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.
11. Robert Lowery
Appeared in: Batman and Robin (1949)
The success of the 1943 serial eventually spawned a follow-up, titled Batman & Robin, which hit theaters in 1949. This time, however, Robert Lowery took the reins as the Caped Crusader.
This serial suffered from a lot of the exact same issues that its predecessor did (problematic costumes, messy uncoordinated fights), which put Lowery at as much of a disadvantage as his predecessor Lewis Wilson. However, he was responsible for some of the improvements, simply because he was naturally much bulkier than Wilson and thus, made for a more convincing Batman.
The changes made to the Bat-suit were also a bonus, as the mask looked more finished and the bat symbol was actually the right size. Though the new diagonal version of the "devil horns" were quite jarring, they did look somewhat less Halloweenish – and that’s definitely an improvement.
Like Wilson, Lowery deserves praise for doing what he could with the material he was given and, although this Batman tale isn’t as well-remembered as it should be, the actor certainly boasts an unforgettable appearance when all suited-up – one that undoubtedly instilled awe at the time of its release. He also delivers quite the convincing performance as Bruce Wayne.
10. George Clooney
Appeared in: Batman and Robin (1997)
George Clooney is undoubtedly one of Hollywood’s all-time great actors, turning in a number of memorable performances both in film and on TV. Unfortunately, his impressive résumé, dashing good looks and seductive voice weren’t enough to make him a good Batman.
The actor put on the mask in 1997’s notoriously camp pantomime Batman & Robin and, in all honesty, it was exactly what you’d expect from George Clooney playing Batman in a notoriously camp pantomime… but with Bat-Nipples.
To outright say that Clooney was a bad Batman would be unfair – he was the relatively decent Batman that the ridiculously over-the-top world surrounding him needed, so if you forget about the all the baggage that comes with such iconic role, he is somewhat believable (within the confines of the movie). That, however, doesn’t make him a good Batman.
“Hi Freeze, I’m Batman,” he said as blasted through the skylight. Well that’s very nice, but when all you take away from that scene is that Batman looks and sounds like George Clooney saying “I’m Batman”, then you’ve got a significant problem. That problem is the fact that Clooney never actually felt like he was Batman, he was merely playing him. And, considering that this is a larger-than-life character who is renowned for his unnerving on-screen presence, that’s not a good thing.
9. Iain Glen
Appeared in: Titans
When DC fans found out that Game of Thrones‘ Iain Glen would be bringing The Dark Knight to life on DC Universe’s Titans, there was something of a divisive response. Some ridiculously wrote the veteran off for being too old while others were excited to see what he brought to the role. And, you know what? He did everything that was asked of him – and he did it very, very well.
Glen hasn’t portrayed the Batman persona as of yet, so that allows the show to escape the too old” argument for now, but he has brought Bruce Wayne to life in a way that few others have.
He’s clam, suave, stylish, sophisticated and, thanks to a number of hilariously strange hallucinations on Dick’s part, he’s brilliantly eccentric. From his gentle Adam West-like approach whenever Dick finds himself in need, to his firm and accusatory Kevin Conroy-esque tone whenever he needs put in his place, Glen is everything Bruce Wayne should be, and so much more.
It’s hard to put him much higher on this list because he’s yet to don the cape and cowl, but in terms of Bruce Wayne alone, he’s already among the very best. And it was a joy to watch him play such an iconic role with ease.
8. Ben Affleck
Appeared in: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, Justice League, Zack Snyder’s Justice League, The Flash
Here’s the thing with Ben Affleck, he had the potential to be an amazing Batman – some still say he was and, if you really think about it, that’s quite understandable. But did any of the films he appeared in ever really highlight that? No.
Of the two that he was a part of, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League, it was the former that gave him more to work with. That, however, was problematic at best because the film portrayed Batman as a vengeful, bloodthirsty vigilante that wasn’t afraid to break his sacred no-killing rule without ever delving deeply enough into why that was. That being said, the veteran actor did a great job bringing this to life and, whether he was wearing the actual Batsuit or the armored one, he looked like he had just stepped right out of the pages of Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns.
Unfortunately, his more light-hearted performance in Justice League contrasted with everything we knew about this version of the character and, with each joke, it just felt less like we were watching Batman and more like he was watching an actor playing Batman. Throw in the fact that the film’s altered Bat-suit made him look incredibly chunky and it just seems like the entire process was destined to work against him.
While a large part of Affleck’s underperformance was down to the problematic scripts, it’s hard to overlook how everything turned out. There were flashes of perfection that were unfortunately weighed down by mediocrity (through no fault of his own). He did what he could with the role, but this self-indulgently grim iteration of Batman shifted between darkness and light far too often to ever take him seriously.
If you want to see Ben Affleck play the perfect Batman, then check out his cameo in Suicide Squad because everything about that was perfect. Unfortunately, none of his headlining performances ever nailed the character quite like that one.
A stronger film really could have served him well…
7. Val Kilmer
Appeared in: Batman Forever
Val Kilmer took over the mantle of the Caped Crusader from Michael Keaton in 1995’s Batman Forever. The first of two Joel Schumacher installments in the franchise, Forever is infamous for flooding Gotham with neon lights and, in the process, reintroducing The Dark Knight to his campy past. That being said, it’s undoubtedly the lesser of two evils.
You could say that Kilmer is a lot like Ben Affleck in the sense that both of them had the potential to be authentic Batmen but were ultimately let down by the questionable world that surrounded their performance. However, the one thing that separates them is the fact that Kilmer found a way to make his Batman work for his respective world.
Walking a fine line between cruel and camp, his Dark Knight was everything that his version of Gotham needed him to be. He was serious and broody, but he also cracked the occasional smile (we’ve all seen the meme by now) and wasn’t afraid to embrace his personality a little more (remember the thumbs-up?). In spite of the unbelievably far-fetched version of Gotham that he was living in, he still felt very much like a believable Batman – and that is also what separates him from George Clooney’s offering in the sequel.
Though he too may have been served better by a stronger Batman film, Batman Forever did have its own unique charm and character, and Kilmer was ultimately responsible for that. And it isn’t said often enough, but he did a really great job conveying how the emotional trauma of Bruce’s past continued to influence his present.
6. David Mazouz
Appeared in: Gotham
The youngest actor on this list, David Mazouz portrayed an adolescent Bruce Wayne in Fox’s beautifully twisted Batman prequel Gotham. While previous live-action Batman offerings had given us a glimpse into Bruce’s childhood, this was the first time that we got such a detailed portrayal of it. That technically should have put Mazouz at a disadvantage because he didn’t have any previous live-action source material to go on, but it also gave him a chance to make an original contribution to the Batman mythos – something that he easily managed to accomplish.
Obviously, given the premise of the show, his performance was more about telling Bruce Wayne’s story than anything else and that paved the way for what may just be the best-developed version of the character to ever grace our screens.
Mazouz’s powerhouse performance in the pilot episode allowed viewers to see how Bruce reacted in the immediate aftermath of his parents’ death, and he built upon that throughout the rest of the series as the character’s last remaining shreds of innocence were slowly stripped away from him – leaving behind the mature warrior that helped save Gotham in the show’s final season.
Mazouz is often overlooked on lists like these, either because he played the role on television or the fact that he didn’t actually play Batman (an excuse that the Gotham series finale has since rendered useless), but the fact of the matter is that he never needed a mask because he embodied all of the traits associated with the character without it. In doing so, he showed us a side to Bruce that we had never seen before, while still managing to incorporate the charming personality and tortured psyche that we all know the character possesses.
The most unique interpretation of Bruce Wayne on this list but, thanks to Mazouz, one of the most powerful.
5. Robert Pattinson
Appeared in: The Batman
Robert Pattinson found himself on the wrong end of the same kind of criticism that Michael Keaton did years before him. And like Keaton, he let his performance do the talking.
A tormented soul, his Bruce Wayne was more unfiltered than his predecessors, shunning the playboy façade to be little more than a recluse who simply lived to be Batman. Like many aspects of his role in The Batman, this was a characteristic of a Bruce early on in his crime-fighting days; one that hadn’t fully formed the duality of the Bruce Wayne / Batman persona.
That blurred line was the character’s most compelling quality, and it allowed for Pattinson to deliver a quietly stunning performance. As Bruce, he was intentionally uncomfortable and perpetually broody, but as Batman, he was calm, quiet, reserved and disturbingly at home in a city that shouldn’t feel like home to anybody. And that is what makes his Batman every bit as authentic as those that came before him.
Pattinson had the advantage of giving us a different type of Dark Knight than the ones we had seen before, but he didn’t let that stop him from producing one that has already etched itself among the greats. Truthfully, he could be the best Batman we’ve ever seen. The fact that we’re even having those conversations highlights how effectively he silenced any critic who wasn’t willing to give him a chance. And after The Batman, he’s definitely on his way to claiming that title.
4. Kevin Conroy
Appeared in: Batman: The Animated Series, The New Batman Adventures, Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, DC Universe Original Animated Movies, Batman: Arkham games
If you were asked to read a few lines of Batman dialogue from a comic book, there is a strong chance that, in your head, those lines would sound like Kevin Conroy.
It’s hard to describe the impact that Conroy has had on the Batman legacy, but there is the reason as to why the late, great performer is the only voice actor on this list.
His debut offering came in the classic Batman: The Animated Series, in which he provided the voice of the Dark Knight for 85 episodes – and it was during those episodes that he made an unforgettable impression on fans. Throughout the series, he used contrasting tones to explore the difference between Batman and Bruce Wayne (a technique successfully employed by Michael Keaton), using a sharper, gruff almost-bark-like tone for the Caped Crusader while adopting a calmer, more seductive approach for his human side.
It’s no surprise that his performance was praised by just about everyone and, as a result, he would go on to voice the character in all of the DC Animated Universe spin-offs (series, video games and films), before becoming part of the wider DC furniture as he gave Batman a voice in countless unrelated animated movies and video games.
Like Adam West did before him, Conroy defined Batman for a specific generation, shaping the childhoods of countless people through his work and giving life to The Dark Knight without ever having to put on the mask. We’ll never forget his incredible additions to the legacy of Batman.
3. Adam West
Appeared in: Batman (1966 – 1968), Batman: The Movie (1966)
Adam West may not have been the first actor to put on the cape and cowl, but he may just be the most important. Taking on the role for the campy 1966 Batman TV series (and its big-screen spin-off), West’s tongue-in-cheek interpretation of the Caped Crusader introduced the character to a whole new generation and is even credited for rescuing the comic books from cancellation.
Unlike his modern-day counterparts, West didn’t need to rely on a chiseled physique or intimidating costume. Instead, he used the limitations of the time to his advantage, embracing the satirical tone of the show to present Batman as this larger-than-life (and slightly ridiculous) hero of a larger-than-life (and slightly ridiculous) world. His ability to deliver even the most satirically ridiculous of lines with a deadly serious expression just highlighted how much of a professional he was.
With his handsome appearance and an innate ability to pull off the richest clothes imaginable, he was an incredible Bruce Wayne who, aside from a few lines here or there, would still have a place in a modern day production. And though we didn’t see it often enough, he also explored the differences between Batman and Bruce rather well.
West’s Bright Knight was a symbol of hope; someone who could be relied upon whenever you were in trouble and would ultimately stop at nothing to protect you. Despite the campy tone, he always portrayed Batman as a motivated human being – one that saw himself as no superior to anyone else, and this, of course, ensured that he became a role model for an entire generation.
As far as comic-accuracy goes, few can compete with Adam West. Sure, his Caped Crusader may not resemble the intimidating Dark Knight terrorising the pages of DC Comics today, but in the 1960s, he couldn’t have been more loyal to the source material. From his hopeful portrayal to his rapport with Burt Ward’s Robin, West’s offering will, for many, always remain the definitive version of Batman – and it’s easy to see why.
We miss you, old chum.
2. Christian Bale
Appeared in: Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises
To say that Christian Bale breathed new life into Batman simply wouldn’t encapsulate everything he did for the franchise.
Arriving on the Gotham City scene in 2005’s franchise-reboot Batman Begins, he would reprise his role in the universally-acclaimed The Dark Knight before returning one more time for final installment The Dark Knight Rises. It was a perfect story, built upon on Bruce Wayne’s progression from vengeful vigilante to beloved hero.
It was a personal arc, one that stretched itself across three films, and it was one that Bale portrayed exceptionally. On that note, it should be said that no other actor has nailed the Bruce Wayne aspect of Batman’s personality quite as well as Bale did. With ease, he was able to delve into the personal tragedies that the character suffered, highlighting how guilt and grief had tortured his soul, while also managing to look like a billion dollars whenever he donned a tuxedo. He was suave, he was charming, he was confident, and he had no problem bringing any one of Bruce’s charismatic personalities to life.
His Batman was also a revelation; appropriately rougher around the edges than previous Dark Knights, he was nothing short of terrifying when he needed to be – something that was accentuated by the goosebump-inducing voice rasp he adopted to conceal his identity.
Bale’s turn as The Dark Knight is considered, by many, to be the greatest of them all – and you don’t have to look too hard to see why. He slotted into the twisted yet realistic world of Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy with ease and, in doing so, he managed to generate interest in the character once again, reviving the franchise after Batman & Robin‘s shenanigans. But most importantly, he delivered a world-class performance that has gone down in history as one of the all-time greats.
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.