Nanananana BATMAN! He’s the brooding hero we all deserve, the dark knight, but when it comes to what this paragon of justice looks like it gets a bit murky. After eight different actor portrayals in live action TV shows and movies and countless voice actors, it only gets more difficult to come to a definitive representation of the caped vigilante, or even remember every portrayal so far. Plus, with the highly controversial casting choice of Robert Pattinson for the ninth actor, it’s only going to get worse. So, in preparation of our newest Dark Knight, let’s take a look back today at a chronological overview of every Batman so far. 

While most fans will probably think of Adam West as the first Batman to hit the silver screen, there were actually two portrayals before him. Lewis Wilson was the real first Batman in the 1943 serial “The Batman.” The series was fifteen episodes long, with a half hour run time for each episode. The series started many of the tropes that became legend in the Adam West Batman series, such as the comical punching sounds, boy-in-underwear-wonder, and cheap costuming, however the older series is lacking in some of the comedy of the 1960’s serial. Wilson focuses less on his portrayal of the Batman, instead focusing on the suave, smooth Bruce Wayne, who just happens to have a little secret. The series is largely forgotten, but you can find the first episode here to decide for yourself if Lewis deserves more recognition than he gets.

Robert Lowery takes up the cowl next, in a direct sequel to the 43’ series starring Wilson, produced one year later in 1944. This installment has the Batman fighting against a masked villain by the name of the Wizard. With similarly poor costuming and little fan following, it is just as forgotten as the first. After this, the Batman franchise was entirely paused for nearly two decades.

In 1966 audiences received what is arguably the most infamous Batman. Most fans see Adam West as the first Batman, and he and the 1960’s series “Batman” hold a very special place in many Batman fans’ hearts. West’s series was set firmly in the silver age of the comics industry, where any of the darker aspects of the comics would be completely covered up by Hollywood morality standards. The Joker, a murderous psychopath was turned into a surf-loving clown, and the graphic violence found in earlier comics was turned into ‘wapow’ and ‘blam’ graphics covering up the punches. While many fans cringe at the antics of the dark hero, some still view it as an absolute classic, with some of the more famous scenes being highly viewed on YouTube. Check it out for yourself here.

Another two decades passed before the next installment. After West, a new, darker, modern Batman took the stage. With a hard pg13 rating, Tim Burton created a Batman that for once was not targeted towards children. Michael Keaton took on the titular role, adding a sense of mystery, darkness, and even madness. Long gone were the days of a smiling Batman and a tights-wearing Robin, in the 1989 “Batman,” guns were back and so was murder, violence, and angst, a whole lot of angst. Keaton’s two Batman films were both critically acclaimed and still have a dedicated fan base to this day. You can find the trailer for the 1989 “Batman” here. 

The next two Batmans really have to be judged together as they were cast into the same series, having many actors playing the same roles in both films: “Batman Forever” and “Batman and Robin.” Val Kilmer and George Clooney took on the role respectively, both garnering towards a younger audience, with “Batman and Robin” going straight back to childish antics and comedy. Neither film was critically acclaimed, and while “Batman Forever” has mostly been forgotten in fan communities, “Batman and Robin” is still ridiculed to this day for its infamous bat nipples and ‘bat credit card.’ If you want to know just how bad it gets, watch this scene from “Batman and Robin” and see if you can get through without cringing.

And now we get to the one we’ve all been waiting for. The Nolan Dark Knight Trilogy has gone down in history as one of the most critically acclaimed and profitable film trilogies in Hollywood history. The second film in the trilogy, “The Dark Knight” arguably created the role that the superhero movie franchise now holds over Hollywood. It was serious, it was dark, it was adult, and it was cinema. Winning the first Oscar over given to a superhero movie, The Dark Knight finished what Keaton started, and paved the way for what cinema is today. Christian Bale took on the role for the trilogy, and now is one of, if not the most recognized Batman to date. While his voice was criticized, many commenting that his ‘Batman’ voice resembles a man choking on marble, few could argue that Bale gave the character a new depth that had hardly been seen outside of the pages of the comics before “The Dark Knight.” Watch one of Bale’s best scenes in “The Dark Knight” here.

After “The Dark Knight” trilogy, many wondered where the Batman franchise could go from here. However, with the rise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, DC was anxious to create its own immersive, cinematic universe, and they knew they needed to pull out the big guns to compete. “Batman v Superman” was the most anticipated film of the year, heavily advertised, and highly criticized. Ben Affleck is the only Batman so far to not have his own movie or TV series, instead sharing the spotlight with the Man of Steel. When it was initially announced that Affleck would take on the cape, many were hesitant, as the star had already attempted to play a superhero once before, a role that was hated by critics and comic book fans alike. The initial plan was for Affleck to star and direct in a solo Batman film, however the star back off from both roles, and now DC is scrambling to create a version two of their cinematic universe. 

So, after all this controversy, and all of these different actors, where does the Batman franchise go from here? With hits like “The Dark Knight” and catastrophes like “Batman and Robin” there’s no way to know what DC will come up with next. While the reaction to the announcement of Robert Pattinson as Batman has been highly controversial, many are starting to believe that the star might just have the glower to pull this off. Until then however, all we can do is look back at Batman, and fight the endless argument, who is the definitive bat. Comment below who your favorite Batman is and why, and I’ll see you guys next week.