From Christian Bale to Robert Pattinson, 12 Actors Who Donned the Batsuit

Updated on 2/25/2022 at 11:45 AM

From movie trilogies to Lego cartoons, there have been many, many portrayals of Batman on the big and small screens over the years. Whether you associate the masked vigilante with Christian Bale or Michael Keaton, one thing is certain: each generation has a different take on the superhero. Robert Pattinson is set to play the DC Comics character in the upcoming Matt Reeves-directed film, "The Batman," opposite Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman. The new Batman installment hits theaters on March 4. Continue reading for the complete list of actors who have been lucky enough to slip into the Batsuit and protect Gotham City from destruction.

Lewis Wilson

Wilson originated the role in the 1943 film serial Batman.

Robert Lowery

Lowery took over the role in 1949 for the film serial Batman and Robin; Johnny Duncan starred as Robin.

Adam West

West played the superhero from 1966 to 1968 in the iconic TV series Batman.

Michael Keaton

Having previously worked with Tim Burton on Beetlejuice, Keaton teamed up with the director again for Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992).

Kevin Conroy

Conroy voiced Batman in three animated films: "Mask of the Phantasm" (1993), "The Killing Joke" (2016), and "Batman and Harley Quinn" (2017).

Val Kilmer

Kilmer slipped into the batsuit for Joel Schumacher's 1995 film, "Batman Forever."

George Clooney

Schumacher's "Batman & Robin" (1997) was possibly one of the most controversial adaptations, and Clooney's portrayal was not received well by fans. Even Clooney admitted that he thought he destroyed the franchise. Maybe the rubber nipples had something to do with it?

Will Arnett

OK, so maybe he was only the voice of Batman, but it still counts, right? Arnett embraces his role in "The Lego Movie" almost any chance he gets. We'll have to wait until 2017 for his stand-alone film, "The Lego Batman Movie."

Christian Bale

Bale is the longest-running actor to play Batman in a film series. He famously adopted the role in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy: "Batman Begins" (2005), "The Dark Knight" (2008), and "The Dark Knight Rises" (2012).

David Mazouz

While his character on the TV series "Gotham" hasn't yet grown up to become Batman, Mazouz is one of the youngest actors to take on the role of Bruce Wayne.

Ben Affleck

Affleck continued the legacy when he took on the role of Batman in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," and also appeared as the character in "Suicide Squad," and "Justice League." In late January 2019, after a number of dismal reviews for his iteration of the caped crusader, he hung up his cape for good.

Robert Pattinson

Pattinson is the latest actor to take on Batman. He stars as the DC Comics character in "The Batman" releasing on March 4.