So many Batmen to choose from! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the greatest times an actor put on the cowl and cape.
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00:00Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?
00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the greatest times an actor
00:09put on the cape and cowl to portray Batman. For this list, we'll only be looking at live
00:15action performances. You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.
00:2110. George Clooney – Batman and Robin
00:35Having recently broken out of TV and onto the big screen, George Clooney was in the middle
00:39of a meteoric rise to stardom when he strapped on the utility belt. However, he may not have been
00:44the correct choice for the campy vibes that Joel Schumacher took the character in. Remember the
00:49Bat credit card? Clooney has even gone so far as to personally refund people who saw the film
01:00in theaters. But his portrayal wasn't without any merit whatsoever. When not in costume,
01:06he effectively played the part of a handsome and charming billionaire playboy.
01:09In fact, he even returned as Bruce Wayne in a tongue-in-cheek cameo decades later.
01:209. David Mazouz – Gotham
01:31This TV series took a look at the Batman mythos from another direction,
01:35acting as an ensemble crime show set before the caped crusader became a superhero.
01:39It thus gave us a very different Bruce Wayne. In fact, one of the first storylines in the show
01:45involved Detective James Gordon attempting to solve the murder of a young Bruce Wayne's parents.
01:50Months ago, you promised you'd find who killed my parents. Then all that time,
01:53you've managed to find one witness who turned out to be a liar.
01:58An investigation like this takes time.
02:00I understand.
02:01Over the show's five seasons, we watched Bruce grow from a grieving boy into a young man,
02:06taking his first steps into the world of vigilantism. While Mazouz was fine on the show,
02:12it's really a Batman role in name only, as the show served much more as a prequel to an actual
02:17Batman story, so it doesn't place particularly high on our list.
02:21When my parents built this company to make Gotham a better place,
02:27they would have sacrificed everything for this city.
02:308. Robert Lowry – Batman and Robin
02:34Come along, fella. You're going with us to the Bat's cave.
02:36Appearing in a serial of 15 chapters, Robert Lowry's Batman had a presence on the big screen
02:41that he'd never had before. Only the second actor to play Batman, Lowry's long career acting in
02:46westerns and action films made him perfect for the part of a superhero.
02:50What were those?
02:51Just some of my bats. Hope they didn't disturb you, but you see it's nearing their feeding time.
02:56Although much of Lowry's performance, and the movie as a whole, is dated by today's standards,
03:01his portrayal of the Bat helped set the standard for actors in superhero films.
03:05Furthermore, his physically imposing build and acting chops helped make the Batman and
03:10Robin serial a worthwhile early entry in Batman's canon.
03:13No, not that way. Wouldn't stand a chance. Out the window. Go ahead, I'll follow you.
03:167. Kevin Conroy – Batwoman
03:19You start with a code. You hang on to it with every self-righteous breath.
03:27With every self-righteous breath. But then you take one life.
03:33If we were including animation, Kevin Conroy would have been the most iconic Batman actor.
03:39Over the years, he's played the part a number of times. However, only ever in animated form.
03:45That is, until the massive crossover Crisis on Infinite Earths,
03:49stretched across five live-action DC shows on the CW.
03:52As Batwoman and company traveled to Wayne Manor in an alternate reality,
03:56we heard an unmistakable voice as Conroy for the first and only time in live-action,
04:01entered as Batman.
04:03Clark always said yes to anyone with a badge or a flag. He gave them too much power.
04:09My parents taught me a very different lesson.
04:12It's spectacular to finally see Conroy as Bruce Wayne in the flesh, even if it's tragically short.
04:18Some fans were also disappointed that this version of Batman had taken a particularly dark turn,
04:23but we were happy to see him nonetheless.
04:26Yes, let it end. Let it all end.
04:31This world's not worth saving in any universe.
04:35Number six, Val Kilmer, Batman Forever.
04:38I see without seeing. To me, darkness is as clear as daylight.
04:45What am I?
04:46As the second of three actors to play Batman in the Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher films,
04:50it can be easy to overlook Val Kilmer's time in the role.
04:53Upon closer inspection, though, there's a lot in Kilmer's singular turn,
04:57as more than in any portrayal before, he examined the psychology of Batman.
05:02Much of Batman Forever was concerned with duality,
05:05particularly the dual identity of Batman and Bruce Wayne.
05:08Introspective and intense, Kilmer investigated the inner depths of Batman's psyche.
05:13But your pain doesn't die with Harvey, it grows.
05:16So you run out into the night to find another face, and another, and another.
05:22Reportedly, however, he clashed with director Joel Schumacher,
05:25who described him as rude and inappropriate towards the crew.
05:29Ultimately, his portrayal was interesting but flawed, landing it in the middle of the list.
05:34You see, I'm both Bruce Wayne and Batman.
05:37Not because I have to be. No, because I choose to be.
05:43Number five, Ben Affleck, The DC Extended Universe.
05:47Whatever you see, stick to the plan.
05:53That's why I brought you together.
05:56Batfleck, as he is affectionately known by his fans,
05:59had the blessing and the curse of being part of a wider cinematic universe.
06:02The downside of this meant that he never got a solo film,
06:05but the upside meant that he was able to play off of a number of other iconic heroes.
06:10Starting as a wounded loner in Batman vs. Superman,
06:13Batfleck had seen too many friends die, and brought a sense of gravitas to the role.
06:18Twenty years in Gotham, Alfred, we've seen what promises are worth,
06:23how many good guys are left, how many stayed that way.
06:28As he grew closer to other members of the Justice League over the next few films,
06:33he was able to add more dimension and humor to the character.
06:36Even when he only appeared in a cameo capacity,
06:39Affleck's Batman was one of the funniest parts of whatever film he was in.
06:43You can handle the hospital, Barry.
06:44Somebody has to save the rest of the world, so I was gonna do that, if you don't mind.
06:48Sounds about right, Bruce.
07:02Through the years, Batman has ranged from gritty and serious to fun and campy,
07:06and absolutely no one managed to pull off the latter quite as well as the late, great Adam West.
07:12Over the course of three seasons and a movie, he played the goofiest iteration of Batman,
07:17all with a straight face.
07:19Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb.
07:29Playing the role decades after the serials, and decades before the Burton films,
07:33West was the only and definitive Batman to an entire generation.
07:37His deadpan delivery was comic gold, but also gave his version a sense of
07:41earnestness and a Boy Scout-like devotion to upholding justice.
07:45It's not for mortals like us to tamper with the laws of nature.
07:48Indeed, in this very Batcave, you saw a ghastly example of what happens when one tries to do that.
07:59People need hope.
08:02To know someone's out there for them.
08:05After breaking out in the Twilight films,
08:07Robert Pattinson seemed determined to dedicate his career to complex roles in mostly indie films.
08:12His turn as the tortured trust fund orphan in Matt Reeves' Batman film
08:16brought all that layered nuance to the role.
08:19Pattinson gave the character the charm he needed to be Bruce Wayne,
08:22the intensity needed for Batman, and the brokenness he needed for both.
08:27What have you done?
08:40Physically imposing, darkly funny, and a bit of an emo kid,
08:44Pattinson's Bruce goes on an emotional journey as he tries to cope with his parents' legacy.
08:48More than anything else, he makes you believe that this guy
08:52is just weird enough to dress up as a giant bat.
08:57Scarred like me.
09:03Our scars can destroy us.
09:15Those looking for a more serious take on Batman need look no further.
09:19After missteps caused the franchise to be rebooted,
09:22the character was given a more realistic take.
09:25That included a more stoic portrayal of the character from leading man Bale.
09:29I killed those people. That's what I can be.
09:32No, no, you can't.
09:33You're not!
09:34I'm whatever Gotham needs me to be.
09:37Bale not only brought nuance to the character emotionally,
09:40but also went through a massive transformation
09:42to give a realistic physical portrayal of the character.
09:45He bulked up to 220 pounds and trained in weapons and martial arts.
09:50Unlike other actors, Bale had the opportunity to play Batman in the beginning,
09:54middle, and end of his journey.
09:56Over three films, Bale gave Bruce a complete character arc,
10:00perfectly capturing every part of his emotional journey.
10:03People know the hero who saved them.
10:05A hero can be anyone.
10:06Even a man doing something as simple and reassuring
10:10as putting a coat around a young boy's shoulders
10:13to let him know the world hadn't ended.
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10:42You have to be a little nuts to be Batman.
10:44And, well, Keaton?
10:45He got nuts.
10:46In his portrayal of a guy who dressed up in a costume and beat up criminals,
10:49Keaton understood that Bruce Wayne was a little bit weird and a little bit sad.
10:54He straddled the line between fun and dark,
10:56giving us a Batman who was both silently tragic and subtly comical.
11:00Keaton was at his best playing off his iconic villains,
11:03with his scenes opposite Jack Nicholson's Joker feeling positively electric.
11:08You killed my parents.
11:09What?
11:10Oh.
11:12What are you talking about?
11:14I made you.
11:16You made me first.
11:17Likewise, in Batman Returns,
11:19where his star-crossed romance with Michelle Pfeiffer's equally damaged catwoman
11:22is as lovely as it is ultimately tragic.
11:25Even after 30 years away from the role,
11:28he still felt like Batman.
11:31Yeah.
11:34I'm Batman.
11:35Shine your Bat-signal in the comments below and tell us who your favorite Batman is.
11:40Come on, Robin.
11:41To the Batcave.
11:42We haven't one moment to lose.
11:44Do you agree with our picks?
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