Every actor who's played Batman, ranked from worst to best

Jason GuerrasioJun 23, 2020, 03:58 IST

Michael Keaton as Batman in 1989's "Batman."Warner Bros.

Batman is one of those characters pop culture can't get enough of.
Some actors have become legends thanks to playing the Dark Knight.
Here we rank all the actors who played the role on TV and in the movies.
See if Christian Bale, Michael Keaton, or George Clooney is ranked the best (spoiler: it's not George Clooney).

The Batman of the screen has evolved from a witty crime fighter on TV to a darkly conflicted man in the movies.

Fans of Bruce Wayne, aka Batman, are extremely loyal to the actor they believe portrayed him best. Any objection is liable to lead to rowdy debates. But that's also why we love the character. It brings out so much passion. And its only been amped up recently with news of Robert Pattinson playing the character in the upcoming "The Batman," and Michael Keaton in talks of reprising the role of Bruce Wayne for "The Flash" movie.

So it seems like no better time to look back on the actors who played Batman on TV and in movies and rank them (we've excluded animation, with a couple of important exceptions).

Here are the Batman actors from worst to best:

9. George Clooney ("Batman & Robin," 1997)

George Clooney in "Batman & Robin." Warner Bros.

8. Lewis G. Wilson ("The Batman" TV show, 1943)

Lewis G. Wilson in "The Batman" TV show. Columbia Pictures

7. Robert Lowery ("Batman and Robin" TV show, 1949)

Robert Lowery in the "Batman & Robin" TV show. Columbia Pictures

6. Will Arnett ("The Lego Movie," 2014; "The Lego Batman Movie," 2017; "The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part," 2019)

Will Arnett voices Lego Batman. Warner Bros. Animation

5. Ben Affleck ("Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," 2016; "Suicide Squad," 2016; "Justice League," 2017)

Ben Affleck in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice." Warner Bros.

4. Val Kilmer ("Batman Forever," 1995)

Val Kilmer in "Batman Forever." Warner Bros

3. Adam West ("Batman" TV show, 1966)

Adam West in the "Batman" TV show. 20th Century Fox

2. Christian Bale ("Batman Begins," 2005; "The Dark Knight," 2008; "The Dark Knight Rises," 2012)

Christian Bale in "Batman Begins." Warner Brothers

1. Michael Keaton ("Batman," 1989; "Batman Returns," 1992)

Michael Keaton in "Batman." Warner Bros.

HONORABLE MENTION: We can't leave out Kevin Conroy

Kevin Conroy is the voice of the animated Batman. Warner Bros.

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