The Batman is just a few days away from release, and fans are quite excited for another interesting take on one of the world’s most popular superheroes.
Over the past century, we have seen countless iterations of the Dark Knight, ranging from campy to dark. So far, the critics have stated that Robert Pattinson is one of the better portrayals of the iconic superhero. However, we wouldn’t want to spoil his appearance on the movie just yet.
But, we can talk and rank some of the other live action iteration of the characters that have graced the scenes so far. So, sorry Kevin Conroy, otherwise you were really going to be our first choice.
Other than that, the rankings will only include the Dark Knights who have had a proper character arc, and unfortunately, we are not taking cameos into account. So sorry Kevin Conroy once again, even though we loved your appearance as the rogue Batman in Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Nevertheless, here are the rankings for the best portrayals of the Batman in live action projects.
8. George Clooney (Batman & Robin)
Everyone probably should have seen this coming and to this day, no one has any clue on why Clooney ever wanted to do this movie.
Even though he’s a great actor, there’s nothing about this movie that’s worth talking about, and we’re glad that George Clooney went on to taking script selection seriously following the debacle that is Batman and & Robin.
7. Iain Glen (Titans)
The oldest Bruce Wayne on the list by a mile, and one of the better interpretations of a character, who’s just wiser, smarter, and witty as well.
Even though it’s one of the more interesting takes on the character, the show’s writing has been sub-par at best. But, it definitely has the most potential as well.
6. Adam West (Batman 1960s TV show)
Before the dark, realistic and gritty adaptations of comic book characters, movies and TV shows turned up the campiness by a notch, especially with Adam West’s 1960s adaptation.
Even though it doesn’t resemble the post Frank Miller Batman, Adam West’s Caped Crusader is still a blast to watch, and fans shouldn’t miss out on it.
5. Val Kilmer (Batman Forever)
Joel Schumacher has created two wild Batman movies, and while one of them turned out to be horrible, the other involving Val Kilmer is much more palatable.
Kilmer can make the case for the best Bruce Wayne, and we certainly believe he has the best Batman voice. However, in the end, the lack of proper storytelling impedes his chances of sniffing the top 3.
4. David Mazouz (Gotham)
Moreover, as a boy, we see the reasoning behind the character adopting the dark, and donning the cape, and fans should definitely watch this portrayal along with the amazing adaptations of the villains as well.
3. Michael Keaton (Batman Returns and Batman)
Before the 2000s boom of Dark Knight and his adaptations, it was Michael Keaton who showed how cool it is to be the Caped Crusader.
With Tim Burton’s surreal take on the city of Gotham, Keaton shined alongside Jack Nicholson’s Joker, and his story isn’t complete yet, with the actor set to reprise his role in future DC movies such as The Flash.
2. Ben Affleck (DCEU)
The DCEU has gained quite the reputation from comic book movie fans, and Ben Affleck’s Batman has been at the center of it all.
But make no mistake, the actor portrayed a dark, brooding and gritty Bruce Wayne to perfection, and even his voice definitely allowed him to showcase some of the character’s most powerful scenes in live action so far.
1. Christian Bale (The Dark Knight Trilogy)
However, like most of you guessed, it is Christian Bale who takes home the top prize as the definitive live action Batman, with his portrayal on the Christopher Nolan trilogy.
While he doesn’t have the greatest Batman voice, the actor was one of the better ones at playing both Bruce Wayne and the Dark Knight, and that is why, he takes the top spot.
