What’s the one thing that Lewis Wilson, Robert Lowrey, Adam West, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Christian Bale, and Ben Affleck all have in common? Aside from that they’re all actors, of course.
You guessed it: they’ve each given live-action performances as The Batman, dating all the way back to 1943 when Wilson became the youngest (and least successful) interpretation of Gotham’s Dark Knight in film. Each has their own apologists, of course, but when beloved voice actor Kevin Conroy was asked to choose the best of the bunch, the industry legend who’s a bona fide veteran when it comes to Gotham’s watchful protector thanks to his time on the acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series, decided not to play favorites.
Speaking in a red carpet interview during San Diego Comic-Con last week, Conroy said the following when asked the all-important question:
“I’m always asked who my favorite live-action Batman is, and I’m not going there. I’m not going to compare. Each actor brings a different quality to it and it’s so interesting to see how each actor puts on the cape and way it brings out of them.”
Continuing on, Conroy also noted how some of the actors excel at playing Batman while others are better as Bruce Wayne. “It’s such a multi-dimensional character that there’s many, many ways of doing it,” he said. And that’s a sentiment we wholeheartedly agree with.
As for who the best live-action Batman is, well, that comes down to personal preference, with many championing Michael Keaton or Christian Bale as their favorite. Still, each one has their fans and with Ben Affleck said to be departing the role now, it’ll be fascinating to see who Warner Bros. ends up casting as the next Dark Knight for Matt Reeves’ upcoming solo film.
