Batman has been around for over 80 years and has had numerous interpretations over various forms of media. Two of the most popular portrayals of the character in have been Christian Bale's in Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy and Ben Affleck's version in the Zack Snyder era of the DC Extended Universe.
In recent years, a debate has sparked among many about which of the two is closest to the comics and represents an overall better understanding of the source material. There is no easy answer since both have aspects that are ripped straight from the comics, so here is what each of them gets right.
Affleck: Fighting Style
In the comics, despite being human, Batman is one of the best fighters in the world. The DCEU exhibits this perfectly with Bruce even being able to hold his own in a toe-to-toe match against Superman in Batman v. Superman. Another example comes in the famous warehouse scene in which he arrives to rescue Superman's mother, Martha, from Lex Luthor's men. In this short scene, we see Batman's speed and agility put on display as he takes down an army of criminals in a matter of minutes. While Bale's Batman is skilled at combat, the way it's portrayed by Zack Snyder's version allows us to get a better grasp of his abilities.
Bale: His Morals
One of the biggest things that people associate with Batman is his no-kill rule. In the DCEU, Batman has no issue with murder, even after he changes his mind about Superman, he then turns around and kills criminals on the way to save Clark's mom. Bale's version understood the importance of maintaining that rule as it is the one thing that separates Batman from the criminals. The one time he does go against that rule in The Dark Knight when he kills Harvey Dent as a complete last resort after Dent threatens to kill Commissioner Gordon's son. In spite of this, Bruce hid away from Gotham for 8 years and took the blame for Dent's murder making it clear that it was not something he took lightly.
Affleck: The Voice
One of the main criticisms of Bale's Batman was the voice that he used when he was under the mask. Instead of using any type of effects, Bale attempted to deepen his which led to a lot of lines to be hard to understand and came off as silly in scenes that were meant to be serious.
In the DCEU, Bruce uses a voice modulator that connects to the throat of his suit. The modulator automatically alters his voice and making it unrecognizable as Bruce Wayne's while still having his words be easy to understand. It successfully achieves its two purposes of keeping Batman's true identity hidden and scaring criminals without sacrificing anything in exchange.
Bale: The Hero Element
While Batman is seen as a criminal by the police department, especially after the murder of Harvey Dent, the majority of Gotham City, primarily the youth, come to see Batman as a hero. The character even gets a statue dedicated in his honor after supposedly sacrificing himself at the end of The Dark Knight Rises to get a bomb out of the city. In the DCEU, Batman is feared by civilians more than respected and while the character being a threatening presence is a big part of him in the comics, the inspirational element of the character is just as important.
Affleck: The Batcave
Almost as iconic as the character himself is Batman's base of operations, the Batcave. In the Nolan trilogy, the Batcave barely feels necessary to the story with it almost not appearing at all in The Dark Knight Rises. In the DCEU, we see Bruce spend a decent amount of time there when he isn't out fighting crime. The cave feels more lived-in than the one from the previous version with Batman's cars and tech being on full display. It also seems to hold a lot of history for the character who has been operating for 20 years which evident by the Robin suit indicating that he was killed by the joker.
Bale: His Relationships
As much as Batman likes to work alone, he's usually at his best when he doesn't. One aspect of the character that Bale's Batman interpretation explores well is his connections to those around him.
Two of the most important being his working relationship with Gordon and his romantic relationship with Anne Hathaway's Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman, both of which are basically non-existent in the DCEU where the only main relationship maintained there seems to be Bruce's dynamic with Alfred.
Affleck: Gadgets
While both versions utilize gadgets and tech to their advantage, Affleck's arsenal is significantly larger. Much like his fighting ability, Bruce's gadgets are on full display in the warehouse scene and in his fight against Superman. Mostly, it's his access to Kryptonite that gives him an edge in this area. With the small amount he was able to get his hands on, Bruce was able to make things like Kryptonite gas grenades and still had more than enough left over to fashion a spear out of. Not to mention his standard utility belt already has a bunch of tools we don't see Bale use.
Bale: The Bat-mobile
Batman is also known for using various vehicles to get around with the most iconic one being the Bat-mobile. While the look of Bale's Bat-mobile and Affleck's Bat-mobile are similar in size with them both having a tank-like design, there is one major thing that makes Bale's the better of the two. The "Tumbler" takes the top spot mostly due to it not having guns mounted on the front of the vehicle like Affleck's version does which may seem like a small difference but it says a lot about the interpretations themselves.
Affleck: The Suit
The general consensus among Batman fans seems to be that the Ben Affleck's Batman suit was vastly superior to that worn by Christian Bale. While Bale's armored look worked for the more grounded universe his Batman operated in, Affleck's version of the costume feels like it was taken straight from the page and put on the big screen. The cloth design, the shorter ears, and the thicker bat symbol all combine to create, arguably, the best looking Batman suit. Not to mention, fans even get an additional armored look from Affleck when he fights superman in the Mech version of his suit, also directly inspired by the comics.
Bale: Bruce Wayne
Every Batman fan knows that Bruce Wayne's playboy persona is just as important as the vigilante aspect of the character. After many interpretations, the approaches that the actors have on the character vary greatly. With the Nolan films having Bruce's role as the head of Wayne industries be just as relevant to the overall story, we were able to see Bale as Bruce more. In Batman v. Superman, while we do see Bruce Wayne, it feels less like a completely different person and more like a suitless Batman.