The 8 Greatest Batman Actors Ranked

The Dark Knight Crusader, the knight in the … night, the hero we need but do not deserve, but need to deserve to need at the time when we need them. There have been a lot of actors who have donned the cape and cowl since Batman first appeared on our screens in 1943. Before Bobby Pat gives his rendition here are The 7 Greatest Batman Actors Ranked

8. Val Kilmer

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Kilmar’s underrated performance as Batman had a brooding vibe while still being approachable. Joel Schumacher shifted the dial on the movie closer to the garishness of the comic books rather than overdoing the dramatics. In a movie where Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones both gurned their way through the role of The Riddler, he certainly looked the part and felt like the only sensible choice in the movie. Val’s contribution is overshadowed by the rift between the two actors

7. Adam West

Although he wasn’t the first actor to gain the role, he certainly logged the most hours in the grey tights. A 1966 movie and several animated series were based on his campy, over-the-top portrayal of Gotham’s Guardian. A legend has it that William Dozier cast West after seeing him play a James Bond-like spy named Captain Q in a Nestlé Quik TV ad. The show would only succeed if they camped it up, according to Dozier, who dislikes comic books. Batman fans, rejoice.

6. Ben Affleck

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In my opinion, Ben Affleck missed a trick, I liked his gritty, THICK (maybe a little bit too thick) version of Batman. Affleck presented a disaffected, jaded Batman heavily influenced by Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns. Given Affleck’s talent on both sides of the camera and his love for the character, I think it’s a bit of a miss, but I think he’s worth the nomination.

5. Will Arnett

His performance was witty and charming from the get-go, and he was so well-liked by fans that his standalone Lego movie, The Lego Batman Movie, was a welcome change of pace. Following three brutal Nolan Batman movies and two soul-crushing Snyder films, it was refreshing to see a Batman parody that still respected the character. It was Will Arnett’s smooth timbre that made him the perfect voice for Lego Batman, as well as his sense of humor.

4. Robert Pattinson

A Batman hasn’t been this delightfully freaky since Michael Keaton. In his portrayal of the Dark Knight, Robert Pattinson fully embraces the character’s crazier side, offering us the first iteration of the character in a long time who actually feels more at home wearing the mask than as a rich plaything. Any resemblance to the slick charm of earlier Bruce Wayne is missing from Pattinson’s portrayal. In fact, he hardly really thinks about his identity as Bruce. No matter how many cathartic beatings Pattinson administers at night, he still gives us the makeup-smeared visage of a man who is constantly having a Very Bad Day. As envisioned by the film’s director Matt Reeves, Pattinson brings to life a self-destructive Bruce who is dependent on being Batman.

3. Kevin Conroy

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Growing up in the 90s, you probably recognized Kevin Conroy’s voice as Batman. It was an iconic voice. It’s just Batman. Kevin Conroy’s chocolatey tones helped make Batman: The Animated Series the best take on the Caped Crusader yet. In fact, he was so good as Batman (he first voiced the character in 1992) that he returned time and time again.

2. Christian Bale

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There are a lot of people looking for our head, but honestly, I think Nolan’s trilogy is one of the best trilogy’s of all time and one of the best batman movies. But we need to discuss the voice. The low, gravely gurgle he gives off when Batman appears is irksome, but it only keeps my top pick from taking the top spot because this is a truly powerful depiction of the caped crusader. With Chris Nolan’s breathtaking direction, Bale portrays a bruised and brooding Batman who suffers for his art.

1. Michael Keaton

The 7 Greatest Batman Actors Ranked

In 1989 Tim Burton brought our beloved big broody bat to the silver screen with the film ‘What the guy who played Mr. Mom and Night Shift?’’’ Michael had a perfect life that Batman needed, he was a carefree billionaire in the spotlight, but at the same time, he had the icy stare of a Batman, brazenly taming gangsters. Before Keaton, Bruce Wayne was played by actors who used the same voice. Nevertheless, Keaton did not believe that nobody would be able to tell that it was billionaire socialite Bruce Wayne beneath the mask. Despite the tragedy, he brought a sense of humor to the role. He humanized Bruce, something the other actors failed to do. For that reason, Michael is my number one choice.

Here’s our list, tell us what you think, did we miss anyone out? Are our rankings incorrect? You can tell us in the comments below why we missed out on Clooney.

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