Ranked: The Best of The Movie Batmans

Batman has been a staple of popular culture for decades, starting with the comic books in the ’30s & quickly moving to all other mediums. The ominous visage of Gotham City’s very own Dark Knight is one familiar to generations. This is because outside of the comics, Batman has consistently appeared in novelizations, television shows, and on the silver screen. The latter being arguably the biggest reason for his continued success and near omnipresence in the hearts and minds of countless nerds and geeks the world over.

A huge reason for the character’s popularity at the movies with so many people, over so many years is the men cast to play him. But how good were they? This list ranks the best on screen Batmen. Let’s begin with the worst and work our way to the best.

7. George Clooney

Batflick:

Batman & Robin (1997)

Here we are, at the bottom of the list. This pick really shouldn’t come as a surprise to many. It’s not even a surprise to George Clooney, he hates this movie. We all hate this movie. Well, there may be like 7 people out there that love it, but we don’t understand them.

Like the reason why you played Batman?

George’s portrayal of The Caped Crusader/Mr. Wayne was terrible, bad, rotten, idiotic, negative words, all the negative words ever made, all the negative words that will be invented in the future. It’s the last on this list of awesome actors who’ve played Batman.

You know why. Even if you haven’t seen it you know why…let’s move on.

6. Ben Affleck

Batflick:

Batman V Superman Dawn of Justice (2016)

Being that we haven’t seen the new movie coming out, he’s #6 on the list because our fingers are crossed that he won’t be as bad as George. He can’t be, right?

Ben’s ‘I’m trying so hard not to screw this up.’ face

Right!?

Ben’s ‘I’m already so over this’ face

Here’s hoping…

Which leads us to what will be a surprise to many of you…

5. Christian Bale

Batflicks:

Batman Begins (2005)

The Dark Knight (2008)

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Batman Begins (2005) The Dark Knight (2008) The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

THEREASONBALEISRARRAAGGHHH RRAAGGGHHHHUURRAAAGGGAAAA LISTRRAAA ISH BECAUSH…you get it.

Which is such a shame, he had the look and ferocity you want in a Batman, he was even an outstanding Bruce Wayne, but the voice, The Voice, and it just got more and more exaggerated as the films went on. By Rises it seemed as if he only growled things, for the entire 10 minutes he was even in the nearly 3 hour long finale to Nolan’s trilogy.

It sucks because look at this:

We found this by typing ‘Bad ass’ into google

And his Wayne!

Come on! That’s a great Bruce Wayne right there, but sadly that voice coupled with Nolan’s poor directorial/story choices really did this trilogy in. They should’ve just told him not to make those sounds. Here’s hoping they re-record his audio and re-release the films in the future!

Enough of wishful thinking and looking ahead, let’s take a look at the past with our number four…

4. Adam West

Batflick:

Batman: The Movie (1966)

For many, this was the Batman of their youth. The first human they ever saw suit up and duke it out with the Rouges Gallery. Adam West completely nailed the campy Batman of the 1960’s with a dramatic flare and charm only he could’ve pulled off.

The costumes were silly, the sets were outlandish at times and the dialog was bad, but West made it special and believable. Most of all, he made the madcap idea of a rich man dressing up as a bat to fight crime fun.

If you’re not a fan of the Adam West batman, or you haven’t seen the above mentioned movie, do yourself a favor and watch it. After all the darkness portrayed in the other Batman flicks, it’s good to take a step back and watch the fun side.

Now is where we drop the bomb and reveal our top 3 picks. Drop it for us, Adam!

Thank you, Adam.

 

3. Val Kilmer

Batflick:

Batman Forever (1995)

Kilmer’s Bruce Wayne is the best portrayal of the character to ever hit the silver screen, ever. Plus, his Batman, while subdued, was not that bad either. Val really pulled it off, sadly, it was Schumacher’s desperate need to create an Adam West like Batman movie with a gritty, dark edge while adding nipples to the bat suit that did this one in. Making it a hated film upon its release.

Moody, Campy, Over-stylized, Nipples.

Still though, Kilmer literally is Bruce Wayne.

That right up there? That’s Bruce Wayne.

And for that alone, he gets the number 3 spot.

2. Michael Keaton

Batflicks:

Batman (1989)

Batman Returns (1992)

Batman (1989) Batman Returns (1992)

The definitive movie batman is Micheal Keaton. A unlikely actor who was mocked and hated when he took the roll, Keaton thankfully ignored the haters and gave us the performance of a lifetime. He took the camp of West out of the equation and focused all of his own personal tragedy into a hauntingly believable performance.

That’s the signal to kick some ass and some ass will def be kicked

This is why he’s Batman to countless people. His Bruce Wayne is a humorous, albeit serious, likable guy and his Batman is an extension of that with some terror thrown in for good measure. The fact that his performance in both of those movies still stands up to this day is all you need to know that Michael Keaton is the Batman we all deserve.

But he’s not the best. Not by a long shot. Here’s the best onscreen Batman ever:

1. Kevin Conroy

Batflick:

Batman: Mask of The Phantasm (1993)

This man is Batman. There’s no argument anyone can lay out to disprove or discredit this. Kevin Conroy is Batman. He even says it himself:

For decades he’s provided the voice for Gotham’s Dark Knight, a voice that can only be Batman’s. When you read the comics, it’s Kevin’s voice you hear in your head. If you don’t, you need to, as his is the voice of Batman. He even looks like an older Batman aught to look:

Batman.

Kevin’s work as a voice actor can’t be dismissed or understated because he doesn’t physically appear on screen. More so than anyone else on this list, Kevin understands the character, and he shows you his understanding with just his voice and nothing else. That alone makes him the best damn Batman we will ever have in our lifetimes, and like the best of anything, he’s extremely underrated and largely ignored in favor of the Bale’s and Keaton’s of the world. A sad fact that this article hopefully helps remedy.

Conroy is Batman. Forever.

Love this list or hate it? Think your order is better? Let us know what you think in the comments!