When most people talk about the best live-action Batman ever, it typically boils down to the same few contenders over and over again, although it’s a shame that Kevin Conroy often gets left out of the conversation despite spending decades voicing the character across countless animated projects and video games, with just one appearance in the flesh as part of the Arrowverse’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths.”
For the majority of fans, it’s either Michael Keaton or Christian Bale, although Ben Affleck has won himself a sizeable number of supporters thanks to his grizzled and world-weary spin on the Caped Crusader, which resulted in a vastly improved performance in HBO Max’s Justice League once the majority of his original scenes were restored.
Alan Moore, meanwhile, who knows a thing or two about iconic Batman stories, believes the honor belongs to Adam West, but it would be fair to assume that Val Kilmer and George Clooney aren’t mentioned too often, so there’s clearly no definitive answer. However, tipster Mikey Sutton now claims that the Warner Bros. top brass think that Robert Pattinson is the best Dark Knight since Keaton brought the role to such memorable life in Tim Burton’s duology.
Of course, it’s all well and good to look the part in the costume, but the key to nailing any portrayal of Batman is balancing the dichotomy between the many facets of Bruce Wayne and his alter ego, which include damaged orphan, billionaire playboy, potentially deranged lunatic, costumed vigilante, philanthropist, loner and much more, something Keaton excelled at. That being said, Pattinson’s string of acclaimed turns over the last few years have indicated that he’s more than up for the challenge, despite the Twilight stigma still being used as a stick to beat him over the head with.
