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

6. Val Kilmer

One actor who remains among the most underrated of all the Batman actors is Val Kilmer. That is mostly geared towards his great performance as Batman, but it also extends towards his outing as Bruce Wayne because, in all honesty, he was very good in the role.

Batman Forever isn’t the greatest of the Batman movies, but it’s also far from the bad movie that much of its critical reputation would have you believing. It delved into the duality of The Dark Knight and Bruce Wayne pretty well, as Bruce struggled over his identity, questioning if he really was Bruce Wayne or Batman. Which one was real, and which one was the figment he created for the people?

The script needed more than Forever‘s light-hearted story could give it, so it never flourished in the way it needed to, but the potential was there and Kilmer did a great job showcasing that.

He also looked the part as Bruce Wayne, highlighting the character’s professional (and nerdy) elements well during the Wayne Enterprises office visit, and giving off millionaire philanthropist vibes when attending the Gotham City galas and circuses.

With a stronger script, Kilmer could have been a lot higher up on this list but he did great job nonetheless, convincingly showcasing the duality of Bruce Wayne (perhaps better than any of the other live-action adaptations).