Every Batman in history, from Adam West to Robert Pattinson

Every Batman in history
Lewis G. Wilson (1943)
A pioneer
Robert Lowery (1949)
Another pioneer
Adam West (1965-1968)
Batman, the legend
Michael Keaton (1989-1992)
A Batman that lived up to expectations
Val Kilmer (1995)
The Batman that could be but…
George Clooney (1997)
Part of the Bat-failure
Christian Bale (2005-2012)
The most attractive Batman
A historic trilogy
Will Arnett (2014-2019)
The craziest Batman
Ben Affleck (2016-2018)
The most 'batman' Batman
A well-deserved recognition
Robert Pattinson (2022)
The darkest Batman
Kevin Conroy (1992 - Present)
The anonymous Batman
Every Batman in history

Some people didn’t see Robert Pattinson for the role of Batman but, the truth is, the famous DC Comic character has been played by various kinds of interpreters, and, funny enough, many of them were not the superhero type. And if we take a look at the famous pop television adaptation, we’ll find a Batman not as muscled as the one in the comics. Let’s see every Batman played in cinema and TV.

Lewis G. Wilson (1943)

Forgotten or simply unknown to many, he was the first actor in history who wore the Batman suit. Well, in this case, the "bat suit."

A pioneer

It was in 1943 when Lewis G. Wilson played Bruce Wayne in a 15-episode series called: ‘Batman’. At that time, it was a pioneering TV format.

Robert Lowery (1949)

In 1949, the TV experiment was executed again, and Robert Lowery performed as Batman in ‘Batman and Robin’, a TV series that would last 15 episodes.

 

Another pioneer

Although they didn’t offer him more episodes, in 1959 Robert Lowery was invited to a special episode of the series ‘The Adventure of Batman’, starring in the first TV encounter between two of the main DC heroes.

 

Adam West (1965-1968)

He was, without a doubt, the most beloved Batman by several generations. He would become a legend thanks to this superhero after being discovered in a TV spot of flavored milk.

Batman, the legend

After 120 episodes and a movie, both named ‘Batman’, and the fact of being the most theatrical and insane Bruce Wayne of all time, he was elevated to Hollywood stardom.

Michael Keaton (1989-1992)

Some second-guessed Michael Keaton, whose previous success had been ‘Beetlejuice’ (1988). The actor shut everyone’s mouths by playing a ruthless and masculine Batman who was very well-liked at the time.

A Batman that lived up to expectations

Tim Burton directed the actor in two movies: ‘Batman’ (1989) and ‘Batman Returns’ (1992), with Jack Nicholson (Joker) and Danny DeVito (Penguin) as the villains.

Val Kilmer (1995)

After Keaton’s refusal, the choice of Val Kilmer seemed obvious. He was an A-List famous and recognized actor after his roles in ‘Top Gun’ (1986) and ‘Willow’ (1988).

The Batman that could be but…

To everyone’s surprise, the actor didn’t want to do the next installment, afraid to be type-cast in the role. ‘Batman Forever’ (1995) would be his only Bruce Wayne.

George Clooney (1997)

This was another promising choice that ended up being a disaster, although it wasn’t the actor’s fault. ‘Batman and Robin’ (1997) was the tomb for many of its actors.

Part of the Bat-failure

25 years have passed and Clooney’s body shape in the Batman costume is still being discussed. Indeed, this was also the last one of the franchise for Joel Schumacher, after a movie in which everything that could go wrong, went wrong.

Christian Bale (2005-2012)

Christian Bale was an option for Robin in ‘Batman Forever’, luckily for him, Chris O’Donnell ended up with the role.

The most attractive Batman

Eight years later, the always impeccable Christian Bale would perform as Batman in one of the best trilogies in history, courtesy of Christopher Nolan.

A historic trilogy

Elegant, serious as well as intimidating, Christian Bale set the bar high as an exceptional Batman in a trilogy that almost grossed 2,500 million dollars in revenue.

Will Arnett (2014-2019)

The Batman in the Lego movies is one of the most charismatic characters of any smashing franchise. And Will Arnett is a little bit guilty of that. Equally as dark and funny, he is an icon of contemporary animated cinema.

 

 

The craziest Batman

He has brought Batman to life in three movies and the whole world has celebrated his job, so, if the occasion comes, he will do it again.

Ben Affleck (2016-2018)

After the success of the trilogy and the upcoming rise of MCU’s Marvel, DC started its own superhero universe with two star signings: Henry Cavill (Superman) and Ben Affleck (Batman).

The most 'batman' Batman

The actor combined an unexpected ton of muscles with a dark and troubled demeanor that depicted a whole new Batman personality.

A well-deserved recognition

A wave of critics and doubts flooded the choice of Ben Affleck but watching him in ‘Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice’ (2016) was everything they needed to know he was the right move.

 

Robert Pattinson (2022)

Many were the doubts surrounding Robert Pattinson. Maybe too many. Doubting his acting ability, his muscles, his vampire past…

The darkest Batman

The premier of ‘The Batman’ removed all doubts and many critics set Pattinson as the best Batman in history, even at the same level as Adam West.

 

Kevin Conroy (1992 - Present)

Kevin Conroy also deserves a mention: he's the dubbing actor who has been Batman’s voice in numerous projects since 1992.

The anonymous Batman

‘Batman: The Animated Series’ (1992-1995) was his first job, but he liked it so much that he kept doing it for almost 30 years in cinema, television, video games, and even theme parks.

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