Summary
- Batman has been played by many actors over the years, each bringing their own unique interpretation to the character.
- The different actors who have played Batman have showcased various versions of the character on-screen, ranging from gritty action stars to kid-friendly heroes. This demonstrates the versatility of Batman as a character and his ability to adapt to different interpretations.
- Some actors, like Adam West and Christian Bale, have become closely associated with the role of Batman and have continued to portray the character in other media, such as animated series. Their popularity and longevity in the role highlight their success in capturing the essence of Batman.
The role of Batman has been played by many actors across the DC character's over 80-year live-action history. Bob Kane and Bill Finger created Batman in 1939, one of the first superheroes in comic books, following Superman. The Dark Knight's commercial comic success would translate into on-screen adaptation far earlier than some may be aware of, as the very first installment of the Batman movie roster arrived in 1943.
Since that time, there have been a wide array actors who have taken on the role of Batman in different movies and shows, with many of them making drastic changes to turn the Caped Crusader into their own. Over the years, the many actors who have played Batman have seen the hero been characterized in live-action performances as everything from a gritty action star to the light-hearted protagonist of kid-friendly television, showing just how much of a range the superhero has pulled off in his illustrious on-screen history.
Casting The Bat Family For The DC Universe’s Batman Movie
The DCU's Batman reboot is set to feature at least one Robin, but who could play the other members of Bruce Wayne's extensive Bat Family?Lewis G. Wilson (1943)
Batman (1943)
Lewis Wilson was the first actor to play Batman in live-action. The movie he starred in was simply called Batman, and was released in 1943. This predated the introduction of iconic DC supervillains like the Riddler and Bane, although some villains like the Joker were around then. However, the Dark Knight primarily fought basic mobsters and criminals.
The Batman movie was a 15-chapter serial where Batman and Robin fought a villain called Dr. Daka, a secret agent from Japan in the days of World War II who had little to no backstory. While Wilson was an actor for 30 years, his role as Batman was still his most famous, though is now one of the lesser known versions of the character several decades later.
Robert Lowery (1949)
Batman & Robin (1949)
Batman was back in 1949 with Batman and Robin. This was another 15-chapter serial and was a sequel to Batman, but the production replaced the actors, with Robert Lowery replacing Wilson as Batman. This time around, Batman and Robin battled a villain known as The Wizard. Lowery started acting in 1936, and even appeared in the movie, The Mask of Zorro, in 1940 - which is notable since Bob Kane and Bill Finger called Zorro an inspiration when they created Batman himself.
Adam West (1966)
Batman (1966-1968) & Batman: The Movie (1966)
Batman didn't return until 1966, when ABC brought Batman to the small screen, creating one of the most long-lasting depictions of the character in pop culture. In this series, Adam West played Batman while Burt Ward played Robin. The show was a campy look at the crime-fighting duo, and ended up making way for Batman: The Movie in 1966. Adam West became inextricably associated with Batman from this point onward, and capitalized on this popularity by taking on voice roles as Batman in animated series, bringing his rendition of the hero to even more viewers.
Michael Keaton (1989)
Batman (1989) & Batman Returns (1992)
In 1989, the biggest budget version of Batman to date at the time came to the big screen. Tim Burton directed Batman, casting Michael Keaton in the role of the Caped Crusader. While many fans at the time hated the casting because he was best known for comedies, Keaton remains one of the most beloved Batman actors to this day. Keaton appeared in two Batman movies, with Batman Returns arriving three years later. More than three decades after that, he would reprise his role in The Flash - and while the movie itself did not perform as well, the reaction to seeing the character once more remains a testament to just how long-lived Kilmer's popularity in the role has been.
Val Kilmer (1995)
Batman Forever (1995)
After Tim Burton left the Batman franchise, Warner Bros. hired director Joel Schumacher to take his place. Michael Keaton also left, with Val Kilmer replacing him in the lead role of Batman Forever. However, Kilmer himself only lasted one movie, and went on to new franchises afterward, having already been a successful actor already at this point with fan-favorite roles in movies like Tombstone, Top Gun, and The Doors. Kilmer and Schumacher didn't reunite for the next movie, and the director went looking for a new Batman.
George Clooney (1997)
Batman & Robin (1997)
George Clooney entered the iconic role of the Dark Knight in 1997, taking on the lead role in the cast of Batman & Robin. The movie saw Schumacher create a more light-hearted version of Batman - one that was largely intended to sell more toys, but which consequently drew ire for the major ways it changed the overall franchise. In the years since the movie, Clooney has apologized for his portrayal as Batman, in part because the movie's controversial reception marked the end of Batman on the big screen for eight years.
Christian Bale (2005)
Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008), & Batman: The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
In 2005, Christopher Nolan brought his version of Batman to the big screen and revitalized the entire franchise. Nolan cast Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman, and took the character back to the start, showing how Bruce Wayne became Batman in Batman Begins. Nolan ended up playing Batman for three different movies, with The Dark Knight still considered one of the best Batman movies of all time, as well as one of the best comic book movies in history.
10 Batman Gadgets That Still Haven't Been Used After 57 Years Of Movies
After 57 years of movies, Batman still hasn't even come close to running out of tricks from the comics for future films to take inspiration from.David Mazouz (2014)
Gotham (2014-2019)
One version of Batman that gets less recognition is that of David Mazouz's role in Gotham on Fox. This is likely because he was not Batman for most of the series, and wasn't the lead character in the show itself, which focused more on James Gordon working as a cop while showing Batman villains like the Penguin rising in the background. Mazouz was a teenage Bruce Wayne, watching the city around him and planning his mission to one day try to save the city - with actor Mikhai Mudrik showcasing what the older superhero version of the Dark Knight looked like in the future of this universe.
Ben Affleck (2016)
Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Suicide Squad (2016), Justice League (2017), Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021), & The Flash (2023)
In 2016, Ben Affleck signed on with DC and took over the role of Batman for Zack Snyder's launching of the DCEU. He made his debut in Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, where Affleck played Batman as a veteran crimefighter who had lost a lot in his life, including his young ward, as the DCEU's version of Robin dies before the period the movies are set in. Though his time in the franchise was marked by the behind the scenes complicated the DCEU faced as a whole, Affleck's rendition of the Dark Knight itself was largely received well, especially as the franchise made him the brains behind the creation of the Justice League.
Kevin Conroy (2019)
Crisis On Infinite Earths (2019)
While Kevin Conroy is best known for providing the voice of Batman in various animated and video game properties, the actor did play a live-action version of Bruce Wayne in the Arrowverse's mega-crossover event, Crisis on Infinite Earths. In this version, Conroy plays the Bruce Wayne/Batman of Earth-99, who had been so broken by his work that he became a serial killer instead. Conroy, for many viewers, remains one of the most definite actors to play Batman, having also voiced him in over 500 appearances. The fact that he was able to portray the character once in live-action was a huge draw of the crossover, and adds extra dimension to both the Arrowverse and DC more broadly.
Iain Glen (2019)
Titans (2018-2023)
In Titans, the HBO Max series re-introduced the world to the titular heroes, with Dick Grayson - a former Robin - as the man who helps bring the heroes together. By this time, Grayson hated Batman and was doing everything he could to not be like him. When the show finally introduced him, Iain Glen portrayed Bruce Wayne, providing a look at a more storied, experienced Dark Knight. Fantasy fans know Glen as Der Jorah Mormont from Game of Thrones, and he brought an elder statesman personality to Bruce Wayne on Titans.
Warren Christie (2020)
Batwoman (2020-2022)
Warren Christie got his start with TV shows like October Road, Happy Town, and The Resident, and would go on to show up as Bruce Wayne in Batwoman on The CW. This was a surprising appearance since the show started with Batwoman taking Batman's place when the Caped Crusader quit and left Gotham City. Warren Christie was later revealed to in fact be playing the villain Hush, who had disguised himself as Bruce Wayne - but would also play Batman himself during a Batwoman season 2 flashback that showed the character for real.
Robert Pattinson (2022)
The Batman (2022)
The newest actor to portray Batman in a live-action movie is Robert Pattinson, who took on the role for The Batman, and is set to reprise it for the incoming sequel. Much like Michael Keaton before him, fans did not like the casting, having associated him with his role in The Twilight Saga. However, Pattinson has won over most fans and critics with his grounded take on Batman - which both makes sense given the actor's stellar performances following the vampire romance series, and because he's discussed drawing from source material like Batman: The Animated Series when looking for inspiration.