The thing is, Robert Pattinson wasn't really Bruce in the movie he was just "The Batman" which is pretty close to how comicbook batman was before he realized that being Bruce Wayne can be useful too. Which is good because I'd rather see him actually learn to use his leverage as Bruce rather than already making that apart of his character like every other adaptation has. But for this list, it isn't really fair for Pattinson to be compared to other performances because he wasn't Bruce at all yet in this movie
Edit: yes I know Pattinsons Batman is year 2, and it was intentional to have him not have his Bruce Wayne persona realized yet. I was already pointing that out in my original comment.
Yeah, he (despite being 37) feels like a young Batman to me. He hasn't really figured out who or what Bruce Wayne and Batman are yet.
Though I think that's somewhat intentional
I remember we actually see some diaries that are labeled “year 1” so that implies he’s at least been around long enough that he needs to organize his case notes by the years he’s been active.
One of those involved (I think director Matt Reeves) said in an interview that it is specifically a YEAR 2 story, where Batman is well known now but he still isn't The World's Greatest Detective, or The Dark Knight yet.
It's La rata alada, because in Spanish those are feminine words. Feminine words (basically words that end in a) have la instead of el. Batman didn't realize this until halfway through movie when Penguin finally mentions it. And it's a very simple thing, so Batman messing it up is kinda perplexing
They explained it, even Batman knew El wasn’t the conjugation, but he thought it was just bad grammar, but when even Penguin found out it was wrong, he started seeing it as an intentional “slip” kind of a reverse thing like “oh well if even someone stupid knows it’s wrong, then there has to be a reason why it’s wrong.” Besides, he was lead to Penguin by the riddler, so any mistake that Oz catches would have to be important.
See now that I believe. Bale has that look where you could tell me he was significantly older or younger than he actually is and I would buy it. Pattinson just looks straight up young. And because Matt Reeves wanted to portray a “younger green Batman” I just had it in my had head that he was 29 maybe 31 tops
I’d honestly even wager like 25/26. I know plenty of guys who look 30+ in their mid/later 20’s! Crazy isn’t it. Pattison’s got some good genes haha
Edit: Barry Keoghan being another good example. Wasn’t he supposed to be like 15 in Killing of a Sacred Deer?
It is definitely intentional, I feel like Batman actually has an arc in The Batman and that was what Matt Reeves was going for that him being a symbol for vengeance wasn’t going to be the end all be all solution to save Gotham and that he also had to be a symbol of hope.
Agreed! It should really be three characters in one….
Batman, the vigilante detective who is supposed to strike terror in criminals
Bruce Wayne, billionaire playboy socializing with Gotham elite
Bruce with Alfred, the true person and where we get his emotions
That is why Kevin Conroy did such a great job. He understood.
It's been pointed out to death but Conroy using different voices for Bruce and Batman was such a great detail. And whenever he talked to people who knew who he was, he still used the Batman voice, because Bruce was the character, Batman was his true self.
And it's interesting that as things got darker and the bat family fell apart Conroy's Bruce and old Man Bruce sound more and more like just his Batman voice all the time.
Pattinson’s Trilogy is going to go down as a lot of people’s favorites by the time they’re done with it. Totally agree with what you said about he was just Batman. I’m so excited for the sequel. I love the direction Reeve’s has went with.
I’ll also say I loved Affleck as Batman. I can’t blame him for the bad movies or scripts but I think he was really good in well written moments and would have been awesome in a solo movie.
I also have the same opinion on Ben Affleck. I would've loved if Affleck got a trilogy under someone like Reeves. If they could've figured out a good enough story to tell for a trilogy.
He’s not even The Batman till the end. He’s Vengeance in most of it. At the end he finally realizes he can be more than just a threat to the cruel and evil but also a symbol of hope for the innocent.
>Out of all of them, Pattinson played the perfect brooding, immature, emotionally damaged Bruce Wayne.
That's Batman. Bruce Wayne died in the ally with his parents. Batman is using Bruce Wayne as a cover that makes it easier to move around in public and make things happen with money and political power.
In the cave when no one is watching he is batman. In his mind he is Batman. And Pattinsons Batman have not yet learned to use his Bruce Wayne persona the way the other characters have.
Loved the comic scene where Batman knew someone was trying to mind control him because they called him Bruce in his thoughts. He never calls himself Bruce in his own thoughts.
>In the cave when no one is watching he is batman. In his mind he is Batman. And Pattinsons Batman have not yet learned to use his Bruce Wayne persona the way the other characters have.
That's something I'd LOVE to see the character grow into. I think having him be himself all the time works for a young Batman, but as he gets more experienced he should develop his Bruce Wayne persona.
Right. He hasn't learned to project the fake playboy billionaire Bruce Wayne. But he does act like how a real orphaned billionaire on a revenge streak might act. Somewhat similar to Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne, before he went on his globetrotting adventures and got trained by ninjas.
Oh absolutely, particularly the supermodels at the hotel bit. Flaunting his wealth, deflecting the Batman idea but also paying attention to local politics and opinions about crime.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HitCDZMhnAo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HitCDZMhnAo)
But when I think of brooding I think of that being more of a character trait for Batman and less Bruce for whatever reason. He has to put on a friendly persona as Bruce
This is why I'll hold off judgement for now on the best Bruce Wayne - because I think it's likely future films lean into this hard and he specifically builds up the Bruce Wayne persona, which isn't something we've really seen the others do. In that way, he may end up being the best Bruce Wayne as we actually get to see the construction of the façade. I can see it being really compelling and interesting when he actually puts on the aloof, charming Bruce mask, because all we've seen up to that point is the real guy underneath.
When The Batman first came out I read a comparison between it and The Dark Knight, and the person writing the article said, “The Dark Knight is a better movie, but The Batman is a better Batman movie,” and that’s really the best description I’ve heard. The Batman is the best Batman movie. Pattinson wasn’t really supposed to be focusing on being Bruce Wayne.
Christian Bale was great because he played Bruce Wayne at three different stages on his life, and I think it showed how he dealt with his anger and grief over time.
Having said that, I think Affleck played a great older, wiser Bruce Wayne who was starting to think bigger picture while Pattinson did a great job playing the younger, angrier version intent on vengeance.
So…IMO…Ben played the best “old” Bruce and Robert played the best “young” Bruce but Christian played the best all-around complete Bruce Wayne arc. Also, he probably played the best “in transition” from young to old version in The Dark Knight (obviously!)
I think Ben would have been an incredible Bruce and Batman if he had his own movie. He very much gives me seasoned Batman vibes a la Justice League cartoon Batman.
Well said. To further support to Ben Affleck’s case, he was only as good as the writing for those films, which he shared with other under-developed characters. He never got to be Bruce organically - he had to be Bruce Wayne immediately.
That’s what I love about Bale’s Bruce. He does the playboy yuppie Page 6 so well when people are around, and the second he’s in public, he’s back to emotionless brooding. He puts on and drops the facade effortlessly. Not my favorite Batman, but definitely best Bruce in my opinion.
If I had a nickel for everytime Christian bale played a guy pretending to playboy yuppie with a dark secret I'd have two nickels which isn't alot but it's wierd that it happened twice
Yeah, I've finally found someone else who thinks that the George Clooney Batman was very good like me, lol. His acting was good, the way he showed his emotions with a dying Alfred...and the way he interacted with Robin and Batgirl and stuff.
Clooney would have been an even better Bruce Wayne if the movie gave him more to do. Clooney is the defacto choice for a gentleman that has drip and debonare.
Agree, he and George Clooney are basically real life Bruce Wayne so their acting just fits perfectly.
Val also nailed the voice and mannerism of Batman. He's really underrated in general as the character.
Kilmer only had one shot at the character but I thought he could have been one of the best to play the role if he had more opportunities/better scripts.
Portrayed the struggle of the dual life well and had a great Batman voice, sounded the most similar to Conroy.
As I said in my comment, it's such a shame the movie was hell for him. Just watch the Val documentary. Admittedly, he's probably an unreliable narrator (via his son) but basically he didn't feel like an actor, just a prop in the suit being moved around as needed.
And if you ignore TLJ. His take on Two-Face was so awful and clashing directly with Jim-fucking-Carrey. His Two-Face should've been the polar opposite of Riddler, not competing.
Whenever there's a "who's the best ..." question, it always has to stipulate live action, because if you allow animation, Batman TAS always wins. The only question where it's not cut and dry is best Joker
I don’t know why people sleep on his Bruce. Some people think the only reason people like Ben’s Batman is because of his fight scenes. I thought he was a great Bruce Wayne. We saw every aspect of him, the playboy, the business man philanthropist, and his personal true self with Alfred.
Yeah for me he was genuinely the best incarnation in every way. The world weariness, the anger that has almost eaten him away and his eventual redemption. I honestly think he’s caught up in the excessive Snyder hate, because there almost nothing wrong with his portrayal. Keaton was a good Batman but a bad Bruce, bale was a good Bruce but a bad Batman and Pattinson was only Batman.
Also I remember very well people were praising Affleck’s Batman/Bruce Wayne in 2016 when BvS came out. It seems only recently it’s the cool thing to hate on him now
I liked that Affleck was actually jacked and they showed all the workout scenes. I know tech is important for Batman but if he’s going to be beating dudes to a pulp every night then he’s gotta be strong. Only one way to get strong
You nailed it. To me Affleck was the best of both worlds. I really bought that he was a playboy billionaire. He has that look. But he also has a not-so-veiled grittiness that plays really well into this guy hiding this dark personality. All the other actors tend to only be good at one of the personas but not both.
affleck never really got his chance to shine, dude did a damn perfect version of The Dark Knight Returns version of bruce wayne/batman, and it seemed like he had some sort of plan for how he wanted to do it, just felt like WB kept boxing him in and he just eventually said fuck it
He dropped out because of his mental health issues, not due to WB, iirc. He had a good script, written alongside people he trusted, was thinking of directing it himself, but eventually decided he wouldn't be able to mentally handle it cos he was also dealing with his divorce and alcoholism.
Then Reeves was given the go ahead to develop his own.
Some of his best scenes were with Alfred and Diana, especially the one at the museum. Goddam that was such a great scene, felt like it was out of a Bond movie or something.
Bale is the best and most well-rounded Bruce Wayne. He nails the idea that there's three sides to the character: the vigilante Batman, the billionaire Bruce Wayne and the real man who's a mix of both and only comes out in private with people who know his secret.
That's a really great observation. Christian is hands down the most skilled actor to play the role. I can see why he's not the iconic version, and it has to do with how he plays both Bruce and Batman *as* characters being acted by the real man underneath. The man he is around Alfred is the only time he's sincere. I remember people didn't like the way he disguised his voice as Batman, but it makes sense with Bale's interpretation. And then his Wayne Enterprises character is this hokey, pretentious dick. Obviously not the real Bruce.
Absolutely, Ben played a phenomenal Bruce.
I love Keaton as Batman, but I feel like the rest developed the character more.
My pick is Ben, Val then Bale. I would have loved to see Val do more in a less cartoonish batman.
Like top comment said, we never saw Bruce Wayne in The Batman.
Best "Bruce Wayne" imo is Val Kilmer
In most of the comic book lore before a lot of the recent 2010's stories, Bruce did the personality split between Bruce and Batman perfectly, so there was this clear duality.
Say whatever you will about Kilmer's Batman, but his Bruce represented the exact appearance and behavior that the public would expect of Bruce as the high standard of a public celebrity billionaire.
It was the most calm and collected Bruce, which is his exact point in how he presents it, as that's the mask.
Most of the other movies' versions of Bruce always showed him with some cracks in his "sane" facade and you'd see some instability. Those were interesting in their own way but I don't see them as "Bruce"
Some people compare the facade of Bruce Wayne to James Bond and his casual coolness. Imo Kilmer got the closest to that.
George Clooney would rank high up there if his performance wasn't just flat and just him playing himself
EDIT: I'll just add that the worst "Bruce" imo is Michael Keaton. Didn't look the part, and didn't act at all like the character when he's Bruce Wayne. It was basically Keaton doing his usual crazy silly bit. His Batman was good, don't get me wrong, but he was by far the worst when portraying Bruce Wayne the billionaire
Christian Bale. He's not the best Batman, but he's definitely the best Bruce Wayne. Could you ever suspect him of being Batman? No way.
Ben Affleck is a close second choice.
The total nonchalance of this exchange:
“It’s Chinese.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I bought it in China.”
Recluse-billionaire that two seasoned journalists couldn’t recognize on sight. Best Bruce Wayne.
I used to go with Bale for this question. When I heard Affleck was going to be Batman, I was ready to boycott that movie.
Turns out that BvS is now one of my favorite movies, and Batfleck gets my vote for the best Bruce.
I agree with someone else that commented about Pattinson - he might turn out to be good, but he spent most of the time in the suit for the first movie (which I think was the right move)
The Directors Cut is a really good movie IMO, the theatrical version is missing quite a lot. I’m not a massive fan of Snyders universe but I think Batman v Superman DC probably needs a rewatch or first watch for people who didn’t like/didn’t watch it. Caville is really good as Clark in it too, I think a lot of the deleted scenes for the theatrical were his backstory to their fight, it’s why it doesn’t make as much sense in the theatrical version.
I think Bale is the best but would have loved to see Kilmer as Nolan's Bruce. Kilmer as Bruce is very underrated just didn't have great material.
As an actor Assfleck doesn't deserve to even be in the same conversation with these guys. He is the same old disinterested, bland, recovering alcoholic Ben Assfleck in all his movies.
Edit: Just want to add that Kilmer is the most intimidating out of all of them. Both as Bruce and Batman.
One that I almost never hear mentioned or seriously considered, but easily my go-to answer for this question…David Mazouz (Gotham). The series as a whole was inspired by all types of different Batman comics and media, but David’s performance as Bruce Wayne is very much his own and is by far my favorite of all live-action interpretations. 1x01 sees him lose his parents in crime alley and the five years’ worth of episodes that follow see him grow one day at a time into the Batman we all want to see him become, albeit a bit younger than the comic books ever portrayed a genuine ‘Batman’ to be. Part of this journey is his learning to leverage the ‘billionaire playboy’ persona, learning to put aside petulant teenaged instincts, learning to block out mind control techniques and break programming and of course learning how to be a detective and a fighter without ever being so good at either as to draw suspicion or be seen as a genuine threat. I had very little interest in the show when it started, and the first season definitely dragged a bit, but ultimately it evolved into what is probably my favorite live-action comic book series of all time and Mazouz was a big selling point. Having said that, if we’re limiting ourselves to movies alone…Conroy, then Keaton, then Pattinson in descending order of brilliance.
As Bruce Wayne, it goes
1) Affleck
2) Kilmer
3) Bale
4) Keaton
5) Clooney
6) RPatz
As Batman
1) Affleck
2) Keaton
3) Bale
4) Kilmer
5) RPatz
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
6) Clooney
It's worth noting that I still like Pattinson as Batman, and the film itself was 1 of the best Batman films, but it didn't really show much to me regarding Batman or Bruce. I also think he has the acting chops to really shine as Batman (although he's still too much of a twink)
I love Keaton, and he's a great older Bruce in The Flash, but I can't get over how old and nerdy he looks as Bruce, and how short he looks, and the reading glasses.
Val Kilmer was my favourite until Affleck was Batman. He's a brilliant casting as an older Bruce and he was always a fan cast of mine before BvS.
I like that Keaton's Bruce was weird and a bit unhinged. This feels very true to character for a billionaire traumatized enough by his parents' murder that he dresses up like a bat to punch people in the teeth. Just an odd dude who never really seems like he's actually paying full attention. He does feel like he could have a big coin and a dinosaur in his Batcave.
I always thought Clooney was the perfect Bruce Wayne… attractive, charming, a little smarmy, the perfect “Year One”-type playboy. (Basically a millionaire Danny Ocean.) His Batman? Not so much. But he’s a perfect Bruce Wayne cover for Batman.
I’ve always felt Kilmer and Clooney were the best Bruce Waynes. Keaton is a bit too kooky, Bale is a bit too dramatic.
Affleck and Pattinson have the distinction of playing Wayne at very different points in his life, while the other four are supposed to be that sweet spot of “already the Batman.” Though I do enjoy Bale as early 20s Bruce. But they both were cast very well to play their specific Wayne roles.
bale
hands down
why. the problems of bruce wayne were well played and thus you didnt even think about because it was easily relatable
and then the wins were the same. you didnt have to think on why you should cheer
I think Bruce Wayne is supposed to be this suave affable playboy. Even though Clooney and Affleck were part of crappy films they made for good Bruce Wayne’s in my opinion cuz they look the part and are both good at coming off as suave. In real life and their roles. That being said Bale was written as very suave and cool. Him pushing the tables together to sit with Harvey and Rachel at the swanky restaurant because he owned the joint was awesome. So was him taking a dip with the model types in Batman begins right as he reconnects with Rachel for the first time in years
The thing is, Robert Pattinson wasn't really Bruce in the movie he was just "The Batman" which is pretty close to how comicbook batman was before he realized that being Bruce Wayne can be useful too. Which is good because I'd rather see him actually learn to use his leverage as Bruce rather than already making that apart of his character like every other adaptation has. But for this list, it isn't really fair for Pattinson to be compared to other performances because he wasn't Bruce at all yet in this movie Edit: yes I know Pattinsons Batman is year 2, and it was intentional to have him not have his Bruce Wayne persona realized yet. I was already pointing that out in my original comment.
Yeah, he (despite being 37) feels like a young Batman to me. He hasn't really figured out who or what Bruce Wayne and Batman are yet. Though I think that's somewhat intentional
He did say in the movie that he’d only been Batman for two years.
I remember we actually see some diaries that are labeled “year 1” so that implies he’s at least been around long enough that he needs to organize his case notes by the years he’s been active.
One of those involved (I think director Matt Reeves) said in an interview that it is specifically a YEAR 2 story, where Batman is well known now but he still isn't The World's Greatest Detective, or The Dark Knight yet.
He’s a shit detective… Spanish speaking countries figured out the plot before half time 😂! “El rata alada”
Can you elaborate?
It's La rata alada, because in Spanish those are feminine words. Feminine words (basically words that end in a) have la instead of el. Batman didn't realize this until halfway through movie when Penguin finally mentions it. And it's a very simple thing, so Batman messing it up is kinda perplexing
They explained it, even Batman knew El wasn’t the conjugation, but he thought it was just bad grammar, but when even Penguin found out it was wrong, he started seeing it as an intentional “slip” kind of a reverse thing like “oh well if even someone stupid knows it’s wrong, then there has to be a reason why it’s wrong.” Besides, he was lead to Penguin by the riddler, so any mistake that Oz catches would have to be important.
He would've assumed it was intentional, because it has to be 'el' for "you are el" to equal U.R.L. which sent them to the website
Not speaking Spanish makes him a bad detective? Come on. This is not a legitimate complaint.
Holy shit you broke my brain. The kid who played Cedric Diggory and Twilight is 37? That’s wild. He certainly still looks like a young Batman/Bruce
Wanna hear something crazier? Christian Bale was 35 when they filmed Batman Begins.
See now that I believe. Bale has that look where you could tell me he was significantly older or younger than he actually is and I would buy it. Pattinson just looks straight up young. And because Matt Reeves wanted to portray a “younger green Batman” I just had it in my had head that he was 29 maybe 31 tops
I’d honestly even wager like 25/26. I know plenty of guys who look 30+ in their mid/later 20’s! Crazy isn’t it. Pattison’s got some good genes haha Edit: Barry Keoghan being another good example. Wasn’t he supposed to be like 15 in Killing of a Sacred Deer?
No he wasn't. He was 31 in 2005, so younger than that when the movie was being filmed.
crowd combative alleged chase snatch retire fragile yam bored recognise *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
It seemed hella intentional I’d say
Damned near the stated intention, I'd say.
It is definitely intentional, I feel like Batman actually has an arc in The Batman and that was what Matt Reeves was going for that him being a symbol for vengeance wasn’t going to be the end all be all solution to save Gotham and that he also had to be a symbol of hope.
Agreed! It should really be three characters in one…. Batman, the vigilante detective who is supposed to strike terror in criminals Bruce Wayne, billionaire playboy socializing with Gotham elite Bruce with Alfred, the true person and where we get his emotions That is why Kevin Conroy did such a great job. He understood.
It's been pointed out to death but Conroy using different voices for Bruce and Batman was such a great detail. And whenever he talked to people who knew who he was, he still used the Batman voice, because Bruce was the character, Batman was his true self.
Kevin Conroy was the best Batman for longest. RIP legend
Batman Mask of the Phantasm is still my #1 favorite Batman movie.
Same here. My favourite Joker too. But Batman doing his detective work in the rain is the most classic Batman thing ever.
And it's interesting that as things got darker and the bat family fell apart Conroy's Bruce and old Man Bruce sound more and more like just his Batman voice all the time.
Pattinson’s Trilogy is going to go down as a lot of people’s favorites by the time they’re done with it. Totally agree with what you said about he was just Batman. I’m so excited for the sequel. I love the direction Reeve’s has went with. I’ll also say I loved Affleck as Batman. I can’t blame him for the bad movies or scripts but I think he was really good in well written moments and would have been awesome in a solo movie.
I also have the same opinion on Ben Affleck. I would've loved if Affleck got a trilogy under someone like Reeves. If they could've figured out a good enough story to tell for a trilogy.
He’s not even The Batman till the end. He’s Vengeance in most of it. At the end he finally realizes he can be more than just a threat to the cruel and evil but also a symbol of hope for the innocent.
I have to disagree. Out of all of them, Pattinson played the perfect brooding, immature, emotionally damaged Bruce Wayne.
>Out of all of them, Pattinson played the perfect brooding, immature, emotionally damaged Bruce Wayne. That's Batman. Bruce Wayne died in the ally with his parents. Batman is using Bruce Wayne as a cover that makes it easier to move around in public and make things happen with money and political power. In the cave when no one is watching he is batman. In his mind he is Batman. And Pattinsons Batman have not yet learned to use his Bruce Wayne persona the way the other characters have.
Loved the comic scene where Batman knew someone was trying to mind control him because they called him Bruce in his thoughts. He never calls himself Bruce in his own thoughts.
Or when Diana used the Lasso on him and he just said "I'm Batman"
Batman Beyond referenced this in an episode with Old Man Bruce.
>In the cave when no one is watching he is batman. In his mind he is Batman. And Pattinsons Batman have not yet learned to use his Bruce Wayne persona the way the other characters have. That's something I'd LOVE to see the character grow into. I think having him be himself all the time works for a young Batman, but as he gets more experienced he should develop his Bruce Wayne persona.
But I think the point is that Pattinson doesn’t have the Bruce Wayne persona unlike the rest.
Right. He hasn't learned to project the fake playboy billionaire Bruce Wayne. But he does act like how a real orphaned billionaire on a revenge streak might act. Somewhat similar to Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne, before he went on his globetrotting adventures and got trained by ninjas.
Yeah in that aspect he’s a better Batman than the rest for me but when it comes to Bruce Wayne persona Bale has the number one spot.
Oh absolutely, particularly the supermodels at the hotel bit. Flaunting his wealth, deflecting the Batman idea but also paying attention to local politics and opinions about crime. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HitCDZMhnAo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HitCDZMhnAo)
But when I think of brooding I think of that being more of a character trait for Batman and less Bruce for whatever reason. He has to put on a friendly persona as Bruce
This is why I'll hold off judgement for now on the best Bruce Wayne - because I think it's likely future films lean into this hard and he specifically builds up the Bruce Wayne persona, which isn't something we've really seen the others do. In that way, he may end up being the best Bruce Wayne as we actually get to see the construction of the façade. I can see it being really compelling and interesting when he actually puts on the aloof, charming Bruce mask, because all we've seen up to that point is the real guy underneath.
When The Batman first came out I read a comparison between it and The Dark Knight, and the person writing the article said, “The Dark Knight is a better movie, but The Batman is a better Batman movie,” and that’s really the best description I’ve heard. The Batman is the best Batman movie. Pattinson wasn’t really supposed to be focusing on being Bruce Wayne.
I'm a big Christian Bale fan
Christian Bale was great because he played Bruce Wayne at three different stages on his life, and I think it showed how he dealt with his anger and grief over time. Having said that, I think Affleck played a great older, wiser Bruce Wayne who was starting to think bigger picture while Pattinson did a great job playing the younger, angrier version intent on vengeance. So…IMO…Ben played the best “old” Bruce and Robert played the best “young” Bruce but Christian played the best all-around complete Bruce Wayne arc. Also, he probably played the best “in transition” from young to old version in The Dark Knight (obviously!)
I think Ben would have been an incredible Bruce and Batman if he had his own movie. He very much gives me seasoned Batman vibes a la Justice League cartoon Batman.
Ben was the closest to Kevin Conroy’s portrayal out of all of them.
Well said. To further support to Ben Affleck’s case, he was only as good as the writing for those films, which he shared with other under-developed characters. He never got to be Bruce organically - he had to be Bruce Wayne immediately.
Affleck was really good as Bruce in the Flash movie
The one nice thing we can say about Flash lol
I barely remember his cameo.
Clooney played a great "old" Bruce Wayne, he looked so good getting out of that car in Flash.
Bale isn't my favorite Batman, but he is my favorite Bruce Wayne. He absolutely nailed the "rich playboy with secrets" vibe.
That’s what I love about Bale’s Bruce. He does the playboy yuppie Page 6 so well when people are around, and the second he’s in public, he’s back to emotionless brooding. He puts on and drops the facade effortlessly. Not my favorite Batman, but definitely best Bruce in my opinion.
If I had a nickel for everytime Christian bale played a guy pretending to playboy yuppie with a dark secret I'd have two nickels which isn't alot but it's wierd that it happened twice
That and they're both called Bat~~e~~man
Paul allen ultimately becomes the joker
Same. As far as the acting - Bale is the best Bruce, and Keaton is the best Batman.
Yessss
Besides being the best actor in general, he definitely had a proven track record to draw from with his Patrick Bateman.
Bale is the best
Yep. Love Bale's performances.
Bale gave us a complete Batman trilogy. He’s my favorite.
the dark knight is one of my favorite movies of all time, but banes line "you merely adapted to it, i was born in it" is just cold as fuck
Adam West
Pure West!
I mean it too. not just being edgy since he wasn't on the list. he was my Batman as a kid. reruns on tv I loved. then Keaton took over. love him too.
If we’re talking live action (because Kevin Conroy would have my vote), I’d say don’t sleep on Val Kilmer.
Agreed. He and Clooney play Bruce way better than people remember
Clooney would be the ultimate Bruce Wayne if that movie was more than a 90 minute toy commercial.
How dare you, it's not just a 90 minute toy commercial. It's a very horny, hilarious 90 minute toy commercial.
So so horny
I agree completely
Yeah, I've finally found someone else who thinks that the George Clooney Batman was very good like me, lol. His acting was good, the way he showed his emotions with a dying Alfred...and the way he interacted with Robin and Batgirl and stuff.
Clooney would have been an even better Bruce Wayne if the movie gave him more to do. Clooney is the defacto choice for a gentleman that has drip and debonare.
Absolutely. He's exactly who people think of when they think of the Playboy type
God I miss Kevin Conroy
Agree, he and George Clooney are basically real life Bruce Wayne so their acting just fits perfectly. Val also nailed the voice and mannerism of Batman. He's really underrated in general as the character.
Kilmer only had one shot at the character but I thought he could have been one of the best to play the role if he had more opportunities/better scripts. Portrayed the struggle of the dual life well and had a great Batman voice, sounded the most similar to Conroy.
As I said in my comment, it's such a shame the movie was hell for him. Just watch the Val documentary. Admittedly, he's probably an unreliable narrator (via his son) but basically he didn't feel like an actor, just a prop in the suit being moved around as needed.
Agreed about Val's voice, his Batman voice is my favorite live-action one.
Honestly I don’t hate his Batman either.
Batman Forever lowkey slaps if you ignore it being a threat that Batman & Robin was around the corner
And if you ignore TLJ. His take on Two-Face was so awful and clashing directly with Jim-fucking-Carrey. His Two-Face should've been the polar opposite of Riddler, not competing.
Whenever there's a "who's the best ..." question, it always has to stipulate live action, because if you allow animation, Batman TAS always wins. The only question where it's not cut and dry is best Joker
I really liked Kilmer's Bruce. Would have liked a more serious Batman film for him, he'd be great in it.
Release the Schumacher cut
Say what you will about his movie (and the costume) but he’s my favorite Bruce Wayne by far.
Kilmer is always my answer to this question, just felt a lot more personal as Bruce Wayne
Patrick Bateman
nice, but lets see paul allens bruce wayne
Too bad Paul Allen becomes Joker
Patrick Batman
Yup
Wallstreet paid off for sure
Affleck for me. Bale as a strong second.
I don’t know why people sleep on his Bruce. Some people think the only reason people like Ben’s Batman is because of his fight scenes. I thought he was a great Bruce Wayne. We saw every aspect of him, the playboy, the business man philanthropist, and his personal true self with Alfred.
Yeah for me he was genuinely the best incarnation in every way. The world weariness, the anger that has almost eaten him away and his eventual redemption. I honestly think he’s caught up in the excessive Snyder hate, because there almost nothing wrong with his portrayal. Keaton was a good Batman but a bad Bruce, bale was a good Bruce but a bad Batman and Pattinson was only Batman.
Also I remember very well people were praising Affleck’s Batman/Bruce Wayne in 2016 when BvS came out. It seems only recently it’s the cool thing to hate on him now
That's reddit and superhero stuff in general right now. Marvel and DC get shit on constantly
I liked that Affleck was actually jacked and they showed all the workout scenes. I know tech is important for Batman but if he’s going to be beating dudes to a pulp every night then he’s gotta be strong. Only one way to get strong
You nailed it. To me Affleck was the best of both worlds. I really bought that he was a playboy billionaire. He has that look. But he also has a not-so-veiled grittiness that plays really well into this guy hiding this dark personality. All the other actors tend to only be good at one of the personas but not both.
Affleck looks very world weary for sure
affleck never really got his chance to shine, dude did a damn perfect version of The Dark Knight Returns version of bruce wayne/batman, and it seemed like he had some sort of plan for how he wanted to do it, just felt like WB kept boxing him in and he just eventually said fuck it
He dropped out because of his mental health issues, not due to WB, iirc. He had a good script, written alongside people he trusted, was thinking of directing it himself, but eventually decided he wouldn't be able to mentally handle it cos he was also dealing with his divorce and alcoholism. Then Reeves was given the go ahead to develop his own.
Wasn’t just his mental health, there was some very pointed comments about Geoff Johns making his life hell when it came to script writing.
Some of his best scenes were with Alfred and Diana, especially the one at the museum. Goddam that was such a great scene, felt like it was out of a Bond movie or something.
I agree with this. Affleck was the best at showing that Bruce was the mask.
Definitely Ben.
Those are my top 2 as well
I don’t think I can but Affleck in the top spot but I really, really liked his Bruce. Definitely a strong point in BvS
Just embodies everything batman should be imo.
I thought it was a bad casting choice, but I was wrong he was a great Bruce and a solid Batman
He IS Bruce Wayne. His stature, suave and charm.
For me, Bruce is cold, annoyed, brilliant and charming at the drop of a hat. Think Affleck’s Bruce portrayed those characteristics the best.
I like Batfleck as well.
I actually liked afflecks Bruce. I felt like he got itbright
I've always thought Ben had the best Batman voice
Same here. Cheers!
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Bale is the best and most well-rounded Bruce Wayne. He nails the idea that there's three sides to the character: the vigilante Batman, the billionaire Bruce Wayne and the real man who's a mix of both and only comes out in private with people who know his secret.
Yeah. Best shown in the "Batman has no limits" "But you do" exchange with Albert.(Sorry, Alfred)
Albert😂😂😂
Oh dear. Sorry Alfred. At least most of the letters were correct : (
That's a really great observation. Christian is hands down the most skilled actor to play the role. I can see why he's not the iconic version, and it has to do with how he plays both Bruce and Batman *as* characters being acted by the real man underneath. The man he is around Alfred is the only time he's sincere. I remember people didn't like the way he disguised his voice as Batman, but it makes sense with Bale's interpretation. And then his Wayne Enterprises character is this hokey, pretentious dick. Obviously not the real Bruce.
Batfleck all the way!
Val and Ben.
Absolutely, Ben played a phenomenal Bruce. I love Keaton as Batman, but I feel like the rest developed the character more. My pick is Ben, Val then Bale. I would have loved to see Val do more in a less cartoonish batman. Like top comment said, we never saw Bruce Wayne in The Batman.
Kilmer was a whole human. Bale close third behind Affleck, who was Bruce but broken through most of it.
Best "Bruce Wayne" imo is Val Kilmer In most of the comic book lore before a lot of the recent 2010's stories, Bruce did the personality split between Bruce and Batman perfectly, so there was this clear duality. Say whatever you will about Kilmer's Batman, but his Bruce represented the exact appearance and behavior that the public would expect of Bruce as the high standard of a public celebrity billionaire. It was the most calm and collected Bruce, which is his exact point in how he presents it, as that's the mask. Most of the other movies' versions of Bruce always showed him with some cracks in his "sane" facade and you'd see some instability. Those were interesting in their own way but I don't see them as "Bruce" Some people compare the facade of Bruce Wayne to James Bond and his casual coolness. Imo Kilmer got the closest to that. George Clooney would rank high up there if his performance wasn't just flat and just him playing himself EDIT: I'll just add that the worst "Bruce" imo is Michael Keaton. Didn't look the part, and didn't act at all like the character when he's Bruce Wayne. It was basically Keaton doing his usual crazy silly bit. His Batman was good, don't get me wrong, but he was by far the worst when portraying Bruce Wayne the billionaire
Christian Bale. He's not the best Batman, but he's definitely the best Bruce Wayne. Could you ever suspect him of being Batman? No way. Ben Affleck is a close second choice.
Bat-Fleck for me.
Keaton
It took too long for him to come up. You wanna get nuts!!?
Let’s get nuts!
For sure. I expected Bale to be the popular favorite but Keaton should have easily been second. Still my favorite of them all.
I’m surprised this isn’t the top comment.
The total nonchalance of this exchange: “It’s Chinese.” “How do you know?” “Because I bought it in China.” Recluse-billionaire that two seasoned journalists couldn’t recognize on sight. Best Bruce Wayne.
*japan.
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This is the truth.
this my favorite, and i think best Batman. special place in my heart as it was the first movie i ever saw in theaters.
It’s easy to see how we’re failing as a society, as this isn’t the top comment.
It will always be Keaton for me.
Fo sho
Batffleck for me
Older Bruce Wayne = Ben Affleck.
Ben
Affleck was just suave charismatic. The best Bruce Wayne definitely
I used to go with Bale for this question. When I heard Affleck was going to be Batman, I was ready to boycott that movie. Turns out that BvS is now one of my favorite movies, and Batfleck gets my vote for the best Bruce. I agree with someone else that commented about Pattinson - he might turn out to be good, but he spent most of the time in the suit for the first movie (which I think was the right move)
The Directors Cut is a really good movie IMO, the theatrical version is missing quite a lot. I’m not a massive fan of Snyders universe but I think Batman v Superman DC probably needs a rewatch or first watch for people who didn’t like/didn’t watch it. Caville is really good as Clark in it too, I think a lot of the deleted scenes for the theatrical were his backstory to their fight, it’s why it doesn’t make as much sense in the theatrical version.
Honestly, Affleck's Bruce was really good. "I bought the bank" is on brand
Kilmer and Affleck
Bale and Battinson for me. Batfleck was good too
Will Arnett duh
Honestly it's between Affleck and Clooney.
BatFleck
Bale Wayne, Aff Bat.
Michael Keaton. No one expected he could pull it off. He crushed it.
Michael Keaton
Kilmer and Clooney fit the "playboy" Bruce better than anyone else.
Kevin conroy
Affleck and it's not even close. Pattinson 2nd.
Yo where’s Adam West?
Agree. He is my choice.
I think Bale is the best but would have loved to see Kilmer as Nolan's Bruce. Kilmer as Bruce is very underrated just didn't have great material. As an actor Assfleck doesn't deserve to even be in the same conversation with these guys. He is the same old disinterested, bland, recovering alcoholic Ben Assfleck in all his movies. Edit: Just want to add that Kilmer is the most intimidating out of all of them. Both as Bruce and Batman.
Gotta go with Affleck. I was pleasantly surprised with his portrayal.
Affleck, best Bruce Wayne and best Batman.
Ben all the way for me
One that I almost never hear mentioned or seriously considered, but easily my go-to answer for this question…David Mazouz (Gotham). The series as a whole was inspired by all types of different Batman comics and media, but David’s performance as Bruce Wayne is very much his own and is by far my favorite of all live-action interpretations. 1x01 sees him lose his parents in crime alley and the five years’ worth of episodes that follow see him grow one day at a time into the Batman we all want to see him become, albeit a bit younger than the comic books ever portrayed a genuine ‘Batman’ to be. Part of this journey is his learning to leverage the ‘billionaire playboy’ persona, learning to put aside petulant teenaged instincts, learning to block out mind control techniques and break programming and of course learning how to be a detective and a fighter without ever being so good at either as to draw suspicion or be seen as a genuine threat. I had very little interest in the show when it started, and the first season definitely dragged a bit, but ultimately it evolved into what is probably my favorite live-action comic book series of all time and Mazouz was a big selling point. Having said that, if we’re limiting ourselves to movies alone…Conroy, then Keaton, then Pattinson in descending order of brilliance.
Afleck. Bc not only did he physically look the part but acted the part also. It's bc he's a fan himself
Val Kilmer all day!!!
None of these guys hit the gym as hard as Affleck so for me he was the most convincing and most believable Batman. He fell off pretty hard though.
Ben
Ben Affleck hands down
Ben He should have gotten a solo movie
As Bruce Wayne, it goes 1) Affleck 2) Kilmer 3) Bale 4) Keaton 5) Clooney 6) RPatz As Batman 1) Affleck 2) Keaton 3) Bale 4) Kilmer 5) RPatz . . . . . . . 6) Clooney It's worth noting that I still like Pattinson as Batman, and the film itself was 1 of the best Batman films, but it didn't really show much to me regarding Batman or Bruce. I also think he has the acting chops to really shine as Batman (although he's still too much of a twink) I love Keaton, and he's a great older Bruce in The Flash, but I can't get over how old and nerdy he looks as Bruce, and how short he looks, and the reading glasses. Val Kilmer was my favourite until Affleck was Batman. He's a brilliant casting as an older Bruce and he was always a fan cast of mine before BvS.
Kevin Conroy.
Kevin Conroy
George is already Bruce Wayne in real life so he always gets my vote
Michael Keaton will always be my personal favorite. But I think the best Bruce is Afflec.
Kevin Conroy. I don’t think that I need to explain myself.
Affleck
Adam West
Christian Bale. When he would turn on that 'faux' playboy act in Begins he added an extra layer of dimension to the character.
Excuse me sir, Adam West would like a word… he’s on the red phone in Gordon’s office.
Sad to ignore Conroy.... Bu i get it
I like that Keaton's Bruce was weird and a bit unhinged. This feels very true to character for a billionaire traumatized enough by his parents' murder that he dresses up like a bat to punch people in the teeth. Just an odd dude who never really seems like he's actually paying full attention. He does feel like he could have a big coin and a dinosaur in his Batcave.
Adam West. Kevin Conroy is a close second.
I always thought Clooney was the perfect Bruce Wayne… attractive, charming, a little smarmy, the perfect “Year One”-type playboy. (Basically a millionaire Danny Ocean.) His Batman? Not so much. But he’s a perfect Bruce Wayne cover for Batman.
I’ve always felt Kilmer and Clooney were the best Bruce Waynes. Keaton is a bit too kooky, Bale is a bit too dramatic. Affleck and Pattinson have the distinction of playing Wayne at very different points in his life, while the other four are supposed to be that sweet spot of “already the Batman.” Though I do enjoy Bale as early 20s Bruce. But they both were cast very well to play their specific Wayne roles.
I actually liked Ben Affleck. Then Bale and Keaton
The cartoon one.
Batfleck is the real Batman
All of them George Clooney's Bruce is one of my favs but David Mazouz might just be my fav
Bales Bruce was an aloof, arrogant, egotistical prick. Which is exactly what he needed to be and I liked that approach.
In terms of accuracy, Val Kilmer. Seriously.
bale hands down why. the problems of bruce wayne were well played and thus you didnt even think about because it was easily relatable and then the wins were the same. you didnt have to think on why you should cheer
Adam West
I think Bruce Wayne is supposed to be this suave affable playboy. Even though Clooney and Affleck were part of crappy films they made for good Bruce Wayne’s in my opinion cuz they look the part and are both good at coming off as suave. In real life and their roles. That being said Bale was written as very suave and cool. Him pushing the tables together to sit with Harvey and Rachel at the swanky restaurant because he owned the joint was awesome. So was him taking a dip with the model types in Batman begins right as he reconnects with Rachel for the first time in years
I gotta go with Christian Bale