Batman and Bruce Wayne are one and the same, but not every actor has played both sides of this coin equally well. Who delivered the best Bruce?
Batman is easily the very best of the superheroes dominating all forms of media right now – because let’s be honest, he’s one of the few who have been dominating that landscape for decades now (close to a century, in fact).
The Caped Crusader’s history on the screen is unrivalled as he has headlined over 10 live-action movies, multiple TV shows, and countless animated films and TV shows, as well as a critically-acclaimed video game saga.
One of the most alluring parts of Batman is the duality between the Dark Knight and the man behind the mask. Bruce Wayne might seem like a billionaire playboy to the Gothamites he encounters (depending on the adaptation, of course), but he secretly devotes his life to fighting crime as The World’s Greatest Detective.
It’s very much two different personas, which means that the actors who have played him over the years have very much had to play two different roles. Some have fared better at one end of that coin than the other, while some have nailed both interpretations. But which ones truly understood the assignment?
On that note, let’s look back at all of the Bruce Waynes we have met in various Batman adaptations thus far, and rank them from worst to best.
Who’s man behind the Bat was the best?