The Actors Who Played Batman Best Ranked

Being the caped crusader is a pretty prestigious, sought after thing. Maybe almost as much as being James Bond. Either way, there have been a handful of actors to play Batman, and these are the the actors who played batman best ranked.

Ben Afleck

Afleck was a good Batman. However, he had the misfortune of being in what are probably the worst Batman movies out of anyone on this list. Although many people point out the fact that, in regards to the source material (the comic books), his portrayal of Batman is the most accurate, Afleck just didn’t quite hit home as well as the others on this list.

However, Jeremey Irons as Alfred was a pretty awesome pick, and it was cool seeing Alfred act more as a partner and less as a servant to Wayne the way he is portrayed almost in every other Batman movie.

Best Part: Afleck and Iron’s onscreen relationship.

The Worst Part: The Martha thing.

Michael Keaton

Michael Keaton is really the actor to thank for starring as the first, blockbuster Batman. He pulls it off incredibly well. And for a lot of people, he is THEIR Batman. However, there are a few shortcomings to his version of the caped crusader.

For starters, Keaton’s Batman doesn’t adhere to the “no killing rule”. An important part of Batman’s ideology, Batman will do just about anything to fight crime. But he won’t kill.

Later adaptations of Batman understand and adhere to this rule. But it keeps Keaton’s Batman from really standing up to the idealistic vision captured by later Batmen.

Another issue with Keaton’s Batman is the fact that the villains often outshine Keaton. Not that Keaton isn’t capable of holding his own – it’s just so much screen time is given to the bad guys that Keaton is often just about on par with them.

Best Part: Keaton’s Batman voice and iconic “I’m Batman” intro.

Worst Part: The cowl that doesn’t allow for neck movement.

Robert Pattinson

A lot of people were dubious about Pattinson becoming the Dark Knight, just like how they were about Michael Keaton back in the day. After all, Keaton had previously been a comedian , and Pattinson had been a teenage heart throb and sparkling vampire.

However, if anyone was doubting him before seeing “The Batman”, I really doubt that they are doubting him today. Pattinson makes a fantastic Batman, combining some of the best aspects of Keaton and Christian Bale’s performance into one.

However, where Pattinson falls short is in his portrayal as Bruce Wayne. While not entirely bad by any means – after all we get the image of a realistic, weirdo Bruce Wayne, and an inside look at what two years of crime fighting at night does to a person, Bruce Wayne as a character doesn’t get much screen time, and the story is told mostly through the guise of Batman.

However, given the circumstances of The Batman, and that he has only been at this for two years, we realize that it makes sense for an early career Batman to be totally engrossed in the crime fighting side of things. Perhaps later movies we will see Pattinson branch out a little bit as Bruce Wayne.

The Best Part: Pattinson’s incredible pathos as Bruce Wayne/Batman, really allowing the audience to feel what he feels as he fights through a tangled web of lies and deception.

Worst Part: An overly depressed Bruce Wayne who has no life outside of being Batman. Although, that’s also kind of the best part and also relatively realistic. Fighting crime all night for two years would really hamper your social life.

Christian Bale

Christian Bale is still the best Batman. His movies, directed by Christopher Nolan, had an incredible vision for what the Batman could be, taking him beyond the sort of cartoonish origins so well defined by Burton, and setting him free into a modern, contemporary world.

Although looking back the Dark Knight Trilogy is definitely something of a product of its time (the tank-like Batmobile not really standing up today), it tells a complete story about the Batman, from beginning to end. It does such a good job showing the origins of the Batman, in fact, that I doubt any Batman movie is going to be able to do the same thing for some time for fear of comparison.

Bale was able to balance between Bruce Wayne and Batman deftly, although his attempts at portraying playboy billionaire Bruce Wayne was something of a hallow shell, he still put in some effort (something we don’t see Pattinson’s Batman even attempt).

In time, however, I think Pattinson might be able to best Bale as Batman, depending on how the next movies go. Until that happens (and if it happens), Bale sits comfortably as the de facto Batman adaptation. Nolan’s movies, additionally, can be credited in part for establishing the bankable format that super movie films have been built on ever since.

The Best Part: The total scope of Batman’s story, from beginning to end, is something that we may never seen performed so well again.

The Worst Part: That Batman voice. It’s pretty cool the first time you hear it…but when you watch it again, it’s a little weird.