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With the release of Matt Reeves’ The Batman, fans are curious as to where Robert Pattinson ranks in the long line of talented actors that have brought The Dark Knight to life. There are several factors that go into making a proper Batman: the suit, the portrayal of the multiple personas of Batman, the movie itself, and the actor’s overall performance. Who is the best live-action Batman ever?
10 George Clooney
It’s far from George Clooney’s fault since he could have been a stellar Batman as shown from his Oscar-nominated roles afterward. Unfortunately, it’s Batman & Robin, and it was a project intended to be a giant toy commercial for young audiences which resulted in a movie that is often called so bad that it is good, as shown from the many puns from Mr. Freeze.
George Clooney’s Batman and Bruce Wayne personas are exactly the same. The amount of miraculously convenient gadgets on this Batman make for ironically hilarious sequences, and he has a strange facial tic whenever he’s out of the Batsuit. Speaking of, the Batsuits themselves are either far too ridiculous or uninspired.
9 David Mazouz
Across all seasons of Gotham, Mazouz’s version of Bruce Wayne went through a lot of changes. In some cases, it made sense that Bruce Wayne became darker and lost within his transformation into Batman. However, Gotham went a little too far and not only made him into a proto-Batman way too early but also made him one of the more unlikable versions.
Multiple times throughout Gotham, Bruce Wayne treats Alfred in surprisingly mean-spirited manners. David Mazouz himself does his job in playing the character, it’s just an unfortunately rushed and unsympathetic version of Batman. Mazouz only wore the suit for the final episode of the series and it kind of looked like a cheap Halloween costume.
8 Iain Glen
The idea of an older Batman could have worked for HBO Max’s Titans but sadly, Iain Glen was simply miscast. His American accent constantly fades back into his natural accent, his physique does not match the Batman that was shown in the first season, and fans never once saw Glen put on a Batsuit.
It’s another one of many examples of Titans not understanding its characters, especially since fans unanimously stated that Iain Glen more resembles Alfred Pennyworth throughout his appearances. He’s got the grit and the ability to pull off Batman’s dialogues but other than that, the writers failed Iain Glen by giving him two polarizing seasons to work with.
7 Adam West
Adam West is the perfect live-action translation of the campy Silver Age version of Batman. Many fans still look back fondly on Adam West’s portrayal as he was their first live-action Batman, and he was also the first Caped Crusader to bounce from television to film. He’s charming, funny, and it’s impossible to watch Batman ‘66 and not immediately grow a smile from seeing his version of Batman.
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The love for Adam West’s Batman is so strong that his series was referenced in Matt Reeves’ The Batman and throughout the Batman: Arkham games. Of all the hundreds of Batman designs over the years, Adam West’s version was also one of many skins for the hero in the games.
6 Kevin Conroy
For many fans, Kevin Conroy is the ultimate Batman to the point that when they read the comics, they imagine his voice coming from the pages due to the love for his work with Batman: The Animated Series and many other projects. Therefore, when it was revealed that Kevin Conroy would play Batman in live-action for the CW’s Crisis On Infinite Earths special, fans were hyped.
The result is a short but sweet role in which Kevin Conroy plays a villainous Batman from an alternate Earth. Similar to Ben Affleck’s portrayal, Conroy explored the darker side of Batman that became unhinged and a killer, resulting in him wearing an exo-suit to walk à la Kingdom Come. Though it wasn’t what fans were expecting, Conroy still nailed the voice and brought the darker character to life surprisingly well.
5 Val Kilmer
It can be argued that Val Kilmer is one of the more underrated Batman actors. Like George Clooney, Kilmer was let down by the movie he was given. Batman Forever was originally supposed to be three hours long and darker, but it was trimmed down to be a shorter popcorn flick. However, in the version that fans got, Val Kilmer did his part rather well.
Kilmer’s Bruce Wayne is charming, likable, and had a proper distinction between him and Batman. As Batman, he had the closest voice to someone like Kevin Conroy, his combat was less stiff, and he had a proper presence in the Batsuit. Sadly, Kilmer’s version of Batman doesn’t get enough credit due to the association between Batman Forever and the much worse Batman & Robin.
4 Christian Bale
Most fans can agree about the one common detractor from Bale’s performance: his Batman voice. There are memes and parodies all over the internet because of how infamously grating it became across three movies. With that said, Bale still gives a strong performance as Christopher Nolan’s more grounded and realistic take on the Caped Crusader.
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Whenever Bale is out of the suit as either version of Bruce Wayne, it is nothing short of stellar and arguably the strongest side of the performance. Even with the Batman voice, Bale still manages to pull off the look and feel of Batman, despite featuring rather stiff action sequences due to the Batsuit.
3 Michael Keaton
Without Michael Keaton, the likes of Christian Bale or Kevin Conroy might have not stepped into Batman’s shoes. Tim Burton’s Batman forever changed the comic book movie genre and Keaton was a big part of that. It was Keaton’s idea to change his voice when in the Batman suit, proving that he was the best actor for the role at the time even if it was unexpected.
Michael Keaton only improved as he went on, proving to be an effective Batman which is why fans are excited to see him back in The Flash. Sadly, the only downsides to Keaton are that his suits kept him from moving properly and Keaton was always more of a side character whereas the villains of Gotham are stars, similar to the Nolan trilogy.
2 Ben Affleck
Where most actors start with Batman in his early days, Ben Affleck began his era as a veteran version of The Dark Knight who had been operating for twenty years. As a result of his PTSD from losing Robin and seeing the destruction at the hand of Kryptonians, he’s also a Batman that starts off unhinged in Batman V Superman.
Batman goes through quite a transformation from brutal killer back into the hero that he used to be, with Affleck portraying the tormented Bruce Wayne, celebrity Bruce Wayne, and Batman brilliantly. Affleck features in Batman’s best action sequences that look straight out of the Arkham games, and he has easily the most comic-accurate appearance.
1 Robert Pattinson
Robert Pattinson knocked it out of the park with fans all over praising The Batman for bringing the character to life so well. Matt Reeves and Pattinson bring Batman back to his roots as a grounded noir detective solving crimes in Gotham City, while keeping enough superhero elements to make him an effective Batman. This is a young and broken Batman who has not created his Bruce Wayne for the public eye yet.
He’s a Batman that most criminals fear and all he cares about is using that fear to fight crime and pummel thugs to a pulp. At the same time, he truly cares about Gotham and justice which makes his personal character arc much more effective. This is also a more horrifying Batman that criminals fear like a monster from a horror movie.
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