All the Actors who Made Batman: Adam West, Bale, Pattison and more

Christian Bale is the best Batman ever, right? Well, it may be for you, but there are other great actors who also gave life to the dark knight in a very dignified way. Some you will remember, while others will be real strangers. So let’s take a walk through the history of the actors who played the bat man.

batman

The origin of Batman

 The origin of Batman dates back to 1938 , Bob Kane was a cartoonist who worked at DC Comics who one day offered his publisher within the company to create a character who lived up to Superman, the great DC superhero who had born just that year.

In a very short period of time, Kane made the first sketches of the bat man, but he was missing something that he was not able to give him. That’s where Bill Finger appeared. This was in charge of writing many of the stories that Bob later illustrated, so they already had experience working together.

When Finger saw him, he had to change part of his clothing, because those first strokes of red cape with shorts and black boots did not fit him. So they chose to give it that more somber touch and instead of a mask they put the hood on that would only allow them to see his face. This is how Batman was created, a character who made his first appearance in the Detective Comics comic in 1939.

The popularity of the character grew and many became interested in learning more about him. Given such success DC Comics saw it clearly, they were going to give him a story of his own. The Dark Knight was born: Batman.

Actors who made Batman


The next Batman movie will star Robert Pattison, who will have the privilege of proclaiming himself as the last actor to dress up as the batman. Although before him there were others that you may or may not remember. Actors who in one way or another left their mark on this iconic hero from the DC universe.

If you think we see them, and at the end you tell us which is the best Batman in history for you. A difficult title to grant because, contrary to what happened with Christopher Reeve (actor who starred in Superman in the eighties), none has managed to generate the feeling that without him the role was orphaned.

Lewis G. Wilson

Lewis G Wilson

The first time the Batman character appeared was in 1939, in the Detective Comics comic. The character turned out to be very popular and a year later he managed to have his own series that would bear his name. This is how this DC hero was born.

Seeing the popularity obtained, in 1943 Columbia produced a series of fifteen chapters and Lewis G. Wilson had the privilege of being the first actor to play the character. In addition, he was also the youngest actor – he was 23 years old – to play the adult Batman. Because in the Gothan series we already see a younger Bruce Wayne in charge of the actor David Mazouz.

Robert Lowery

Six years later, in 1949, Robert Lowery was in charge of giving continuity to Batman within the Batman & Robin series (1949) . Due to his age and physique, this was a bat man who best filled the character’s costume. And, it must be remembered that in those years the costume design was not the one that today is capable of achieving.

Adam West


If you had to choose the most charismatic and recognizable Batman of all, that’s probably Adam West Anderson. This American-born actor in 1928 played the role during the 1960s in the Batman & Robin television series (1966-1968) , the 1966 film, and also voiced the 1992 animated series.

All that work served so that, years later, West’s Batman became an icon of pop culture . In addition, the series itself is still remembered with that catchy intro.

Michael Keaton

Batman Michael Keaton
For those of us of a certain age, Tim Burton’s Batman is hard to forget. After more than 20 years since West’s version, Michael Keaton was chosen to take his place and embody the character. Of course, it was not easy. Many fans thought that it would not be a good Batman and tried that Warner Bross did not follow ahead.

Was Keaton the best Batman? It is complicated, for those of us who enjoyed the return and were able to enjoy a somewhat more adult bat man and if he was not the best, at least he was among the best . Although it is also true that it helped that Jack Nickolson was the one who gave life to the Joker as his great enemy in the first film in 1989. In 1992 he returned to cover the suit in Batman Returns . And as a curiosity, he voiced the video game based on the first movie and published by Ocean.

Val Kilmer


Val Kilmer was the next Batman. With the change of director Michael Keaton did not accept to continue working on the saga, so Joel Schumacher chose the actor who had already starred in other important roles in a film such as Top Gun.

Kilmer’s performance in Batman Forever (1992) , as is the case with most actors, was liked by some and not so much by others. But hey, it was a Batman that more or less lived up to all those who did not make it to the cinema with a very high level of demand. Of course, a movie and voila.

George Clooney

Batman George Clooney Batman and Robin ( 1997) had a new name for the role of Bruce Wayne, it was George Clooney . The actor who stood out for the ER series and who years later would become a Hollywood star can indeed say that his role as Batman was a failure.

It is probably one of the Batman of the cinema with which the majority will agree that it was not up to the task . It is also true that neither by script nor by the other actors managed to attract attention, but the role of Clooney was so normal that it was better to continue advancing.

Chritian Bale


The Batman of Nolan, the dark knight starring Christian Bale is the great Batman for most. And watch out, because he is not without detractors, especially due to the tone of his voice. But in general his trilogy is ranked as the best that have been produced on this character.

Along with some great actors, such as the late Heath Ledger who played the also considered one of the best Joker with Joaquin Phoenix, the darkest atmosphere of this saga made Bale shine even more: Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (2011).

Ben Affleck

Ben Affleck’s story with Batman is similar to Michael Keaton’s, his choice turned out not to be liked by everyone and there were people who opposed it. They tried to reverse the study, but it did not.

Over the years, Affleck’s work came to be valued, not so much for the performance – which was not bad either – but for the physicist. This fit very well with the idea of Batman that many already had in their head. For this reason, his withdrawal from the project after appearing in Batman vs Superman: the origin of justice (2013), Suicide Squad and The Justice League (2014) left many with the question of what would have happened in the future film that will soon will be released.

Robert Pattinson

Robert Pattinson will be the last to star in Batman , his film is in the process of filming (right now stopped by the current health alert situation) and there is much interest in seeing what he is capable of offering as Bruce Wayne.

Pattinson is known by many for his roles in the Twilight saga, for which despite being a box office success, he received little criticism. So there are doubts, but the first images of the shooting at least seem to show that it can be a great role. We will see what happens when it opens on April 25, 2021.

Extra Bonus: Will Arnett

Will Arnett’s Batman was none other than the one we saw in the Batman The LEGO movie . The actor was in charge of putting a voice to it and although by script and the very nature of the film he was able to take certain licenses, such as a greater touch of humor, without a doubt he did a very good role and that many of us have enjoyed. Because who doesn’t like these LEGO movies.

Logically, other actors voiced Batman in other animated series and movies that have been made, among which we would highlight Batman Ninja , a production that you can see on Netflix.