There is no bigger comic book character than Batman. The Caped Crusader is so iconic that he transcends his genre, earning the “super” in “superhero” without even having super-powers. There aren’t many who can do that, and it showcases what a force-to-be-reckoned-with he has become over the years.
First introduced in Detective Comics in 1939, The Dark Knight was introduced as billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne, who became a crime-fighting vigilante known as The Batman by night. From that standpoint, not much has changed for the DC Comics hero, but he has evolved in so many other ways in the near-century since then.
Batman’s enduring appeal has seen him headline countless comic books throughout the decades, but it was his arrival on both the big and small screens that catapulted him into the mainstream. Since then, there have been over 10 Batman movies and countless TV shows (both animated and live-action), allowing many different actors to tackle the iconic role; each one offering up their own unique interpretation of The World’s Greatest Detective.
And there have been many. Whether you’re a fan of Adam West and Michael Keaton’s game-changing performances or more of a fan of Christian Bale and Robert Pattinson’s modern takes on the character, everyone has a favorite Batman actor. And with a new one set to join James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Universe, it’s only a matter of time until another star adds their name to that legacy.
With all of that in mind, let’s reflect on all of the Gothic warriors we have seen on the screen so far and see if we can figure out which Bat is truly the best of them all.
12. Lewis Wilson
Appeared in: Batman (1943)
The very first live-action Batman to ever grace any screen, Lewis Wilson starred as the World’s Greatest Detective in the 1943 film serial. The 15-part black-and-white offering, appropriately titled Batman, was released in theaters and proved to be a financial success, eventually spawning a sequel six years later.
Though it hasn’t exactly aged well, it wasn’t critically-acclaimed at the time of its release either – with one of the main criticisms stemming from its lack of production values. Unfortunately that was also referencing the costumes and, as a major part of Batman’s aura is all about appearance, Wilson was fighting an uphill battle.
The Bat-suit indeed left a lot to be desired, with the unnecessarily baggy top making him look a lot bulkier than he was (and not in a good way) while also inadvertently making the bat symbol a lot smaller than it needed to be. Then you have the mask itself, which almost tried too hard to be comic-accurate and, due to the lack of rubber, ended up looking more like a Halloween mask with devil horns instead of Bat-ears.
That being said, Wilson holds the honor of being the first ever live-action Dark Knight and, in spite of the serial’s shortcomings, it must have been an awe-inspiring sight to see this young comic book legend come to life on the big screen. Furthermore, he was believable in the role and was particularly strong as Bruce Wayne.