Who Is The Best Batman

Tell Us What You Think

By Culture SlatePublished 2 years ago • 3 min read

Batman has been portrayed in nine live-action films and various other DC television shows in minor roles. Over the years, he has grown as a character and become a dark and gritty vigilante bent on stopping the corruption in his home city of Gotham. On the big screen, the actors who have taken on this coveted role are Adam West, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Christian Bale, Ben Affleck, and Robert Pattinson.

The best Batman does come down to which Batman era you identify with. Supporting arguments can be made for any actor aside from Clooney as that movie is so covered in cheese that it put my pizza to shame from last night's dinner. It is just a campy take that fails to resonate on a deeper level which is what fans seem to be searching for. It is also marred with clichéd lines that do little to reaffirm the fact that Batman is a dark and complex character.

Spoiler Alert: Batman's true identity is Bruce Wayne. While nailing the physicality that comes with playing Batman, one of the key things is portraying a believable billionaire playboy. In order to hide the fact that he moonlights as Gotham’s Caped Crusader, Bruce holds these massive charity functions and seduces many women. In this regard, I believe Michael Keaton is the best-portrayed version of the character. He is charming, handsome, and believable when it comes to being wealthy. He is the first actor to really take on the dramatic side of Bruce as well and set the bar incredibly high for the rest of the actors.

As far as being the most physically dominant of the Batman actors I believe that goes to Ben Affleck. He looks the most like Bruce from the comics. He is in good physical condition and looks incredibly badass in the action sequences in both Batman v Superman and Justice League. Ben also has the darkest story arcs. In BvS, this is displayed mostly through aggression and lack of compassion towards Superman. He still maintains the character's physical nature through Justice League and even manages to rediscover his faith.

For any hero to have an impact, they must grow over the course of the series. Christian Bale has the most complete story as the caped crusader as he portrays a young Bruce struggling with his decisions. He then goes on to portray Bruce in his prime. He is the Batman in peak mental and physical condition who refuses to be broken by the violence occurring around him. In The Dark Knight Rises, Bale gets to show his range in bringing Batman and Bruce back from the edge after a crippling defeat at the hands of Bane. Bale delivers some iconic moments that fans across the world recognize and goes toe to toe with the best live-action take of The Joker. The Joker interrogation scene in The Dark Knight is still my personal favorite sequence involving Batman on screen.

If you head over to social media it seems like Bale and Affleck get the most love from both the general audience and die-hard fans alike. They are the ones who have had to face the most criticism as well in playing the role during the era of instant critiques. For me, Bale and Affleck are the top two because their respective Batman has the most flaws and development throughout their tenure. While he is great, Keaton’s Batman always seems incomplete. He would now have the chance to gain some closure with his return in The Flash and subsequent appearances.

Batman has definitely had his fair shake of representation and soon enough the debate can begin on where Robert Pattinson will fall on this list. There seems to be a little something for everyone in the way Batman has been portrayed in live-action.

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