That's My Batman!

Growing up as the 80's became the 90's, I was obsessed with larger than life heroes and the excitement of child friendly action movies from that time. I loved He-Man, the Thundercats, Dick Tracy, and Bastian's adventure with The Neverending Story. But nobody caught my imagination the way the caped crusader did. I was an obsessed fan of Batman, with my Batman action figures, Batman posters, and Batman pajamas with the Velcro cape on the back. I wanted to be Batman with every ounce of my heart. But, over the years, Batman has changed and evolved. He's gone through stages and growing pains. Most notably, he's been played by more than 10 different actors over the years. Now, there are countless Top 10 videos all over the internet ranking the various Bat-men. I'd like to take a little different approach and discuss what each of these actors brought to the legend of Batman and which one resonates as MY Batman.

Let's start with the iconic Adam West in 1966's Batman: The Movie. Adam West's memorable voice and delivery of his purposely campy lines are etched into the archives of cinema alongside William Shatner's Captain Kirk, and the Robot from Lost in Space. There hasn't been a Batman like Adam West's since and there probably won't be ever again. West's playful and dry performance made Batman into a comedic goldmine all while still staying true to the early comic strips and detective comics. The caricatures of the villains, the superhero tropes, the over-the-top bombastic 60's music, and the ICONIC "biff, bam, pow" animations during fights will never stop bringing a smile to my face. I love this era of Batman, but for a very different feeling. The innocent joy and fun of Batman 66' feel like watching the fun home-movies of the Batman character when he was a child. It would take until Tim Burton brought Batman back 23 years later for Batman to mature into the dark brooding hero we all know today.

Next, we'll jump into Tim Burton's pair of outings with Batman, 1989's Batman and 1992's Batman Returns both starring Michael Keaton as Batman. These movies were my first introduction to the Bat. Dark, stylized, brooding, and a little bit scary; Keaton's Batman captivated my young mind. Batman 89' is my earliest memory of a story that felt like fighting darkness with darkness. Batman didn't feel like a noble, triumphant hero. No, that was Superman's job. The Blue Boyscout was off in Metropolis being Mr. Goodguy...meanwhile, Batman was stalking the nigh in Gotham City using fear as a weapon against those that preyed on the innocent. He was SO COOL! I enjoyed Keaton's version of Batman for all of these reasons and more. The addition of Jack Nicholson's Joker, Danny Devito's Penguin, and Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman are flawless. Nocholson's Joker is delightfully deranged, Devito's Penguin is terrifyingly unhinged, and Pfeiffer's Catwoman embody's the perfect mix of seduction and danger. These two movies perfectly represent the dark style of Batman's evolution and Michael Keaton brings exactly the Batman that these stories needed.

The divisive parts 3 and 4 of the 90's Batman movies are 95's Batman Forever and 97's Batman and Robin. Both movies, directed by Joel Schumacher, star different actors as Batman. Batman Forever stars Val Kilmer as the Batman while Batman and Robin stars George Clooney. These movies are both known for a shift from the moody style of Tim Burton to the vibrantly colored and exaggerated style of the modern Batman comics. This modernizing of the look of Gotham City and her heroes led to some great moments and some interesting developments in many of the characters. But, the intensity and threat that Batman represented with Keaton under the cowl wasn't there anymore. Kilmer and Clooney didn't exude the fear that Batman is meant to bring to his foes. Instead, the Bruce Wayne character grew by leaps and bounds. Both Kilmer and Clooney brought the billionaire playboy gravitas that Wayne's character needed. For that reason alone, I can forgive most of the campy and dorky additions to the Batman character..... not the bat-nipples. Joel Schumacher will not be forgiven for that.....I will stand on this hill and nobody can change my mind.

Now, let's fast-forward 8 years. It's now 2005 and I'm finishing high school. I've finally started to "outgrow" Batman...and then came the Christian Bale's Dark Knight trilogy. Batman was back to being intense, dark, and truly a terror of the streets of Gotham. On top of that, I got to see the live action creation of Batman. Not just the murder of Bruce's parents in that alley way. The struggle, the training, the development of the persona. The "birth" of Batman. I was amazed how quickly I was pulled back into being a Batman super fan all over again. Christian Bale took Batman in an entirely new direction. He embraced the science developed by Wayne Enterprise, the relationship forged with Alfred, and the idea that not everybody in Gotham City trusts or wants Batman around at all. The Dark Knight Trilogy stands as the most comprehensive journey of both Bruce Wayne and Batman's characters and an exceptional example of fantastic storytelling and film-making.

The next addition to the Batman story is an older, grizzled Batman. A hero that has devoted his life to fighting crime and hasn't seen his efforts yield any meaningful change, 2016's Dawn of Justice starring Ben Affleck as Batman. To say I was excited to see the Dark Knight take on the Son of Krypton would be a horrible understatement. I had long since read the Dark Knight Returns graphic novels and could barely contain my joy at finally seeing a battle worn Batman, in armor, with kryptonite weapons trying to subdue the unstoppable Superman. As the movie got closer and closer, spoilers took over the internet and I learned about Wonder Woman and Doomsday being in the film as well. The excitement just kept building! Then the movie came out....and I realized that the script was a strange blending of multiple graphic novels: The Dark Knight Returns and the Death of Superman both come to mind. But, while the story being told did a disservice to all of it's source material, Ben Affleck's Batman was outstanding. Easily one of the most physically imposing versions of Batman and the most dangerous in combat as well (as he should be at this point in his story). Affleck's Batman would return in the Justice League movie, and would again be done an injustice by sub-par writing. I loved what Affleck brought to the late-life stage of Batman and am still saddened by the fact I won't ever get to see a proper conclusion to his contribution to the lore.

Finally, the most recent addition to the Batman story: 2022's The Batman starring Robert Pattinson. I saw this movie purely out of love for the Batman character. Until this point I had not been impressed with any of Pattinson's work. But, I'm happy to admit I was completely wrong about him. His portrayal of Bruce Wayne as a tormented younger man was amazing and the intensity he brought to the screen when he took up the cape and cowl was incredible. Though I think the general story of The Batman was lacking in depth and felt a little heavy handed with political messaging. I appreciated the attempt at taking a new direction with a very familiar character. And, at the heart of selling that change, Robert Pattinson's acting. Spoiler alert, this is definitely not my favorite version of Batman, but I enjoy and respect it significantly more than I thought I was going to.

Now, in conclusion to what is surely my longest post to date. There has been a magnificent life to the character of Batman. From Adam West's childish Batman, to the 90's movies that had a little struggle to find themselves, to the Dark Knight Trilogy making Batman a hero willing to make the hard choices for the good of the innocent, and ending with the Justice League's weathered and

jaded version of Batman that has to find his mission once again...then the passing of the cowl to a younger generation with The Batman's return. It's been an journey that's been part of my life for my entire life, and I've enjoyed every moment of it. Now, it would be a crime worthy of a trip to Arkham if I didn't mention the absolute LEGEND that is Kevin Conroy. The most iconic voice of Batman from Batman the Animated Series and from many of the animated movies. For many fans out there, no actor can ever fill Batman's boots like Conroy did. His passing in 2022 left a hole in Batman fans and DC comics fan's hearts.

And with all of this being said, I have met Batman fans of many ages and it always seems that we embrace different actors as our Batman. There is no wrong answer to the question "Who is your favorite Batman?" All the versions of Batman bring something new to the table. They each bring a new step in the evolution of our favorite caped crusader. I personally name Michael

Keaton as MY Batman. Keaton was the most impactful version of Batman in my life. He brought Batman from a funny show and funny movie I watched once or twice to being the cultural icon he became in the 90's. Without Keaton's Batman, I wouldn't have ever asked for those Batman pajamas as a kid, I wouldn't have run around the house in those pajamas, with my NERF guns, fighting crime in my imagination. And I definitely wouldn't have grown up...regularly reminding people "I'm Batman". But, That's just my opinion. What's yours? I'd love for my readers, the Nostalgia Nerds, to drop a comment on this one. Who's YOUR Batman and why? Which of these Dark Knights, Caped Crusaders, and World's Best Detectives sits at the top of the list for you? I'm excited to see what you all think. And with that, keep ahold of what brings you joy and Game On!