Amph Census Best portrayal of Bruce Wayne / Batman by recent actor?

I think Troy Baker and Christopher Corey Smith did a good Batman and Joker respectively in the Lego Batman videogames. I didn't even notice that it wasn't Conroy and Hamill until later.

 

Adam West

 

Thanks for allowing me to change my vote! I immediately picked Michael Keaton before realizing that you had Kevin Conroy in it!

 

Having Conroy on the list renders this moot. His performance is as definitive as Christopher Reeve's: it will be never be equaled.

As far as live action goes: Keaton's '89 turn is by far the most compelling and idiosyncratic while Bale's Batman Begins turn the most faithful and well-rounded (his Bat-voice didn't reach parody levels until TDK).

I actually think every actor excelled in the role save for Val Kilmer, who, against all expectations, floundered. Stiff as a board.

 

Yes, because Adam West played Batman in Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders in 2016 and Batman vs. Two-Face in 2017, which puts it in the last decade.

And it's great, they also obviously had Burt Ward back to play Robin, but both of them have Julie Newmar back to voice Catwoman, and in the latter they also have Lee Merriweather, who for plot points at one point has her character swap places with Catwoman. So the only thing it's really lacking at that point is Eartha Kitt, though one of those movies does still visually include her when Batman gets hit in the head and sees triple, with the three versions of Catwoman she sees being Newmar, Merriweather, and Kitt.

 

I think the real explanation here is that Ghost was too scared of the very likely outcome of Adam West running away with this. Because unlike most Batmen, he can do both modes:

 

An event, I think, that would've looked a little something like this:

 

Keaton gained the most ground. When cast, NO ONE on the planet thought he was a good choice. The surprise of just how good his portrayal turned out also somewhat artificially elevates him. Reality is more moderate. Still, bravo! '89 is still a triumph.

Bale brought his legit acting chops to the role and made his own in a way I think execs had once hoped Kilmer would. Bale succeeded.

Affleck was never going to measure up. People will never forgive or forget his Dare Devil turn (which wasn't that bad!) and it tarnished any shot he had in the role. Mix in the "universe" aspect of his role. What if he got his own stand alone? We shall never know. Doomed from the word go.

Pattinson...it was different. Will his portrayals morph more into the traditions of the cape and cowl, or will it continue to be "different"? Jury still out.

Kilmer was either scared to death, or high as a kite. Where is the "Doc Holliday" Kilmer? Blew it.

Clooney...a monument to foolish trend chasing and ego. Hilarious, absurd, egregious failure.

 

I can never take Adam West’s voice as Batman seriously. It cracks me up. I think it’s dope that some people hold onto the nostalgia from those days as it does need to be recognized and preserved.

 

I agree with this. He did a great job, but I think he'd be a better Terry McGinnis/Batman.

 

It's a testament to the character that it survives so many bad portrayals.

 

Imagine not taking tense and dramatic scenes like this seriously:

 

Kevin Conroy and Michael Keaton, hands down.

 

Recent actor. And nooooope.

 

I don’t know if he’s my favorite Batman, but Bale is the best actor of the bunch. I’m hard pressed to see another chameleon like him in the acting world. I was born and raised in the Boston area, and he completely convinced me. he was from there in the Fighter, despite knowing he’s from across the pond. A mid-blowing ability to become another person, root and branch.

 

Yeah, I took the Conroy Batman off the list for myself, to keep things interesting.

To me, most movie portrayals of Bruce Wayne / Batman, putting side some of the sillier efforts, pick and choose elements of the character (and to some extent, that has been true of various comic book runs as well). If the portrayals emphasize traits you especially enjoy or admire or associate with the character, the performance resonates with you to a greater extent; if the portrayals don't, they resonate less so.

I love the Nolan movies and I enjoyed Bale's performance but his Bruce Wayne/Batman, when he wasn't playing the "fake" 'Bruce Wayne as superficial fop' , didn't come off as smart enough, and determined enough, nor enough of a detective, to be exceptional for me. Part of the "smarts" thing was the decision to "farm out" a lot of Batman's brains to Lucius Fox (yes, also done in the comic books at times). And part of the "determined" thing grew out of the arc they wanted to tell. They wanted to show how hard it was to BE Batman, the toll it took, and thus they wanted to put him through the wringer so by the start of DKR he was a depressed, beaten up guy who had quit. He was already looking to retire/move on in DARK KNIGHT, hoping Harvey could step up, within the legal system, and he could step back. I suspect this is coming off as harsher than I intend - I rewatch the Nolan movies often and there is a lot there to like. Just saying that, for me, the Bale Bruce Wayne/Batman is probably a solid "B".

My favorite movie Bruce Wayne/Batman is definitely the Affleck version, although I enjoyed the Keaton version a lot and really enjoyed his recent turn in FLASH. His portrayal is smart and determined and grim and dangerous. His Bruce Wayne is a "playboy" in a more dissolute sense - folks don't suspect this Bruce Wayne not because he is a lightweight "fop" (the more classic portrayal) but because he drinks too much, sleeps around and generally seems like he has an unhealthy lifestyle (although the Affleck Batman appearances are, to be fair, very short on the "Bruce Wayne behaving in public in ways that make people think he;s too lightweight to be Batman"). I loved the Bruce Wayne scenes at the start of BvS during Zod's attack, and I loved how, within seconds of limping back to the Batcave without the Kryptonite, the Batmobile smashed up and sparking and him having just been smacked down by Superman, he was INSTANTLY tracking where that Kryptonite had gotten to, like a dog with a bone. I also enjoyed his portrayal at the end of BvS and in the Snyder cut of JL, where he has, largely thanks to his interactions with Superman, realized how far he had gone down a very dangerous, destructive road and was trying to get back to doing things "the right way". He STILL seems smart, capable, determined, and somewhat dangerous.

I know that any discussion of Snyder's portrayals sets some off - and I respect that we all have our faves and reasons for it. Not trolling. As I mentioned above, I think I have enjoyed almost all the portrayals in different ways (I can still remember watching the Adam West Batman episodes on the family TV - and finding them totally thrilling and suspenseful... and enjoying them now in a very different way!). But if I absolutely had to choose a non-Conroy Bruce Wayne/Batman, I'd go with "Batfleck".

 

I'll give Kilmer a vote. Why not?

 

So so many reasons

 

No good ones

 

Kevin Conroy

 

Went with Kevin Conroy (for obvious reasons) and Batfleck, with apologies to Michael Keaton.

 

Will Arnett. This poll sucks.

 

Yeah, it's Conroy for me with Pattinson in second. I've said it before; it's still Conroy's voice I hear in my head when I read the comics.

Bale was really, really close to Pattinson, but, unfortunately, we have to contend with The Dark Knight Rises being part of Bale's body of work and I think he is not good in that movie. He's exceptionally good in the first two, but it's in the third one where he kind of slips into self-parody. People complain about the voice, but the voice isn't bad in the first two movies. It's a growl, but not an annoying one; in Rises, it gets bad.

And I would agree with the comment above that Kilmer was a missed opportunity. He brought a bit of darkness to his portrayal, but there's none of the intensity or energy you might have expected Kilmer to have at that time in his career. It's hard to believe this was only two years after Tombstone where he was absolutely electric. Just a live wire and absolutely compelling to watch. But as Bruce/Batman, he just seems so tired.

 

kilmer hated the batsuit and how it restricted his movement. people had to help him stand up and sit down and he couldn't hear anything. also i don't think he got along with schumacher.

incidentally, if you're interested in kilmer the 2021 documentary "val" is quite good. he has constantly shot home movies throughout pretty much his whole life, so there's a lot of cool footage.

 

I voted for Christian Bale because he brought a lot of humanity to Bruce Wayne. I actually don't mind his voice. I mean, it was Chris Nolan's idea. Besides, you'd have to use a disguised voice like that to throw people off. Bruce Wayne is on television sometimes, and so it was best for him to use that animalistic voice to add to his persona. I love the whole trilogy. While I concede that Dark Knight Rises is the weakest of the three, I still like it because of how Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle are portrayed, and Bane is a great villain.

It's interesting how George Clooney has two voices and Val Kilmer has only one. I think Kilmer's Batman is underrated. Clooney was actually good as Batman in his scene at the end of the movie with Mr. Freeze. Otherwise, it didn't seem like Clooney was taking the role too seriously prior scenes. He's proven himself to be a great actor and director since then, though.

I'm rather fond of Kevin Conroy and Michael Keaton. Conroy left us too soon. One of the things I love about Keaton's Batman is because of the way he handles the role, he makes us believe that any of us could be Batman. I noticed that particularly in The Flash. His Batman may be the most ruthless, but somehow, I can buy Keaton's Batman being driven to kill criminals more than Affleck's. I don't blame Affleck for that in Batman v Superman. I blamed the script, although I've come to accept that, very rarely, it's okay if Batman kills. It's not something I prefer in Batman, but Keaton and Affleck make it understandable. I think Affleck was excellent as Batman in Snyder's Justice League and The Flash.

I also think that Pattinson was great as Batman. While some have said that he's a better Batman than Bruce Wayne, I disagree. I think that his Bruce Wayne is different due to how early in his career he is. Pattinson's scenes as Bruce with Andy Serkis' Alfred and Carmine Falcone are really good. I think that Pattinson and Keaton have the best Batman voices. I wish we could see Pattinson as Batman sooner than 2025, though. I'ma graduate from graduate school by then. Lol.