There are different opinions about which comic book superhero has the greatest fan base and Batman has positioned himself among the top two of the superheroes. Batman is a fictional character who first appeared in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane and debuted in issue no. 27 of the comic book Detective Comics on March 30, 1939. Batman is Bruce Wayne’s alter-ego. Bruce’s incredible wealth allows him to buy an incredible arsenal of weapons and train his body to perfection for fighting against crime at night. His detective abilities, coupled with his strength make him a great defender of Gotham City. His early loss of parenting had created some complexes in his personality and behaviour.
Despite being a great superhero on the comic book pages, his all live-action adaptations were not always considered great. This article will rank the live-action Batman actors from worst to best in terms of their accurate portrayal of this iconic comic book character.
Lewis G. Wilson
Lewis G. Wilson was the first actor to portray live-action Batman. He took on the cape in 1943. There was nothing to compare to his performance back then. Wilson did not live up to the source material, unfortunately. His Boston accent and lack of physique did not match fans’ imaginations. He also lacked the psychological complexity that Batman’s character offers with the back story.
Robert Lowery
1949 follow up to Lewis G. Wilson’s film saw Batman recast as Robert Lowery. While better looked in the bat suit Lowery still lacked much of the complexity and complicated history of this iconic comic book character. It was an early performance but it lacked more of Batman’s philanthropy and detective skills on display.
David Mazouz
David Mazouz is the youngest actor on this list. David Mazouz’s version of the young Bruce Wayne did not wear Bat-suit in the Fox series Gotham. Gotham is popular for its originality. It tells the story of the early life of Bruce Wayne. Despite being a brilliant show its originality loses some of the classic feels of the comic book character. Gotham’s version of Batman also lacked some of some personality aspects of the written version.
Adam West
The television version of Adam West’s of Batman is best known for giving Batman a much campier appearance. This campy approach doesn’t match the serious detective methods of the comic book character. Audiences certainly appreciated getting to see the caped crusader in colour as well. But, serious fans do not like West’s version of Batman at all.
George Clooney
George Clooney’s portrayal of Bruce Wayne was better than his version of Batman. His good looks were more suited for Bruce Wayne, however, he is perhaps considered to be the worst big-screen Batman actor. A Batsuit with nipples caused an outrage among the fans. This film also had some campy aspects. Overall, Clooney’s Batman is the worst version among others.
Iain Glen
Iain Glen is the most recent actor to portray the Bruce Wayne role. He has yet to wear the bat cape in DC’s Titans. Fans give him a lot of credit for playing up the mysterious obsessive detective skills which actually matches the original comic book hero’s key trait to solve cases. Iain Glen plays an aged version of Batman with high intelligence skills.
Val Kilmer
Val Kilmer’s version of ‘Batsy’ in Batman Forever is a decent one. Kilmer’s performance puts more focus on Bruce or Batman’s protectiveness on display. Kilmer’s Batman movie puts more focus on finding his sidekick than Batman as a character.
Kevin Conroy
Kevin Conroy may be best known for his iconic voice of Batman in the legendary Batman: The Animated Series. Conroy got the chance to portray himself as Batman in the recent crossover event in the Arrowverse, Crisis on Infinite Earths. While his live-action version plays the role of Batman in the Kingdom Come graphic novel. His work both on-screen and as a voice actor put him on this list. His Batman is actually very similar to a certain version of a comic-book Batman.
Michael Keaton
Before Nolan’s Dark Knight series, the Batman version of Keaton which was directed by Tim Burton was considered to be the best version of this iconic comic book hero. Keaton’s look was considered a lacking aspect of perfect Bruce Wayne but his loneliness and obsessive focus were greatly appreciated by critics and fans. Keaton’s excellent portrayal of Batman has helped to return his ‘Batsy’ version again in Flashpoint movie on the screen.
Christian Bale
It is quite true that Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight series changed the way to see Batman. Nolan transformed campy caped crusader into serious Dark Knight. For the first time, Bruce Wayne’s tough ninja training was displayed in a live-action movie. Christian Bale starring Batman focuses on his trauma and it made him match the comic book version of Batman. The antagonists of this trilogy made it the best Batman film series.
Ben Affleck
Ben Affleck never got any solo Batman film, but his appearance in Batman vs Superman and The Justice League was always appreciated by fans of Batman. His Batman costume matches the Batman present on the pages of the classic comic books but his Bat-symbol went wrong. Ben Affleck’s Batman was a brutal batman. Fans wanted more of ‘Batfleck’. He will appear as Batman for one last time in the Flashpoint movie.
The Movie Culture Synopsis
Robert Pattinson’s The Batman which is directed by Matt Reeves is set to be released on 4th March 2022. Fans are expected to see a detective version of Batman which was confirmed by Matt Reeves. This Batman will have a different costume than other versions of Batman. One can expect angry, raw, young Batman who is an amateur in fighting goons. Despite having so many versions of ‘Batsy’, fans are very excited to watch this latest live-action manifestation of Batman.