Lewis Wilson (‘Batman,’ 1943)
Lewis Wilson was the first actor to star as Batman in the 1943, 15-chapter serial Batman. Instead of battling familiar baddies from the comics, Wilson's Batman fought a villainous Japanese spy (J. Carrol Naish), who was attempting to turn the U.S. population into zombies.
Michael Keaton (‘Batman,’ ‘Batman Returns,’ 1989-92)
Michael Keaton’s take on the hero was considered dark and brooding at the time, though Tim Burton recently called his Batman films downright cheery compared to the Christopher Nolan trilogy.
“The coolest thing from the get-go is that he doesn’t have superpowers, there are no magical things,” Keaton said of the character in a 2011 interview. “The movie was different from what had come before. The discussion from the get-go was to do a hero that was based in the psychological.”
Adam West (‘Batman’ TV Series, 1966-68)
Adam West and his TV show’s campy vision of the caped crusader made an indelible impact on the pop culture psyche. Full of onomatopoeia and kitschy catch phrases, the show — and West — remain in the cultural lexicon more than 40 years after the ABC series ended. Holy legacy, Batman.
Val Kilmer (‘Batman Forever,’ 1995)
Val Kilmer at ‘Batman Forever’ premiere; a still from the movie.
‘Batman: Mask of the Phantasm’ (1993)
The 1993 animated film, directed by Eric Radomski and Bruce Timm, was voiced by Kevin Conroy as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Dana Delany as Andrea Beaumon and Hart Bochner as Arthur Reeves. The movie was based on the '90s Batman: The Animated Series.
George Clooney (‘Batman & Robin,’ 1997)
No man to wear the batsuit has repudiated it quite like George Clooney. But who can blame him? Batman & Robin was reviled by fans and critics alike and continues to be mocked to this day. Clooney called the film and those like it “a waste of money” in 2002. More recently, Clooney has softened his stance on the role, acknowledging the film was the biggest break of his career. “With hindsight it’s easy to look back at this and go, ‘Woah, that was really shit and I was really bad in it,’” Clooney said in 2011. “The truth is, my phone rang, and the head of Warner Bros. said ‘Come into my office, you are going to play Batman in a Batman film’ and I said ‘Yeah!’ I called my friends and they screamed and I screamed and we couldn’t believe it!”
‘Batman and Beyond’ TV Series (1999-2001)
The animated series, which aired from 1999 to 2001, followed a high schooler named Terry McGinnis (voiced by Will Friedle) who revives the role of Batman under the supervision of an elderly Bruce Wayne (voiced by Kevin Conroy).
Christian Bale (Christopher Nolan’s ‘Batman’ Trilogy, 2005-12)
Demonstrating an obsessive dedication not unlike the character he plays, Christian Bale famously gained roughly 100 pounds for his role in Batman Begins. The Christopher Nolan-directed film would relaunch the character and set the stage for the $1 billion-grosser The Dark Knight and follow-up The Dark Knight Rises.
After wrapping on The Dark Knight Rises, Bale said it was “the end of that Batman era."
PHOTOS: The Christian Bale Directors Posse: 6 Auteurs Won Over By the Actor
Ben Affleck (‘Man of Steel’ Sequel, 2015)
Ben Affleck will help unite Batman and Superman (Henry Cavill) on the big screen for the first time. "Ben provides an interesting counterbalance to Henry's Superman," said director Zack Snyder. "He has the acting chops to create a layered portrayal of a man who is older and wiser than Clark Kent and bears the scars of a seasoned crime fighter, but retain the charm that the world sees in billionaire Bruce Wayne."
Affleck has already donned superhero tights in 2003's Daredevil and 2006's Hollywoodland (where he played Adventures of Superman actor George Reeves).
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