Since The Dark Knight Rises opens on Friday—and since Irene Gallo has put up a fascinating post about how the giant ad for the film was painted on the side of a building in NYC—why not ask the question: who was your favorite screen (big or small) Batman?
1] Lewis Wilson
2] Adam West
3] Michael Keaton
4] Val Kilmer
5] George Clooney
6] Kevin Conroy
7] Christian Bale
8] Peter Weller
 Discuss.
Kevin Conroy, hands down. the animated batman is the best.
Conroy.
Kevin Conroy! Animated batman series wins anytime.
Kevin Conroy for the voice, Christian Bale for the physicality.
Conroy, the animated batman went more in depth of the character.
Michael Keaton. He got to kiss Michelle Pfeiffer. I would kiss him on the lips just to say that I kissed the lips that kissed Michelle Pfeiffer's lips.
Bale for watching in a recurring role,
Conroy for making Batman lore widely available to the non-comic book purchasing masses, (it's how I learned, same with spider man),
West for the nostalgia value, as I watched it as a child with my dad.
Kilmer only to see Batman as a villain.
Conroy!
Oh this thread is gonna be good!
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lw7qn58NxG1qii6tmo1_500.gif
Conroy of course…and anyone who thinks diferent.. is wrong 😛
Conroy's voice, hands down. I do agree with Kevin that Bale's gravelly Batman voice isn't right. So Conroy is arguably the best, but I just love Nolan's/Bale's Batman. Finally a live-action Batman that does the comics justice, takes itself very seriously and is as dark as Batman's psyche. It's funny…while I know Christian Bale is a darned good actor and has certainly brought something to Batman, I wonder how much of it is Christopher Nolan's doing. Maybe a lot, maybe not much.
Kinda blown away that West, Keaton, Conroy, and Bale made the role their own and gave it a distinct, memorable voice.
haha. i appreciate what you did there. you've swayed me. although I was going to say michael keaton…for other reasons. mostly because he was the Batman that I was introduced to as a kid, and nostalgia runs deep.
I like the new Batman movies (the first much more than the second), but I hate the new batman. Batman is the one character whose costume they could never get right, and this latest one is yet another failure for me. I just wish we could have a Batman that didn't move like a robot. I loved how in the first film they focus on Bruce Wayne's ninjutsu/stealth training, but then they put him in a suit that makes him about as mobile as a frozen mannequin.
I also dislike Christian Bale as Batman. In the Batman suit, the only part of the actor that's exposed is his mouth, so why would you pick someone with a major underbite? He looks like he's constantly sucking back the drool collecting in his jaw.
Crazy as it sounds, my favorite Bruce Wayne has always been George Clooney. As appearances go, he looks most like the Bruce Wayne of the comics. His Batman movies were terrible though. And the costume sucked (no surprise there).
Kevin Conroy! *swoon*
Michael Keaton is the Batman that I watched repeatedly on vhs as a kid so he holds the spot for the quintessential Batman in my mind. The new Batman movies are amazing but if in some twisted time warp of nerdfandom an epic battle of Batmen could take place: Keaton's Batman would trounce Bale. sorry ladies and fellas, just the way it is! 🙂
Cody, I agree, Keaton's batman WOULD totally trounce Bale's, but it would be completely by accident because he slipped on some condensation left behind from the excessive fog machines.
Arguably not the “best' batman, but definitely my favorite!
They all look ridiculous, don't they? Keaton looks the best of them, though. HIs Batman was good, both in acting and in appearance, but his Bruce Wayne was horrible.
Batman: Keaton
Bruce Wayne: Bale
And if you're going to throw animation into it, where's the Super Friends version?
Super Friends? According to a couple of sources, Adam West provided Batman's voice for several incarnations of that show, too…
The first Batman I ever saw was the best – Michael Keaton. and yes, I'm old enough to have seen the previous versions, but I never did. Wasn't interested.
Val Kilmer's Batman suit is utterly bizarre; what is that tiny six-pack doing over his solar plexis?! My vote: Michael Keaton. And Michelle Pfeiffer continues to be the greatest Catwoman.
michael keaton FTW! close the post down. I decided on the winner already. there's no need for further comments.
Remember when comics fans were absolutely INCENSED over the casting of Michael Keaton? There were calls for boycotts and all expressions of all manner of anger and vitriol…until the movie came out. 🙂
Should I put up a post about who was the favorite Catwoman? Julie Newmar? Ertha Kitt? Lee Meriwether? Adrienne Barbeau (animated)? Anne Hathaway?
I'm still gutted that in the last batman film they blew up maggie gyllenhaal when there were so many opportunities to blow up katie holmes instead.
Seriously, I feel cheated and robbed.
Thank you christopher nolan.
swine.
PETER WELLER!
(you'll see…)
Halle “You should have never done it” Berry. When I was a kid I thought they made Julie Newmar. She was just too tall and beautiful to be real. Turns out she was in an episode of Twilight Zone or something, right?, where she was a robot or some such.
He did? Ha! That's great!
Kevin Conroy is the best hands down. I know he only does the voice but man bringing both a flare to Bruce and batman's voice without feeling forces it just amazing.
But for live action I would go with Keaton too. NOt the best Bruce Wane but in the costume…. “WHAT ARE YOU MAN! I'm Batman.” That is etched on my brain.
I don't usually comment on things like this but Batman to me is like Corn Flakes to a 10 year ol…”Staple”… (most 10yr olds eat sugary stuff I know LOL)
Anyway, Its very interesting to see the evolution of Batman each person playing the role kind of like the 007 films, we're always anticipating who will destroy the role next.
As far as favorites I would say like so many of you that Keaton is number 1 but I think that's only because he made the role more believable compared to West which was pretty entertaining and very comical, for the record I loved his as well.
I do like the Bale version a lot but that might be due to them making his character more serious and dark. I loved the Conroy version and miss it greatly I use to run home to watch that every single day lol!
As for the others not that the actors them selves are bad but the role doesn't seem to fit them IMO. I love Clooney just not as Batman.
Christian Bale. I like the serious Batman.I find the new movies to be darker and deeper. Batman used to be kinda rediculous and that gay friend of his -Robin…well it doesnt exactly match my understanding of a superhero u know 🙂 But the new one is good, not sure about the acting and the presense, i am not such big fan, but I definatelly can watch the new movies, smth I cant say about the old ones 😀 Also like the animation so Kevin Conroy comes next
haha!
keaton, but its not because of him alone, its also tim burton's sense for theatrical cinematography. nolan did a nice job, aided by the awesome heath ledger, and of course great casting of caine and freeman, and bale is always a serious actor. but nolan dropped the ball. too chaotic, nothing but misery, crude humor. bale's voice is laughable, the gadgets are hulky and ugly, especially that ridiculous motorcyle. and there is NO theatrical music or any sense of foreboding. the fighting sequences are dull and uninspired. sorry. although nolan's batman is the most serious, its not the best.
Having watched the two-part adaptation of THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS…Weller did a great job!
Gotta agree with Anonymous even though this thread is a year old lol…
p.s gotta check out the animated series after all the love for it I've heard.
Keaton and Pfffeifer all the way!