Top Five Batman Actors Of All-Time

From a witty crime fighter on television to a darkly conflicted man in the movies, Batman has evolved a lot throughout the years. What’s more, many actors have portrayed Batman across various media. So, loyal fans of Bruce Wayne often try to draw a list of actors they believe portrayed him best, particularly with Michael Keaton officially reprising the role for Warner Bros’ movie “The Flash.”

Essentially, every individual has their own opinion about the actor who best portrayed Batman. And any objection can give rise to rowdy debates. Nevertheless, this is why we love Batman. The character brings out so much passion, and it only keeps growing now that the trailer of “The Batman” featuring Robert Pattinson is out.

Hence, there is no better time than now to look back at the actors who played Batman and figure out who performed the best. While there is no particular order to how they are listed, they all portrayed the character the best compared to other actors.

George Clooney

It is pretty hard to overlook George Clooney’s performance as Batman in the movie “Batman & Robin.” After all, he did a pretty great job on screen, and it was downright iconic.

Clooney wasn’t a famous actor back then. In fact, his sleepy, ego-driven performance in the movie came right after he broke through as a major box office star. What’s more, the Batman & Robin movie was an attempt to recapture the camp of the 1960s TV series instead of a full-fledged film.

If we look at the drawbacks of Clooney’s performance in Batman & Robin, it was kind of boring. The fact that Clooney was one-half of the Dynamic Duo also couldn’t cut it.

Ben Affleck

Even amidst an expected online backlash, fans quickly started appreciating Ben Affleck’s performance as Batman in the movie Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Above anything else, Affleck put forward the form of Batman that was heavily influenced by the cynical, jaded Batman of Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns. This is something that even Christian Bale could accurately channel.

What Affleck showed the world through the Caped Crusader in 2017’s Justice League was the character’s humane and heroic side. Nonetheless, Affleck didn’t get to cut loose in his solo movie like Batman. Even sadder, he has officially departed the role. Now, Robert Pattinson will appear as the new Dark Knight on screen. Ben Affleck moved on from playing Batman and has ventured into sports betting teaming up with an online betting app. Known as a die-hard Boston sports fan he can be seen at many sporting events, so make sure to check out all betting apps if you enjoy getting in on the action as much as Ben does.

Michael Keaton

Michael Keaton appeared as Batman in two movies—Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992). Taking inspiration from his previous film—the bonkers Beetlejuice— Tim Burton decided to fill his bat-suit with a comedian. As you might be able to guess, Batman fans protested but were silenced clearly, thanks to the cultural tsunami of Batman that hit in the summer of 1989.

It was indeed an era-defining moment—the time when Batman as a character was reinvented for the upcoming generation. And all thanks go to Burton’s gothic, noir-ish version of Gotham and Keaton’s brilliant performance where he effortlessly channelled the broken halves of Bruce Wayne’s charm, the one with actual humour, and Batman’s anger.

In the movie, you could watch a scene at the beginning where a terrified goon asks Michael Keaton, “What are you?” and almost in a whisper, the response comes, “I am Batman.”

Adam West

Like the two sides of a coin, even Batman’s character had two sides. He was half billionaire, half vigilante, half comic book, half graphic novel, and what now. He was even half cool like Christopher Nolan when he half defeated a roomful of goons by dancing so funky that they couldn’t help but drop their guns and join in.

However, Batman grew mean and moody in the ‘80s and ‘90s. And there was only a single true Batman—Adam West. A bit podgy, very tongue-in-cheek, and always asking kids to stay in school, Adam West portrayed DC’s punchy panels. If not for West, Batman would have remained a downer.

If we look at his greatest Bat-moment, there are just many to choose from. Dancing the Batusi, slapping a tiger, surfing with the joker, or chatting with Santa Claus, your choice.

Christian Bale

Christian Bale wasn’t a huge actor when he landed the opportunity to portray Bruce Wayne in Christopher Nolan’s movie, Batman Begins. However, fans were quick to stand up for him and learn his name.

Right from the point when he snarled “Swear to me!” at the Detective, it was pretty evident that Bale as Batman would be a significant shift from George Clooney and Val Kilmer’s silly portrayals of the late ‘90s. But, unfortunately, even Michael Keaton’s less gritty take couldn’t make it near the character.

Nonetheless, Bale’s performance received some criticism for his extreme growl and for taking a back seat to Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight. But keep these notorieties aside, and you will find that Christian Bale’s Batman was the closest we have come to seeing the modern comic book Batman on the big screen.