Batman is one of the most famous superheroes to ever be taken from the comic-book page and brought to the big screen. With television and film adaptations dating as far back as the Batman serials from 1943, only four years after the character made its comic debut, there have been countless actors that have donned the cowl of the Bat over the last 80 years. The most recent actor to take on the mantle is Robert Pattinson, who made his first appearance in the role in 2022’s The Batman, directed by Matt Reeves. Pattinson is the seventh actor to appear as Batman in a film, and he likely won’t be the last.
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Naturally, as so many people have worn the Batsuit over the years, fans love to compare the various iterations and debate which Batman is best. Pattinson had an uphill battle to fight on multiple fronts as he stepped into the role. On one hand, there were many people that still only viewed the actor through the context of his role in Twilight, despite him having more than proven his immense acting abilities through other films like The Lighthouse and Good Time. As such, there was a never-ending stream of jokes about how Pattinson’s Batman would sparkle in the daylight. Beyond that, Pattinson was coming hot on the heels of Ben Affleck’s run with the character, which has a fan base more dedicated than arguably any other take on the character. Despite hurdles like those, Pattinson proved to be a fantastic choice for the character once The Batman finally hit theaters. With The Batman 2 deep in development and targeting a 2025 release, Pattinson still has more room to grow into the character. He might not be the definitive Batman yet, but he very well could earn that mantle before he hangs up the cape.
Immense Competition
20th Century Fox
With there being so many actors that have taken their shot at Batman over the years, there is a lot of competition for the title of the Best Batman. There are arguments to be made for just about every iteration. Whether it be the camp of Adam West in the ‘60s series and film, the newfound seriousness of Michael Keaton’s take in Tim Burton’s films, the modern reinvention of the character with Christian Bale in The Dark Knight trilogy, or the brutalism of Affleck’s aging Batman in Zack Snyder’s films, every version has its dedicated fans. Even Val Kilmer and George Clooney have their admirers, despite the films they were in not being the best.
Everyone has their own opinion about which actor was the best as Batman, though the most prevalent competitors for the title seem to be West, Keaton, Bale and Affleck. It’s no coincidence that each of those actors had more than one opportunity to prove their Batman was the best. West had the ‘60s show and film, Keaton starred in two films and will also appear in the upcoming film The Flash, Bale was the first (and only) actor to star in an entire trilogy of Batman films and Affleck, though he never received a solo outing, played a key part in numerous films in the DCEU/Snyderverse. As of now, Pattinson only has one film on his utility belt. As impressive as his first outing may have been, it’s difficult to compare his take on the character to those of other actors that have more extended runs in Gotham.
A Great Start
Warner Bros. Pictures
To say that Pattinson has come out swinging with his take on Batman would be an understatement. One would think that it would be hard to have a new and unique take on the character when there have already been so many to play the role over the years. Pattinson proved that wasn’t the case, as his approach to Batman is arguably the most comic-accurate of all of them. Of course, that depends on which comics you’re looking at, as the gauntlet of Batman comics is even more dramatically varied than the films. On the whole, though, Pattinson’s performance as Batman is the first to fully embrace two core aspects of the character, his immense detective skills and the concept that “Bruce Wayne is the mask.”
While much of that characterization can be attributed to the writing by Reeves and Peter Craig, Pattinson really takes what he is given and runs with it. His performance as Batman is perhaps the most understated of any yet, and he still manages to be one of the most imposing and unsettling as well. He brings a sense of mania to the character that, while it has peeped through in previous iterations, has never been as openly embraced as it is in The Batman. He spends most of the film’s runtime behind the mask, with only a few scenes of him out of costume sprinkled throughout. Pattinson is able to overcome the hurdle of acting in a mask by paying extra attention to the physicality of the character. He lets his body language do a lot of the talking. His careful steps, sharp eye glances, and brooding demeanor build this Batman into one of the most compelling and almost scary iterations of the character ever put to screen.
Pattinson brings an energy to Batman that hasn’t been seen in a live-action film before. While Batman has certainly been intimidating in previous outings, The Batman and Pattinson present the character as a mythical, almost demonic, character. He’s stealthy and quiet, until he isn’t. The version of the character that is presented in The Batman genuinely feels as if he leaped right off the page of comics like The Long Halloween or Year One. Pattinson and Reeves demonstrated a clear understanding of the material they were adapting and brought it to life in spectacular fashion.
What Comes Next
Though Pattinson has gotten off to a great start with Batman, he doesn’t have the same kind of hold on the character as many of the actors that have preceded him. That’s simply because he hasn’t had enough time to really settle into the role. The Batman was an excellent beginning, but it will be in the sequels to the film that Pattinson’s take on the character will really begin to solidify. He has demonstrated that he can perfectly embody the menacing and detective aspects of the character, but there is more to Batman than that.
One of the major gripes directed at The Batman was its lack of focus on Bruce Wayne as a character. While there were certainly moments that focused on Bruce and his mental state, that wasn’t the overall focus of the movie by any means. The focus was on Batman and how much Bruce’s life and personality had been abandoned for sake of the mask. Because of that, Pattinson didn’t really get a lot of time to shine as Bruce Wayne. In nearly all the moments when he isn’t in costume, such as the Mayor’s funeral or the numerous instances of him brooding around Wayne Tower, the Batman persona is very much still in charge. The character no longer sees himself as Bruce, so, even without the mask, he is operating as Batman constantly.
That approach gave Pattinson a lot to work with, but he never really got to embrace the duality between Batman/Bruce. It seems likely that this duality will be more prevalent in the sequel, as Bruce grows to recognize the importance of his social personality throughout The Batman. That change in the sequel will give Pattinson a lot more to dive into with the character, which hopefully will further solidify him as one of the great Batmen that has been seen on screen. As of now, he’s on the right track to becoming arguably the best Batman we’ve ever had. He’s not quite there yet, but we look forward to the day that he is.
