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Batman’s Cinematic History, Broken Down by Actor
Everett Collection / Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection
Batman is one of the biggest superheroes of all time, and that’s been reflected by his nearly ubiquitous presence on big screens since the late 1980s. This June, Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck are both returning to their roles as different versions of the Caped Crusader in “The Flash” movie, so we thought we’d revisit Bruce Wayne – aka Batman’s – long cinematic history.
Adam West starred as Batman in the titular TV series for three seasons in the 1960s, and that TV show also got a movie adaptation, “Batman: The Movie.” Keaton put his own touch on the character in “Batman” and “Batman Returns,” both directed by Tim Burton. Then director Joel Schumacher put his own touch on the character, making two movies starring first Val Kilmer and then George Clooney as Wayne.
Christopher Nolan had a darker take on the character with his “The Dark Knight Trilogy” starring Christian Bale. Years later, Batman entered the DC Extended Universe via Ben Affleck. And in 2022, Robert Pattinson put on the iconic cowl to put his own mark on the character. Plus, Will Arnett put his own twist on the character in a strange (but very funny) format – the Lego movies.
Ahead, these are all the major Batman movies (and film appearances) organized by actor.
Everett Collection / 20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection
Adam West Batman Movie
West, who played Batman in the hilarious, iconic “Batman” TV series, also starred as the character in the 1966 “Batman” movie based on the show. West also voiced the character in two animated films set in the same universe: 2016’s “Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders” and 2017’s “Batman vs. Two-Face.” West died before the latter was released, and it was one of his last roles before his passing.
Everett Collection / Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection
Michael Keaton Batman Movies
Keaton became Batman for 1989’s “Batman” and 1992’s “Batman Returns.” In the first, he faced off with Jack Nicholson‘s Joker, while the second featured Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman and Danny DeVito as Penguin. Keaton grappled with his Batman legacy in the 2014 film “Birdman,” in which he played an actor mostly known for being a superhero.
Keaton was set to return as Batman in the 2022 HBO Max film “Batgirl,” but the movie was axed in the Warner Bros. Discovery merger and will never be released. Instead, he returns as Batman in 2023’s “The Flash.”
Everett Collection / Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection
Val Kilmer Batman Movies
Kilmer played Batman in 1995’s “Batman Forever,” which is a standalone sequel to “Batman Returns.” Tommy Lee Jones is the villain Two-Face, Jim Carey is the Riddler, and Chris O’Donnell is Robin. Though the movie was a box office smash, it was a critical flop, and Kilmer never returned to the role.
Everett Collection / Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection
George Clooney Batman Movie
Clooney played Batman in the sequel to “Batman Forever,” 1997’s “Batman & Robin.” O’Donnell returned as Robin, and the movie added Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze, Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy, and Alicia Silverstone as Batgirl. Once again, the movie was a box office hit, but reviews and reception were even worse than that for “Forever.”
Everett Collection / Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection
Christian Bale Batman Movies
Bale led Nolan’s three Batman movies: 2005’s “Batman Begins,” 2008’s “The Dark Knight,” and 2012’s “The Dark Knight Rises.”
“The Dark Knight” is considered by many to be one of the greatest superhero movies of all time, and it features Heath Ledger as the Joker, one of his final film roles. Ledger won a posthumous Oscar for the role.
Also featured in the trilogy are Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent (who becomes Two-Face), Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon, Morgan Freeman as Alfred the butler, and Anne Hathaway as Catwoman.
Everett Collection / Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Will Arnett Batman Movies
Arnett has voiced Lego Batman three times in 2014’s “The Lego Movie,” 2017’s spinoff “The Lego Batman Movie,” and 2018’s “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part.” Chris Miller, one of the franchise’s creators, told UpRoxx in April 2023 that a planned Lego Batman sequel likely will not happen because of rights issues, but said of the idea for it, “The sequel would’ve been a quasi ‘Superfriends’ movie and the structure was going to be a sort of ‘Godfather II’ kind of thing with Batman and the Justice League facing a modern-day problem, Lex Luthor and OMAC, while at the same time flashing back to the reasons why Batman and the Justice League – and in particular, Superman – have bad blood.”
Everett Collection / Courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Ben Affleck Batman Movies
Affleck first played Batman in 2016’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” The new DC Extended Universe chose not to tell his origin again, instead including him in this team-up film. He returned as the character in 2017’s “Justice League” and then in 2021’s “Zack Snyder’s Justice League,” a re-edited and partially re-shot version of the 2017 film. He also had a brief cameo in 2016’s “Suicide Squad.”
Affleck plays Batman for the last time in 2023’s “The Flash.” In January 2022, he said in an article published by Entertainment Weekly that his friend Matt Damon helped him realize he didn’t want to play the character anymore.
“I had a really nadir experience around Justice League for a lot of different reasons. Not blaming anybody, there’s a lot of things that happened. But really what it was is that I wasn’t happy,” Affleck explained. “I didn’t like being there. I didn’t think it was interesting. And then some really sh*tty things, awful things happened. But, that’s when I was like, I’m not going to do that anymore.” Damon, he said, was a “principal influence” on that decision, and he’s since been able to move forward to projects that are more compelling for him.
Everett Collection / Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection
Robert Pattinson Batman Movies
Pattinson made his Batman debut in 2022’s “The Batman,” directed by Matt Reaves. It is not an origin story, kicking off when Batman’s partnership with Commissioner Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) is already established. The movie has a very dark tone and focuses on Wayne as a detective. It also stars Zöe Kravitz as Catwoman and Paul Dano as a gritty version of the Riddler.
A sequel is planned, with a 2025 release date. Plus, Colin Farrell, who appears as the Penguin in the film is getting a spinoff on Max.