Here are the performers who have brought the Caped Crusader to life.
This article contains major spoilers forThe Flash.
Holy revolving door,Batman!
The Caped Crusader has been portrayed by more actors on the big screen than any other superhero in history.
Most of them have lasted for just one film.
He didnt have much competition Michael Keaton was the only other actor to reprise the role at the time.
Credit: Bettmann/Getty
Sure, these arent moviesstarringthe Caped Crusader but they still count!
Meanwhile, Keaton ties Bale for three appearances, with a much heftier role inThe Flashthan Affleck.
With a trilogy ofThe Batmanfilms planned, Robert Pattinson is slowly catching up as well.
At 23, the unknown thespian donned the cape and the cowl in the 15-part 1943 Columbia serialBatman.
While he looked the part of the dashing playboy, his physique was more Danny DeVito as the Penguin.
One critic described Wilson as thick about the middle.
Credit: Bettmann/Getty
Maybe that was why he wore his utility belt just below his chest.
Critics also complained that his voice was too high and that he had a Boston accent.
That, of course, wouldnt be the last time someone complained about Batmans voice.
Credit: Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images
AfterBatman, Wilsons career went nowhere.
Most of his roles went uncredited.
His next biggest movie part was in the 1951 cult classicBowanga Bowanga.
A few years later he was out of showbiz altogether.
Lewis G. Wilson died in 2000.
Robert Lowery
Lowery took over the role in the follow-up serial, 1949sBatman & Robin.
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images
After Batman, Lowery enjoyed another 20 years in movies and TV.
He died in 1971.
Either you love him for his goofy charm or hate him for blemishing the Bats image for several decades.
He beat futureWonder Womanco-star Lyle Waggoner for the role.
Holy bad career moves, Batman!
After theBatmanseries went off the air in 1968, West was resigned to typecast hell.
At one point, he was forced to make public appearances as the Caped Crusader to earn a living.
It wasnt picked up but took on a cult following online (check it outhere).
West died in 2017, but his Bat-legacy is immortal.
Michael Keaton
It took more than 20 years for Adam West to lose his exclusivity on Batman.
Keatons casting caused such controversy that 50,000 protest letters were sent to Warner Bros. offices.
In an effort to appease the naysayers,Batmanco-creator Bob Kane was hired as the films creative consultant.
A guy whos funny and scary.
Hes got that explosive, insane side.
The studio and the fans had nothing to worry about.
Keaton was rewarded by being the first actor to reprise the role on the big screen.
Andin 1992sBatman Returns,Keaton again garnered positive reviews.
Interestingly enough,The Flashwasnt originally meant to be the end of Keatons time in the Batcave.
Conroy began voicing the superhero inBatman: The Animated Series,which made its debut in 1992.
Daniel Day-Lewis, Ralph Fiennes, William Baldwin, and Johnny Depp were reportedly considered as replacements.
But the job was won by Val Kilmer probably the most forgettable of the modern Batmans.
Go ahead venture to remember.
Kilmer allegedly accepted the role without even reading the script or knowing who the new director was.
Schumacher quickly learned who Kilmer was, though, and the two clashed on the set.
Kilmers performance got mixed reviews.
Instead of filming 1997sBatman & Robin, he didThe Saint.
Producers probably felt they pulled off a major coup landing the soon-to-be mega-movie star.
Those producers, along with Clooney, may regret that decision now.
Batman & Robinwas a disaster, rife with camp, terrible puns, and those infamous Bat-nipples.
Clooney once joked that he helped kill the franchise.
The actor also called the movie a waste of money.
Critics and fans agreed.
It was also the worst box office performer of the modernBatmanmovies.
But all that did nothing to hurt Clooneys career.
In fact, hes back as Batman inThe Flash, too!
But fret not, Clooney isnt the new Batman of the DCU.
Its just nice to see him end his tenure on a high note!
Then came alongChristopher Nolan.
TheMementoandInsomniadirector was given the reins and he planned to reinvent the franchise, finally making the Dark Knight dark.
One reviewer compared Bales guttural utterances to a 10-year-old putting on an adult voice to make prank phone calls.
Also, Bale was crucial to the alchemy in Nolans second Batman feature,The Dark Knight.
This occurred afterThe Dark Knightwas egregiously snubbed in 2009.
He also was in the midst of filmingGone Girlwith legendary auteurDavid Fincherat the helm.
Nevertheless, fans went apoplectic that the star of notorious flops likeGigliandJersey Girlwas now the Bat-Fleck.
The fact he appeared in the mediocreDaredevilmoviefrom 2003 likely did him no favors, either.
Yet, ironically, Affleck is now generally considered the very best part ofBatman v Superman.
Like Keaton before him, Affleck enjoyed fan adulation only a few years after intense backlash.
Of course, the actual depiction of his Dark Knight in director Snyders hands is far less universally loved.
For the record, Affleck offered a solid performance as the Batman.
In fact, Affleck lacked the lived-in quality of either performers interpretation.
But that story was always a major departure from mainstream interpretations of the character.
Fortunately, that scene isnt part of official DCEU continuity.
Whatiscanon is Afflecks presumably final appearance as Batman inThe Flash.
Plus, he looks cool as hell on the new Batbike!
His Bruce is a cold, unkempt recluse who wants nothing to do with Gotham City by day.
Hes fully committed to being Batman and hes just not seen by the city at all…
He has no desire to be Bruce in this and he wants to just throw it away.
Well certainly find out whenThe Batman Part IIhits theaters in 2025.
His run pretty much ended when Adam West took over voicing duties in the late 70s.
Troy Baker, best known for his work in video games, has voiced the character as well.
Winston Duke (Black Panther,Us) took on the character for theBatman Unburiedaudio serieson Spotify.
But that was just a fake-out.
Just ask Jason Todd.
The Number One Batman?
Its probably not a worthwhile question to ask which Batman actor is the best.
