. One of the many inventive gadgets in the campy arsenal of the Batman '66 series is the Gossip Phone, which exists solely to eavesdrop on other people.
Intelligence is intelligence. Some people may call it a wiretap, while might call it a gossip phone. One thing is absolutely sure: Batman would want everyone to know exactly what it is.
6 Mirror Cowl
Back in 1956, Batman faced off against the Mirror Man, certainly one of his least interesting villains. Even so, things got confusing enough- Mirror Man invented a machine that with mirrors could see through Batman's disguise - that Batman had to get creative in order to defeat him. The result was the Mirror Cowl, a bit of a fashion-forward nightwear that reflected the probing mirrors of Mirror Man's device back at the villain. The cowl was probably heavy, though, and dangerous, considering it was made out of razor-sharp glass that was glued on to simple fabric.
5 Bat-Shield
A little more transparent is the Bat-Shield. As another invention from the 60s show, the shield is used in the episode The Bird’s Last Jest, when Batman and Robin show up to try and save Chief O'Hara from the Penguin. The shield protects them from bullets and lets them see the strategic situation, which was fairly complicated as it also involved a pool, electrical wire, and a bunch of goons. It's also sufficiently broad to allow the Caped Crusader and Boy Wonder to both hide behind.
4 Built-In Lie Detector
This nifty device lets Batman skip all those pesky laws and consent forms people generally need when it comes to interrogating suspects. Instead of apprehending them, reading them their rights, and obtaining their permission for a lie-detector test, Batman has a miniature (and covert) one built right into his suit. In The Dark Knight film from 2008, Lucius Fox had serious issues with the ethics of Batman listening in on all of Gotham's cell phones. Likely he would have issues with this concept as well.
3 Bat-Shark Repellent
The Bat-Ladder only got Batman halfway home. What is a costumed superhero supposed to do when he's fighting off a huge rubber shark? He reaches for one of his specifically curated cans of Shark Repellent.
Though fans might wonder if Batman was carrying it around the entire time in the 1966 film, or the utility belt really is just like the TARDIS, the important thing is that it worked. Batman also had spray available in the event of Manta-Ray or Whale emergencies.
2 Bat Female-Villain Repellent
Sea creatures aren't the only lifeforms that Batman has developed repellents for. In a sly but maybe not entirely successful nod to the campy quality of the 60s show, Batman carries around a can of spray specifically to repel female villains (this evidently did not factor into his recent Catwoman drama). This occurs in the Planetary/Batman: Night on Earth crossover written by Warren Ellis back in 2003. Considering that the villain he and Planetary faced off against was warping reality, it was probably okay.
1 Bat-Cillin
More important than defenses against any potential animal threats, Batman has to consider invisible ones, too. When a superhero like Bruce Wayne deals with all kinds of villains, some of them scientists who are willing give him a disease. Enter Bat-Cillin, just one of a host of gadgets he used in an episode facing against Shame. Bat-Cillin is an all-purpose pharmaceutical that works just like penicillin but instantaneously. No word on whether anyone is allergic to it (like Robin, who got it in lozenge form) or why Batman has so far kept this medical breakthrough to himself.