The best Batman actors, ranked

Batman first debuted in the pages of Detective Comics #27 in May 1939 and has been part of the American zeitgeist ever since. He was given his own standalone comic less than one year later, and, three years after that, Columbia Pictures produced the very first Batman 15-part serial in July 1943. In the decades since, he's become as much of an American pastime as baseball and isn't even that much younger than the league itself.

While the ubiquitous origin story of his parents' alleyway murder has never changed, Batman spent 40 years as a campy and colorful superhero before being reinvented in the late-1980s by comic book legends such as Alan Moore (The Killing Joke), Frank Miller (The Dark Knight Returns, Batman: Year One), and Grant Morrison (Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on a Serious Earth). These darker and more psychologically-driven stories created a renewed interest in the caped crusader and gave way to his theatrical rebirth in 1989. Since then, there hasn't been a U.S. presidential term without some version of the Dark Knight on screens large or small. And so, with such a number of actors taking on the role of Batman, it's high time to count down our favorite versions and see who wore the cowl the best.

01 of 10

10. Keanu Reeves (2022)

Keanu Reeves as Batman - The League of Super Pets — Warner Bros. Pictures

Okay, you might be thinking, when on earth did Keanu Reeves play Batman? Well, lest we forget, there is the 2022 animated film DC League of Super-Pets, which can be explained in just four words: Keanu Reeves. As Batman.

Is it the most groundbreaking performance? Not even a little. There's a reason it ranks dead last on this list. But still, listening to John Wick himself dramatically drone on about how he lost his family and must steal his emotions from the outside world is quite the comedic treat. Reeves' version of Batman is a pure, distilled parody where he continually brings up, without prompt, either (A) his dead parents or (B) that he is definitely NOT Bruce Wayne. Go ahead and tell your friends that your kids made you watch it.

02 of 10

9. George Clooney (1997)

BATMAN and ROBIN US / BR 1997 aka BATMAN AND ROBIN GEORGE CLOONEY as Bruce Wayne / Batman BATMAN ROBIN US / BR 1997 aka BATMAN AND ROBIN GEORGE CLOONEY as Bruce Wayne / Batman Date 1997, Photo by: Mary Evans/WARNER BROS/Ronald Grant/Everett Collection(10396635) — George Clooney as the Dark Knight in 1997's 'Batman & Robin.'. Everett Collection

As they say in the South, bless George Clooney's heart. Neither he nor anyone else knew what they were getting into when production began on Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin in 1996. With more puns than a father of three uses in a lifetime, the film is widely panned and Clooney himself has even joked that he almost destroyed the Batman franchise.

With film sets ranging from evil ice-skating rink to blacklight-painted street alley, and fight scenes that are more choreographed acrobatics than brawls, the movie comes off as more Cirque du Soleil than Batman. The real cherry on the sundae, however, is when Bat Clooney, in full costume, pulls out his Batman-branded GothCard Credit Card (Good Thru: Forever) complete with added *cha-ching* soundbite. Clooney is unarguably a talented actor, but not even Daniel Day-Lewis could've saved this hapless misadventure.

03 of 10

8. Will Arnett (2014–2019)

'The LEGO Batman Movie'. Warner Bros. Pictures

There is no doubt that if you found a magic lamp and asked a genie to design for you the perfect Batman parody voice actor, Will Arnett would spontaneously blink himself into existence before your very eyes. His effortless dark-and-gritty Batman voice paired with his signature brand of sarcasm was so perfect in The LEGO Movie (2014), that Warner Bros went all in and gave him his own standalone film, 2017's The LEGO Batman Movie. (A sequel was even in the works, too, before a legal dispute between Universal and Warner Bros. scuttled it.)

Arnett's version of Batman is best described as "inept bro," but nearly every one of his jokes lands better than any of the Joker's clever quips. That being said, there's only so much gravity and high regard one can give to a fantastic, albeit very farcical version of Batman. Arnett's LEGO Batman may not be the Batman we need, but he's definitely the one we deserve.

04 of 10

7. Val Kilmer (1995)

BATMAN FOREVER, Val Kilmer, 1995 — Everett Collection

It's hard to say that Val Kilmer is bad as Batman, but it's also difficult to say he is actually good. Coming off the heels of the Tim Burton/Michael Keaton era, Kilmer has some pretty large black rubber boots to fill. However, director Joel Schumacher takes a markedly different direction with his film, eschewing the dark tone established by Burton and embracing a more colorful, 1960s comic book-inspired style film.

Unfortunately, this often leads to more eye-roll moments than not. Even the film's very first lines of dialogue begin with Alfred asking a dour-faced Batman to take a sandwich with him on patrol, with Batman replying, "I'll get drive-thru." And while the Batman Forever glass mugs from McDonald's may be collector's items to this day, maybe it wasn't necessary to drop the franchise product tie-in before the opening credits had even finished rolling. Again, Kilmer is a great actor, but there's not much one can do with material like this.

05 of 10

6. Robert Pattinson (2022)

Robert Pattinson in 'The Batman' (2022). Jonathan Olley/DC Comics/Warner Bros.

Heavily inspired by both the gritty Batman comics of the late-1980s and the Christopher Nolan trilogy of Bat-films, The Batman is a true culmination of the last 30-plus years of Batman mythos. Director/co-writer Matt Reeves decides to once again explore Batman's early days as a crime fighter, but this time as a tortured, confused, and brooding character.

Twilight jokes aside, Robert Pattinson's turn as the bat is easily the most angst-ridden version yet. And while it is nice to see the Dark Knight return to his roots as a detective of sorts, puzzling over the Riddler's complicated scheming, the formula doesn't always work. Pattinson's Batman is a little uneven; sometimes being a genius, other times being quite daft; sometimes beating people senselessly, other times letting them walk away. Hopefully, the thesp will deliver a performance that moves him up a peg or two in the in-the-works sequel.

06 of 10

5. Ben Affleck (2016–2023)

Ben Affleck in 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'. Everett Collection

If you consider that much of the inspiration for 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was pulled from the pages of The Dark Knight Returns, then Ben Affleck's Batman in that movie is absolutely spot-on. Even though the character is older in the comic, Affleck still wanted to physically look the part and did so by packing on Thor-level muscles. His metered mix of stoicism and fury also fits well with both the tone of the comic and the movie.

Unfortunately, we don't really get to see a lot of Affleck in the cape and cowl. In both of his major outings, we see far, far more of Bruce Wayne than we do of Batman. While there was a lot of potential in the standalone film he was set to produce, direct, and star in, Affleck does reprise his Caped Crusader role in 2023's The Flash.

07 of 10

4. Adam West (1966–1968)

There's enough to say about Adam West's Batman that it could fill a book. And it has! (Look up Gotham City: 14 Miles, if you want a real deep dive on the subject.) Even though the Batman series only ran for three seasons from 1966 to 1968, it's become iconic for its zany campiness and infamous onomatopoeic fight scenes.

Yes, West's version of Batman now feels a bit outdated, but it is a true embodiment of the era. West's Batman is often clever, selfless, heroic, and emotional, even if it was often all a bit over the top. The live-action tone that West set wasn't interrupted for over 20 years and is still so well-loved that, in 2014, DC Comics ran 30 issues of a Batman '66 series based on West's Batman. Tim Burton even borrowed the plot of Batman Returns from a two-episode Penguin arc of this show. Say what you will, but West's Batman has cast powerful pop culture waves that are still felt to this day.

08 of 10

3. Christian Bale (2005–2012)

Christian Bale in 'The Dark Knight'. Everett Collection

Having Academy Award-winning actor Christian Bale as No. 3 on this list will arguably be a controversial opinion, but here are the facts: In the Christopher Nolan Bat-trilogy, Bale does an absolutely superb job of playing both Bruce and Bat, as his acting chops allow him to really dissect the character and reconcile a number of conflicting emotions that are fine in comic books, but more hokey in real life.

That being said, this is a Batman countdown list, not a Bruce Wayne countdown list. In that light, Bale's Batman has always lacked a certain level of stoicism and restraint. His Bat-voice is also a bit over the top and has consistently been the source of a number of parodies and mockeries. Between the three films, there are a few too many gravel-voiced, melodramatic one-liners that push Batman into a realm of corny sitcom dad that just sadly takes him down a peg.

09 of 10

2. Kevin Conroy (1992–2024)

batman-the-animated-series — Warner Bros. Animation

As of this moment, there is no actor on God's green earth who's played Batman as many times as Kevin Conroy. Even though his original Batman: The Animated Series went off the air in 1996, he later voiced the Caped Crusader in hundreds of additional animated projects, the Batman: Arkham and Injustice series' of video games, and even appeared as Bruce Wayne in a cameo on the CW's Crisis on Infinite Earths. For an entire generation, he is about as synonymous with Batman as anyone can get.

That being said, his iterations of Batman still owe themselves a great deal to some brilliant animators over the years. With a 6'2" frame, Conroy could've absolutely pulled off playing the superhero in real life, but we'll never know for certain. The actor died in November 2022 at the age of 66; his final portrayal of Batman will be heard in the 2024 video game Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Conroy's vocal skills and contributions are greatly acknowledged by all, but at the end of the day, it's still only half-a-Batman makes.

10 of 10

1. Michael Keaton (1989–1992; 2023)

Michael Keaton in 'Batman'. Everett Collection

Unflinching, unfazed, unyielding, understated, unpretentious, and numerous other un- words, Michael Keaton's Batman really is the silent warrior at the gates. Even knowing he's Bruce Wayne, even knowing his plans, he still manages to exude an air of mystery that still remains unmatched.

The actor dons the cowl again, 31 years after Batman Returns, in The Flash. Thankfully, Keaton — who ironically played an actor who's most famous for playing a superhero in 2014's Birdman — doesn't miss a beat. As EW's Christian Holub wrote in his review of The Flash, "[Keaton] finally gets the chance to play the old man Batman of Frank Miller's legendary comic The Dark Knight Returns, and he breathes a lot of life into the proceedings."

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