The Best Batman Ranked From Worst to Best
The Batman franchise has returned in style in recent months, with Robert Pattinson taking on the role as the Caped Crusader to much acclaim.
It’s got plenty of people talking, many ranking him up there with the very best to play Batman. But is he?
Over the years there have been some good efforts, and some not so good, which is why we decided to rank every Batman to hit the silver screen from worst to best…
George Clooney
Most things George Clooney touches turns to gold, but that cannot be said for the soave actors effort in the batmobile. Released in 1997, Batman & Robin is still universally panned to this day. Of course, his career went from strength to strength after that and he was much more comfortable enjoying capers in a casino a few years later. In fact, he even tried to open his own casino after Ocean’s Eleven, no doubt because of the huge rise in online casinos, bookmakers and Cheltenham free bets during that time.
Of course, we wouldn’t expect Batman to be enjoying a night on the slot machines when there’s so much going on in Gotham, which is perhaps why Clooney just never quite made the role his own. Stick to the casinos, George.
Val Kilmer
Val Kilmer had an equal lack of success when he played Bruce Wayne in Batman Forever. Released two years prior to Batman & Robin, Kilmer earned casting off the back of some fantastic roles in Tombstone and The Doors.
It didn’t quite work out for him in Gotham though. Kilmer himself even admitted that the film is “so bad it’s almost good”. Shame the critics didn’t see it that way.
Ben Affleck
Another major name to take on the role of Batman was Ben Affleck. We’ve perhaps unfairly placed him so low down the order as actually, there was potential in Affleck. He showed promise in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but Justice League was just a disaster of a movie in which the writers didn’t just shoot Affleck in the foot, but probably in the face.
It meant that Affleck couldn’t really create a Batman to win the crowd over and the entire film just needed to be forgotten about. He will play the Caped Crusader in an upcoming Flash movie, but he’s drawing the line after that claiming he didn’t enjoy shooting Justice League.
Adam West
Adam West portrayed Batman in both the TV series and film during the 1960s and it was an entirely different vigilante compared to today. Batman was a comedy back in those days and West really did perfect that.
His delivery, timing and even dancing made Batman so loved on the screen and perhaps even paved the way for the many, many Batman films that have hit the cinemas since.
Michael Keaton
The news Michael Keaton would play Batman back in the 1990s caused uproar among DC fans. However, they needn’t have worried, with Keaton playing Tim Burton’s Batman perfectly.
Keaton was mainly known for his comedies at the time, but he played a much darker version in Batman and Batman Returns, setting the tone for the Batman movies to come.
Robert Pattinson
Yes, despite only having been in the Batman suit a matter of weeks, Robert Pattinson is among the top billed when it comes to Bruce Watne. He strays towards the more freakish, weirder side of Batman, similar to Keaton, and it’s certainly been a match made in heaven with Pattinson working with Matt Reeves.
We hope there’s plenty more to come from the Twilight actor. It’s been a sensational debut and if he carries on in the same vein then we may have a very special Batman on our hands indeed.
Christian Bale
Ask anyone their favourite Batman movie, and it’s about 90% likely they will say the Dark Knight. And it’s fair to say the same would be said about their favourite Batman actor too.
Christopher Nolan completely reimagined the Dark Knight himself and created a Batman like no other. Bale played the hero three times and will always be considered as one of the very best to step inside the Batcave.
