The Batman: Everyone Who Played The Superhero On The Big Screen, Ranked

Time Stamp: February 22, 2022 4:46 PM

Batman has been played by a slew of actors throughout the almost 80 years he’s been on the big screen. That’s right, Batman made his theatrical debut back in 1943 with the Batman serial. Now, in 2022, Robert Pattinson will put on the cape and cowl for the first time in Matt Reeves’ The Batman.

And after everyone sees Pattinson play the Dark Knight, the first thing everyone will do is wonder where he ranked among the rest of the people who played Batman. Is he better or worse than Michael Keaton? Was he more gravely than Christian Bale? Did he get rid of a bomb better than Adam West?

So going back through movie history and looking at all of the actors who played Batman in theatrically-released movies–and a couple serials–to see who is the King of the Batmen. If they appeared in a movie as the real Batman, then they are on this list.

Here is every actor who played Batman in a theatrical release, ranked. The Batman releases on March 4.

Robert Pattinson (Unranked)

Appeared in: The Batman (2022)

Pattinson will make his theatrical debut as Batman in Matt Reeves’ film which hits theaters on March 4. The film will be a grounded look at the vigilante, and because the movie isn’t out as of this writing, it’s hard to say what Pattison brought to the table for the movie.

We’ll update this as we learn more about how he portrays the character.

12. Jason Sudeikis

Appeared in: Movie 43 (2013)

This “comedy” features a slew of famous actors who probably all lost a bet to be in this movie. In one scene, Jason Sudeikis plays Batman, who is accompanying Robin (Justin Long) at a speed dating event. Sudeikis plays more of Sudeikis in a Batman costume than the actual Dark Knight. There’s plenty of Batman ’66 references as well.

11. Robert Lowery

Appeared in: Batman & Robin (1949)

Much like the number 10 on this list, Batman & Robin was a serial that was released in 15-chapters, once a week. Lowery’s take on the character was like every other hero in a serial: a dashing protagonist that occasionally gets himself into sticky situations and saves the day at the last second. Batman, as a character, was paper thin at this time, and so were the big screen adaptations of him.

10. Lewis Wilson

Appeared in: Batman (1943)

Lewis Wilson is the first person to become Batman in theaters, in the 15-chapter Batman serial. At one point, the series had a renaissance in 1965, and it was rereleased in theaters as one unedited movie called An Evening with Batman in Robin. Much like Lowery, Wilson didn’t really have a “take” on the character.

9. Jimmy Kimmel

Appeared in: Teen Titans Go! To The Movies (2018)

Yes, you’re reading that correctly. The late night host voiced Batman–very briefly–in Teen Titans Go! To The Movies. He has a couple lines, mainly making fun of the Batman v. Superman scene where both heroes realize their moms have the same name. It’s super-brief, and very funny; however, Kimmel is just doing an impression of Ben Affleck’s Batman, so it’s nothing groundbreaking.

8. George Clooney

Appeared in: Batman & Robin (1997)

With the groundwork he laid in Batman Forever, Schumacher went “full Schumacher” for Batman & Robin, which included black and silver suits, codpieces, and Batman using a Batman credit card. Clooney played the role very tongue-and-cheek, which worked pretty well for Bruce Wayne, but not so much for Batman. Overall, his performance in the movie is completely forgettable.

7. Adam West

Appeared in: Batman (1966), Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders (2016)

While Adam West wasn’t the first person to play the caped crusader in live-action, he was the first person who was really known for it from the 1966 Batman series, which spawned a live-action movie. In the two movies he’s in–the latter of which was animated–Batman is a very campy and silly character–fitting for the character during that time.

6. Val Kilmer

Appeared in: Batman Forever (1995)

The Joel Schumacher era of Batman movies began here, with a neon-soaked, over-the-top caricature of Tim Burton’s previous two movies. As far as playing the character goes, Kilmer’s portrayal of Bruce Wayne and Batman was the most grounded aspect of the movie. He was actually the best thing about this movie. And his version of Bruce Wayne was one of the best out of the live-action actors.

5. Ben Affleck

Appeared in: Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Suicide Squad (2016), Justice League (2017)

Ben Affleck has had three big screen live-action Batman appearances; however, none of the movies were solo films. Affleck’s performance as Batman never really got the spotlight it should have though. In Suicide Squad, we see him very briefly. In Justice League, the film is introducing a group of other superheroes, so Batman never gets full focus, and in BvS, there is a lot to parse with story and character, which overshadows Affleck’s appearance. Affleck does a fine job with what he’s given, but he never really raises the bar or goes that extra mile.

Although there was the promise for Zack Snyder’s Justice League to release in theaters, that has yet to happen, so it’s not listed with Affleck’s credits, as it was straight-to-streaming.

4. Christian Bale

Appeared in: Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008), The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Through Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, we saw Christian Bale’s version of Batman evolve then devolve. Bale made sure to give the audience a difference between Bruce Wayne and Batman–as Batman had a deep, bear-like roar when he spoke. He made us feel the separation between the two characters in Batman Begins, with that character walking the line between the two personalities when he spoke to Alfred or Lucius Fox. However, as The Dark Knight Rises came out, the character almost became a parody of itself with the voice. Bale plays the character iconically, but there is one big miss towards the end of his tenure.

3. Will Arnett

Appeared in: The Lego Movie (2014), The Lego Batman Movie (2017), The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019)

Strangely enough, the Lego-version of Batman is one of the more enjoyable ones. Will Arnett nails the character, who in this case is self-obsessed, egotistical, and very narcissistic. It’s a very different take on Batman–one who is self-aware with how awesome he is–and Arnett really leans into that with this voice, and it shows. The only downside to his performance is that Batman and Bruce Wayne feel interchangeable at times.

2. Michael Keaton

Appeared in: Batman (1989), Batman Returns (1992)

For many people, Michael Keaton is their live-action Batman. Keaton portrayed the Dark Knight for the two Tim Burton films, and this was the first time in the modern era where we experienced a serious version of the character. Keaton worked exceptionally well for Burton’s movies, bringing an element of dark mystique to the character. His performance stands the test of time, much more than other live-action Batmen.

1. Kevin Conroy

Appeared in: Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993), The Killing Joke (2016), Batman and Harley Quinn (2017)

Kevin Conroy is the voice of Batman, no doubt about it. He lent his vocals to the Caped Crusader for Batman: The Animated Series. Mask of the Phantasm was a feature-length, theatrically released film, and Conroy voiced the character again for two other Batman movies with theatrical releases. Everyone focuses on Conroy as Batman, which is perfection. However, Conroy must also be commended for his acting for Bruce Wayne. He uses a softer, friendlier voice for these scenes and truly creates a separation between the two characters that never feels comical or over-the-top.

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