Batman: All 13 Bruce Wayne actors ranked from worst to best

1. Christian Bale

If we’ve learned anything from this list, it’s that Bruce Wayne and Batman are two sides of the same coin. Christian Bale is the man who got that duality just right.

You might not be surprised to see Bale at the top of this list. It’s true that his performance as Batman in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy is almost always considered a Top 2 among fans of the saga, but his Bruce Wayne was equally as impressive.

Nolan’s trilogy is Bruce’s story, tracking his origins as a crimefighter from Batman Begins all the way to his retirement in The Dark Knight Rises. Bale delivers an all-encapsulating performance across all three movies, showing us a Bruce that is continually growing; one who makes mistakes, but grows from them.

He also captures the persona of Bruce Wayne well, eating up the scenes where the character purposely portrays himself as arrogant, while also guiding each of those movies with a strong, leading performance, highlighting the nuances of who Bruce really is (and how he struggles with guilt, loss, and the pressure of the incorruptible Batman figure he has created for Gotham City).

Batman is a representation of Bruce Wayne’s greatest fears and his desire to protect those around him; he needs a strong foundation for that mission to work. The character that Christopher Nolan crafted and Christian Bale brought to life is the personification of those strong foundations.

Which portrayal of Bruce Wayne do you think was the greatest? Is there one you wish you had seen more of?