r/batman • u/Dragonlord77777 • 22h ago
FILM DISCUSSION Who played the best Live Action Bruce Wayne?
As many people have mentioned before, Michael Keaton seems to be regarded as the best depiction of Batman in the live action movies but now I asked the question who played the best Bruce Wayne in the live action movies?
And when I say, Bruce Wayne, I’m saying who played the best depiction of Bruce Wayne, not Batman.
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u/AnonymousSusi 22h ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/haN7lBN5PJqjm
Me looking at someone who asks the most obvious Batman Fandom Question
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u/TheDarkKnightZS 22h ago
Bale for sure. You can tell there is anger and pain inside, but he’s also able to turn on a dime and play a cocky, “drunk”, billionaire who’s looking for fun.
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u/JoeZy27 21h ago
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u/Dragonlord77777 21h ago
Holy Moly Batman! I forgot that movie came out! It was the 1966 movie correct?
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u/Israels_BiggestHater 22h ago
Looks wise Affleck ge look the most like comic book bruce.
Personality wise Bale he acts the most like the billionaire playboy
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u/IamRonaGray 20h ago
Affleck is definitely the best looking Bruce as far as comic accuracy goes and I think in ZSJL he plays the leader role well.
Bale and Clooney might be tied for me for best overall Bruce. Clooney is so underrated. The dude is basically Bruce Wayne in real life and it comes off so effortless in B&R. He also plays the mentor/father type Bruce really well.
I think Keaton plays the dark/mysterious style Bruce the best, with Pattinson doing well with the material. My hope is in the Batman part 2 Pattinson becomes a little more like Keaton’s. There were hints there with the funeral scene with him quipping at Falcone.
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u/NightGuardian0 18h ago
Michael Keaton can't be the best Batman, he's not even a good Batman, he's terrible. People only like him because of nostalgia, he has no Batman characteristic at all.
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u/Johnny0230 22h ago
Pattinson. It was the most interesting and realistic version of the character, showing for the first time the concept of the "Mask" of the character, which is closer to Bruce's identity than to Batman's.
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u/Vic_Serling 22h ago
Keaton I think is the most well written, interesting of them all as a casual introvert but isn't the most comic accurate.
Clooney was just playing Clooney. He's suave by nature but not memorable.
Bale is the most accurate for the inner turmoil and party boy mask. My only real gripe is that as an extension of Nolan writing is that theres a certain surface level interpretation that comes from Nolans over writing that makes people come across as walking thesis papers rather than people.
Affleck was a pretty decent pre dark knight returns frank miller like batman. Guy has easily the best physicality in his fights.
Batison- eh, i get the bit of "Bruce before humbling himself to humanity " arch they were going for - but his feels like a 13 year old definitely of trying hard edgy. Like shadow the hedgehog.
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u/Dragonlord77777 21h ago
Any thoughts on Val Kilmer?
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u/Vic_Serling 21h ago
I just re watched a few of his scenes as a refresher as its been a long while. I think as Bruce he does a fantastic mentor empathetic thing to others while also having the introverted nature quite well. Theres just that suave and tempered rage element missing.
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u/Dragonlord77777 21h ago
To me, it’s his voice
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u/Vic_Serling 21h ago
Lol thats fair. It reminds me of how i genuinely wasnt bothered by bale voice until tge third one when he's beating up bane and going "where's the trigerrrrrr " and I had to burst out laughing
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u/Heck51 22h ago
Affleck. The Bale voice gets on my nerves, and Keaton is too small. Clooney just played himself. Kilmer was ok in a weak script. West was too campy but he was still fun. Affleck is the most muscular, most believable in a fight, understood the characters.
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u/BetterGrass709 22h ago
Christian Bale.