1. Michael Keaton
Appeared in: Batman (1989), Batman Returns, The Flash
What Michael Keaton managed to accomplish as Batman simply can’t be summed up in a few words.
Renowned mostly for his comedic performances, the Beetlejuice star was no fan’s first choice for the Caped Crusader in the late ’80s, and yet when he donned the signature mask, he brought the character back to life with a groundbreaking performance.
Appearing across both Tim Burton’s 1989 masterpiece Batman and epic 1992 sequel Batman Returns, Keaton played Bruce as more of a twisted product of this corrupt variation of Gotham City. He was slightly eccentric, relatively unnerving, unusually humorous and even a little sadistic, and this eclectic blend worked magnificently within the confines of the universe Burton had created. Though he was somewhat less of a playboy, he was an emotionally-scarred human being, unable to let go of past – and that’s what ultimately drove him to become Batman.
However, Keaton took things to a whole new level when he donned the Bat-suit. Utilising a calm almost lifeless tone, he embraced the character’s darker side to such an extent that it felt like he had become the demonic avenger that terrorised the city’s criminals. That’s right, he didn’t just portray Batman, he became him.
Like Christian Bale, Adam West, Robert Pattinson, and Val Kilmer, he was the Batman that his version of Gotham needed, but he was also the grim, deadly Dark Knight that the world needed and, in being so, he put the character on the map in a way that had never been done before – and that’s what separates him from all the rest.
When he returned to action in The Flash 30 years later, he hadn’t lost a step. A natural progression of his arc, he had retired from crime-fighting when he felt the city didn’t need him anymore. Keaton’s reclusive Bruce Wayne still had heart, though, and we completely bought into the fact that he felt he had once again found his purpose when he returned to action to help the Scarlet Speedster and Supergirl stop Zod. And this brilliant return has quickly made itself at home in the legendary actor’s finest performances.
“I’m Batman!” Keaton's Dark Knight told the thug at the beginning of the 1989 film (and his allies in The Flash), and fans instantly believed him because, well, he was Batman – he was, is, and always will be Batman.