Last week, Warner Bros. shocked the world by unexpectedly announcing who would next be putting on the cowl of the Caped Crusader in the upcoming untitled Superman Vs. Batman film. Contrary to previous reports that speculated they would go with a relative unknown (someone at the same level of fame as Henry Cavill was when he was cast as Superman), Warner Bros. went in the exact opposite direction, casting household name Ben Affleck. This decision has already been met by levels of skepticism ranging from mild puzzlement to outright fury (but so did Heath Ledger's casting as The Joker, and we all know how that turned out). We won't know how Ben Affleck will fare as Bruce Wayne for a couple more years, but in the meantime let's take a look at the actors he has to measure up to:
Clooney was fighting an uphill battle from the beginning thanks to that now-infamous "nipple suit." But while Clooney unarguably received zero help from an atrocious screenplay and uninspired direction, the biggest shame is that he also didn't do anything on his own to elevate the material. We all know that Clooney's an excellent actor when he wants to be ("Up In The Air", "The Descendants"), but here he just looks bored. "Batman & Robin" is proof positive that simply casting a famous "movie star" in an iconic role isn't always the best course of action. Hopefully Ben Affleck's big name status won't impede his believability as Bruce Wayne like it did for Clooney.
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4. Val Kilmer ("Batman Forever")Less blatantly terrible than Clooney's turn, but just as boring. Joel Schumacher's first outing in the Batman franchise angered many fans by departing from Tim Burton's dark, gothic vision in favor of a bright, campy carnival atmosphere, and Kilmer's bland presence did nothing to assuage audience's disappointment. Kilmer arguably had more potential in the role than Clooney did, being less well-known and more physically imposing, but he ends up being just as wasted by the subpar material.
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3. Adam West ("Batman" 1966)West is most famous for his three-season stint on television as Bruce Wayne, and many forget that Tim Burton's "Batman" wasn't actually the first film starring the Caped Crusader. West himself starred in a movie in 1966 that was every bit as cheese-tastic as the series that came after it. Who can forget that awful, dime-store costume and rubber mask with the painted-on eyebrows? But West's version of Batman had one thing going for it that Clooney's and Kilmer's didn't: he knew it was ridiculous. West wholeheartedly embraced the camp factor of a man running around in a cape and tights, and he succeeded in capturing that zany spirit to a tee, unlike the self-serious portrayals turned in by every other Wayne on this list.
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2. Michael Keaton ("Batman" 1989, "Batman Returns")At the time, Keaton's casting was greeted with similar derision as Affleck's -- Keaton was most widely known for his roles in comedies like "Mr. Mom" and "Beetlejuice", and no one thought he had the chops to carry a gritty superhero movie. Thankfully, Keaton surpassed most people's expectations and is now largely embraced as one of the best in the role. He managed to excel at both the brooding pathos of Wayne and the fearsome badassness of Batman, helped along by the dark vision of director Tim Burton. Hopefully Affleck will turn out to be more of a pleasant surprise like Keaton and less of an unpleasant disappointment like Clooney.
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1. Christian Bale ("Batman Begins", "The Dark Knight", "The Dark Knight Rises")I mean, obviously. Not only is Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy considered perhaps the greatest superhero opus of all time, but Bale is almost universally considered the quintessential Caped Crusader. Nolan's direction and script were unquestionably responsible for the elevation of the genre, but they were helped immensely by Bale's committed performance. He managed to make Wayne more than just a billionaire playboy: he made him a real, flesh-and-blood person with emotions, pain, and an overwhelming sense of responsibility. And he made Batman more than just a masked crime fighter: he made him an imposing figure to be feared. For the first time, moviegoers could believe that criminals were scared of The Batman. This was a complex, multilayered portrayal that is without a doubt the golden standard that Affleck will have to measure up to. Comparisons will be unavoidable, so hopefully Affleck and director Zack Snyder won't attempt a Bale imitation, but instead carve out a Bruce Wayne that is unique to their new franchise.
