The best Batman actors, rated


The DC comic book hero Batman has been around for a long time, and so has the adaptation of the comics into film. Over the years, we’ve had many different actors portray this superhero, and here are the very best of them, all the way down to the best.

6. George Clooney

The 1997 sequel of Batman Forever, Batman & Robin could very well be one of the most negatively received Batman movies so far. Director Joel Schumacher failed to impress the fans and the critics, and the infamous nipples in Batman’s suit might just be the most memorable thing about it. George Clooney starred in this movie, and while the movie itself turned out to be one big disappointment, he did well for his role and that might have been the only good thing about the entire movie.

George Clooney

5. Ben Affleck

Starring in 2016’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, Ben Affleck’s stint as Batman cannot exactly be said to be the best version of Batman fans have seen. Or at least, not the best Batman movie. Like Clooney, Affleck may have had the bad luck of starring in a movie that did its best to get more ridicule than acclaim.

4. Val Kilmer

Like George Clooney, Val Kilmer was Batman with Joel Schumacher as the film’s director. His was the 1995 film Batman Forever. Many think that perhaps Kilmer’s Batman could have been one of the best with a different director. Just like it happened with its sequel a couple of years later, the main actor could be referred to as the only saving grace to an otherwise poorly executed film adaptation of the Batman comics.

3. Adam West

Adam West’s Batman in the 1960s Batman TV series is a lot different from all the Batman’s we had in later and recent years, but that does not mean he was below par. Adam West did a good job of portraying the superhero. This Batman is definitely a memorable one, what with his brightly colored underwear worn over his skin tight leotard, and scenes of him dancing the ‘Batusi’.

2. Michael Keaton

When Michael Keaton was cast as Batman in 1989’s film Batman, many did not think he could do justice to the role because of his background in comedy. Nevertheless, director Tim Burton decided to go with him and Keaton turned out to be just the man for the job. He ably portrayed both sides of the superhero, portraying Bruce Wayne’s likeable arrogance perfectly, while still having the intensity needed for the Dark Knight’s character. Michael Keaton returned again as Batman in the 1992 sequel of his first Batman movie, Batman Returns.

Michael Keaton

1. Christian Bale

Christian Bale resoundingly takes his place as the best Batman on screen, and he has a popular, high glossing trilogy to show for it. Bale played as Batman in 2005’s Batman Begins, 2008’s The Dark Knight and four years later in 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises. These three films marked the beginning of change in superhero movies, where filmmakers now went for more realistic and gritty stories. Bale’s Batman was also very unlike the past Batmans, and it was a good change.

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