Adam West. Michael Keaton. Val Kilmer. George Clooney. Christian Bale. Ben Affleck. These names have become immortalized because they have donned the much-coveted cowl of The Batman. No matter what their future brings, their turn as The Bat will always be remembered. The question is, who will be remembered for what? The best? The worst? I think it is necesary to exclude Adam West from this argument. While he is recognized as a member of this exclusive club, he belongs to a different era, separated by 23 years from Keaton. I will also exclude any voice actors who have worked on the animated films and series. There is no comparison to what Kevin Conroy has done for Batman fans around the world for so many years and continues to do so. Kevin Conroy and Adam West, we salute you.
As I was gathering my thoughts for this piece, it dawned on me: more people have worn the cowl than have held the title of 007. That’s right. Only 6 actors have played James Bond in 24 movies in the span of 54 years (yes, I am excluding the 1967 Casino Royale). This fact surprised me, considering that we only have 7 stand-alone Batman films. With so many Bond films, all with different actors who bring their own style to the character, each fan has come to their own conclusion as to what they want to see out of a Bond Character. Some are die hard classic Connery fans, while some are more into the gritty take of Daniel Craig (at the time of this writing, we have not heard from any Roger Moore die-hards). Batman is similar to Bond in the sense that the character of Batman has been envisioned in many different ways. From the films, to the animated series, and more particularly, the comic books, The Batman has evolved, evolved, and evolved again. There is a plethora of different styles of Batman that fans cling to. The direction the film and actor choose to take the character automatically causes a divide in the fans. Will it be just like the Batman in the animated series they grew up with watching? Will it be just like Frank Miller’s genius take in The Dark Knight Returns? Every fan has in their appetite what they want to see on the big screen. For this reason, every actor who took this role was bound to disappoint some portion of the fans. So, without further ado, allow me to explain to you why Ben Affleck is the best on-screen portrayal of The Bat.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. Affleck is yet to have his own stand-alone film. He has not had a chance to really sink his teeth into it. But Batman v Superman was enough to convince me that out of all the actors to put on the mask, Affleck is the one I am most excited about. There is so much about his take on the character that resonates with the Batman that I want to see more of. Allow me to explain.
1. He Looks The Part.
It’s about time that we get the grey suit! His size and mass in the suit really bring a sense of brutality to the character. I feel like Bale’s suit was very militarized. While it looks cool, and seems like more of a real-world take, it just doesn’t feel like it is true to the suit that I grew up watching and reading about. Keaton is the next best suit with the black on yellow symbol that makes more of an effort to stay close to the comics. I will avoid talking about the infamous bat nipples from the Schumacher films. While enemies are supposed to fear Batman from the shadows, Affleck in broad daylight is just as threatening. I’m also a fan of the voice changer in the suit. Bale spawned a multitude of bad Batman impersonators, but ultimately I thought it worked in the films. Affleck’s voice changer just sounds so cool.
2. The Fighting.
There is no comparison when it comes to his fighting style. It only took one scene from BvS to really convince me that this Batman knows how to take on his foes. The only real way to explain it is to show you this clip. You cannot tell me that we’ve seen Batman kick that much tail in such a cool fashion in any of the previous films. You feel every punch in this scene and you buy that Affleck could really pull all of this off. It feels like a perfect blend of tact with a sense of pure brutality. It’s the kind of scene that leaves me pumping my fist and makes me excited to see more of that in his stand-alone film. For comparison, here is a clip from the supposedly epic final battle between Batman and Bane from Dark Knight Rises. For an end fight scene to a fantastic trilogy, it feels so stale and feels like the same fight we see earlier in the film. Very disappointing and nothing to pump my fist over. Keaton’s fight scenes aren’t much different in the sense that it looks like he can barely move in his suit half the time. We can blame that on the full rubber suit. Although he is a contender for having the best looking suit, I think it ultimately worked towards his detriment when it comes to his mobility.
3. Loyalty To The Cowl.
This might be more of a nitpick. But the fact that Christian Bale’s Batman only fights 3 villains before he throws in the towel really bothers me. I like having the trilogy and being able to see Bale flesh out that character from beginning to end. But when all is said and done, he gives up after going up against a few baddies. Affleck’s Batman, however, has been in the business for 20+ years and counting, which is part of what makes him more interesting. We don’t get his origin, but we assume he has been to hell and back with how many villains he would’ve come across in all that time, as well as the death of Robin. This helps justify why he seems to have drifted off course a little from his hard code of no killing. A lot of fans were upset about this fact, but honestly, it didn’t bother me at all. I like seeing a more seasoned Batman that has been in the business long enough to be willing to break a few rules. Keaton is similar to Affleck in the sense that we don’t get his origin story and we assume that he has been in the business for a while and is more committed to his role as The Bat than Bale’s version is.
I must let it be known that I do have a deep appreciation for the Keaton/Burton and Bale/Nolan collaborations and the precedents they have set for the superhero genre (I have nothing but good things to say about Batman and The Dark Knight). They have made great films that will last a lifetime and have successfully encapsulated the Caped Crusader in their own unique ways. Val Kilmer just happened to be Batman with the wrong director and story, and I don’t think Clooney ever had a chance no matter his situation. But Ben Affleck didn’t even need a stand-alone movie to blow me away. He captured the Batman that I have had in my mind and I cannot wait to see what he does with it. I do appreciate Zack Snyder for being willing to take Batman to the place where we have him now. But if Snyder can get as far away as possible from writing/directing the stand-alone film, it would be much appreciated.
