Favorite Batman portrayal and why

[Tg11]

If anything which actor out of the actors in the Batman movie universe in the franchise do you think portrayed the best Bruce Wayne/Batman and why

Michael Keaton (Batman, Batman Returns)
Val Kilmer (Batman Forever)
George Clooney (Batman & Robin)
Christian Bale (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises)
Ben Affleck (Batman vs Superman, Suicide Squad, Justice League)

 

[Tg11]

I voted for Affleck because if anything his portrayal of Bruce Wayne/Batman is not only dark and gritty but also he is portraying the character in all the right ways but also his Batman is more menacing than Bale that's for sure but also Bale his cowl and his screams in the Batsuit just annoyed the hell out of me in the Nolanverse

 

[wampa1]

Michael Keaton for giving us a Bruce Wayne / Batman that is actually completely nuts and for treading the fine line between played straight drama and pulp campyness, right where Batman should be.

 

[Tg11]

I will say this Keaton his Batman is iconic

 

[Fallen Angel]

Keaton, why? because he's Batman.

 

[The Joker]

Bale by a long shot. Only one to get the balance of Bruce Wayne and Batman.

 

[Rorschach2012]

Keaton is the best Batman, Bale is the best Bruce

 

[Smilodon]

I chose Bale but I'm reminded of that one interview where someone asked Keaton if he were ever jealous of Ben Affleck, and all he said was, "No. Do you know why? Because I’m Batman. I’m very secure in that.”

 

[Osiris-Rex]

If anything which actor out of the actors in the Batman movie universe in the franchise do you think portrayed the best Bruce Wayne/Batman and why

Michael Keaton (Batman, Batman Returns)
Val Kilmer (Batman Forever)
George Clooney (Batman & Robin)
Christian Bale (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises)
Ben Affleck (Batman vs Superman, Suicide Squad, Justice League)

Adam West was in the Batman 1966 movie. It was released to theaters, so is a legitimate movie. Therefore Adam West should be on the list. Please update the poll options.

 

[jmc]

Gotta go Keaton, there's a mystery surrounding his Batman that the others don't have. Nolan's Batman has a greater journey but I feel like too much is revealed overall. Affleck's Batman I'm kinda meh about, which is a combination of being in a bad movie and my general indifference toward Affleck as an actor.

 

[Awest66]

Christian Bale, He has the most character of any of the serious live-action actors.

 

[Lantern Venom]

Bale by a long shot. Only one to get the balance of Bruce Wayne and Batman.

Those are my thoughts exactly. Bale is the only actor to ever fit both sides of the character's persona.

 

[BH/HHH]

Keaton for me. Closely followed by Affleck.

Bale could have been if not for that stupid voice, it's fine in Begins. But in the sequels it really takes me out if the films.

 

[Brother Jack]

My answer is Bale. But in a way I don't think it's a fair comparison because TDKT is the only series of Bat-films that tells a complete story with Bruce/Batman. You get the whole arc truncated in three films. Burton didn't get to do that with Keaton, and who knows where Affleck will go. A lot his story has already passed in the DCEU timeline.

 

[godisawesome]

My answer is Bale. But in a way I don't think it's a fair comparison because TDKT is the only series of Bat-films that tells a complete story with Bruce/Batman. You get the whole arc truncated in three films. Burton didn't get to do that with Keaton, and who knows where Affleck will go. A lot his story has already passed in the DCEU timeline.

This. All this.

 

[zlucamanz]

honestly live action so far,i have none.

my favorite batman portrayal mostly came from animeted series.DCAU was the best.

 

[Osiris-Rex]

honestly live action so far,i have none.

my favorite batman portrayal mostly came from animeted series.DCAU was the best.

Animation in general seems easier to pull off than live action. Look how terrible the live action Flintstones, Dennis the Menace, Popeye, Richie Rich, Casper movies were.

 

[OutOfBoose]

If we put characterization aside and judge only performance/appearance, it's not easy to rank them for me.

Bruce Wayne:
1. Bale is a perfect Bruce Wayne in my eyes.
2. Affleck. I really enjoyed him in the role in BvS. In a better film he would easily rival Bale in my case.
3. Keaton and Kilmer. Solid, but nothing special.



4. Clooney. I didn't buy him as Bruce Wayne for a second.

Batman:
1. Keaton. Burton really succeeded in creating the aura of mystery and darkness. He looked good in action too.
2. Affleck. Now this is Batman who can strike fear in his enemies and can use gadgets cleverly against thugs with firearms. My only problem with this portrayal is that we barely see Affleck in the costume. 80% of time it's a stunt double doing incredible stuff.
3. Bale. For a gritty representation of the character it relied too much on cheap camera tricks. Fight scenes are mediocre for the most part. But it was often performed by Bale himself, so it deserves respect. But the most annoying part for me is the voice. I think I read somewhere that Bale is dissatisfied by his performance as Batman.
4. Kilmer. I honestly can't say much against him. He was good, but the costumes are absurdly sexualized. Also I think he has the best bat-voice of all live action portrayals.
5. Clooney.

To sum things up I can easily name the worst, but I can't name the best. With characterization it's a bit easier:
1. Bale.
2. Keaton, Kilmer.
3. Clooney, Affleck.

 

[StormC]

I don't know why Bale didn't keep his voice from Begins. It was raspy enough without sounding like an animal growling.

[YT]HrNYy6weiY0[/YT]

Regardless, Bale gets my vote. Love his steely gaze as Bruce Wayne.

 

[BatOnTheWing]

It's between Affleck & Keaton for me.
They perfectly define who and what Batman is.
In these characterizations, I really felt the darkness,
mystery and brilliance of Batman as a wraith. They brought
style and grace to the character of Batman on screen. This had
a lot to do with the respective vision of their directors, but it felt
like Batman was brought straight to life from the comics in their portrayals.

I credit Bale for re-popularizing Batman as an icon, but I thought his overall
portrayal of Batman was just wooden. I love the films, I love their aesthetic, but
it never felt "special" to me. It didn't feel like 'Batman', especially in Rises.

Clooney is forgettable as Batman. He didn't bring anything special to the role.

Kilmer had a ton of potential. I felt like he could have played a Batman as great
and menacing as Affleck & Keaton, but with the overall direction of the films... he
was unable to achieve that level of greatness.

I voted for Affleck.

 

[Khaos]

Keaton, Bale and Affleck are on the same level, for different reasons.

Keaton was able to convey an amazing sense of mystery that the other two didn't. Bale was very well rounded and an extremely compelling Bruce Wayne. Ben Affleck brought a different type physicality to the role and looked more menacing than the other two. In certain ways, he looked a lot more credible as Batman than the other two.

Bale had better material to work with. I believe Ben Affleck with material of the same quality would easily be the best Batman, by far. Unlike the other two, i look at Affleck in the role and it's easy to believe he really is Batman and really has that pain inside of him.

Overall, i'd say the best and most complete portrayal of Batman is in Batman Begins. The voice is perfect, the suit is great and Batman looks more intimidating than in the other two movies.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

Bale easily. The only one that even comes close is West.

Keaton was too much of a weird recluse and basically a supporting character in his own films.

Kilmer had potential, but didn't really work out.

Clooney was just playing George Clooney while looking awkward and uncomfortable.

Affleck was a psychopathic murderer.

So yeah, the answer is easily Bale.

 

[THE WOLF]

There's never been a great live action Batman. Keaton by default

 

[The Batman]

Kilmer and Clooney are automatically out of the running.

Affleck is, so far, easily the most overrated incarnation of live action Bats.

I love Keaton, he had the best Batman persona, and I voted for him, but that was mainly because Bale had the most votes.

And deservedly so. Not only did Bale put out a better performance than everyone on this list, his Batman gets something across that guys like Keaton and Affleck don't: Batman is not just a damaged, dark, brooding vigilante, he is also a hero.

 

[Samurai_Adam]

Definitely Ben Affleck's Batman.

We've only seen him in one film, but it was enough to win me over. Loved his portrayal and the direction of the character. I also really loved his fighting style. I'm sure Batfleck's solo is going to be full of incredible fight sequences.