Rank the Bat-Suits, the batman films, and the actors who played them

[nolan's roll'n]

Rank the bat-suits so far, neal adams to Nolan's current TDK bat-suit that is flexible enough to move the neck around. Rank the past bat-films, the actors who portrayed them in the films and the 90's animated tv show of Kevin Conroy's Batman and Mark Hammill's Joker, compare it with the on-screen Ledger interpretation of him.So basically, rank all the bat-villains, from DeVito's Penguin to Ledger's Joker.

 

[Spider-Bat]

Mark's Joker in TAS is the best Joker. And Heath's is a great Joker aswell, it got so many facets of the character's darkest side, reminded me most of the very early Joker appearances in the old comics in his debut and so forth.

Bale is the best live action Batman, from his age to his build, it all works, and Conroy as Batman in TAS is just perfect. Which is why he keeps coming back and WB/DC are smart to listen to the fans as I'm sure they love him too in the role.

Best suits in the movies are the BB and TDK, although for TDK I'd rather have seen the plates under a smooth suit.

As for the old Burton and Shumacher movies they are obsolete. Shumacher sucked right away but as for all of the old ones they changed too much, Burton made it all about his vision when he should have been looking at the comics like Nolan and Goyer have done.

He doesn't have to be a short middleaged balding guy to be believed as someone who'd do this, that was dumb. I mean sure you can be small and be able to fight well and so on but come on, even Bob Kane was happier with Kilmer 'cause he was more in shape and taller and all that as he said.

As for Devito, that was not the Penguin and I hope they'll truly bring him to life in the movies soon and do him justice faithful to the comics.

 

[wootbaby]

If you think Mark's TAS Joker is the best you actually think Caesar Romero's portrayal in the campy series is the best. Because Mark's Joker is actually only a small amplitude adjustment on Romero's.

Burton's FIRST batsuit is the best PROOF is that every previous Batsuit was nothing like it and every SUBSQUENT batsuit is some derivative of it

The best Penguin portrayal is Dick Chaney from 01-09

 

[SuperFerret]

Aside from Frank Gorshin's Riddler, all the best Batstuff is from the Animated series (and I'm including the comics here).

 

[nolan's roll'n]

Aside from Frank Gorshin's Riddler, all the best Batstuff is from the Animated series (and I'm including the comics here).

Oh yeah? What about the stuff from The Killing Joke? What about BB and TDK? Batman and Batman Returns weren't that bad either. But I do agree, that BTAS was amazing!

 

[SuperFerret]

Oh yeah? What about the stuff from The Killing Joke? What about BB and TDK? Batman and Batman Returns weren't that bad either. But I do agree, that BTAS was amazing!

Haven't read the Killing Joke, but I'm not a very big fan of Batman in the comics, though I like the Joker so I'll pick it up eventually. I don't like Nolan's take on the mythos or Nicholson as the Joker, but Returns is my favorite Batfilm. So I'll stand by my assessment that BTAS is the best Batman there is.

 

[Grommers]

I think TAS set a lot of standards for the Bat Universe, and probably the best consistent view on Batman.


However, TLH was amazing, and TDK was very similiar...


Favourite Incarnations
1. Mark Hamills & Bruce Timms Joker (one person had to design not sure if it was bruce timm)
2. Heath Ledger - What he did by himself with this character is phenomenal
3. Caesar Romero - He seemed really kooky it was good, and fit the atmosphere of the show..not my favourite but I think it is one of the best.


4. Jack - had jack not been born with that grin, I don't think he would of been able to pull off that part nearly as well as he did, costume wise great..but I mean I've seen costumes by regular fans that look just as good if not better.

 

[DACMAN]

The best Batsuit was used in Begins. It got to complicated in TDK.

 

[The Joker]

I think the best Bat suit was in Batman Returns.

 

[Spike_x1]

I think the best live action batsuit was TDK's. Yeah, it looked busy, but it also looked flexible, yet still protective, thanks to so many smaller parts allowing it to move around more. BB's suit looked really stiff (like the 89 suit, except instead of stiff rubber molded to look like muscles, it seemed like stiff rubber molded to look like armor), and the HUGE neck always made me laugh and I still can't take it seriously.

The 89 suit also looked a little too big for Keaton whenever there was a shot of his face in the mask. Although with Batman Returns, they really hit it out of the park, the only thing keeping the Returns suit from being my favorite is the lack of neck mobility.

I remember when they first made the design for TDK's suit public, and went on about how revolutionary it was for a Batman to finally be able to turn his head, while people around the world had already discovered looong ago that a superhero should be capable of looking to his left and right, and wondered WTF took the costume designers so long to come to the same conclusion.

 

[katie_girl09]

As far as the movies go, my list from best to worst is as follows:

(1) Batman Returns
(2) Batman
(3) Batman Begins
(4) The Dark Knight
(5) Batman and Robin
(6)Batman Forever

Actors are as follows

(1) Michael Keaton (he made the best Batman imo)
*(1) Christian Bale (he made the best Bruce Wayne imo)
(2) George Clooney
(3) Val Kilmer

I won't rank Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill in the same list, but they are both really great.

I also liked Nicholson's Joker better than Heath's. Sue me. And Danny Devito's Penguin was so good that it took me a while to figure out that it was him as a kid.

Michelle's Catwoman >>> Halle's Catwoman, but that goes without saying.

 

[Spike_x1]

Actors are as follows

(1) Michael Keaton (he made the best Batman imo)
*(1) Christian Bale (he made the best Bruce Wayne imo)

Definitely.
Aside from Batman killing people (but that's more of a script thing rather than any fault in his performance at all), Keaton was great and had all the mannerisms down fantastically. If Bale could just take a note from his performance and try to do the same kind of hoarse whisper that Keaton was so good at, instead of that insane growl, Christian would be perfect all around IMO. I mean, we know that Bale can do that kind of gravelling voice (like in Reign of Fire or Terminator), but I think that it's just a matter of someone, whether it's Nolan or whoever, actually telling him to stop roaring incoherently as Batman and do something more down to earth with his voice.

 

[tekken]

really? i like the insane incoherent growl. it's freakin awesome.

who can forget "SWEAR TO ME!!!"? that'll be a line to remember for a long time. it's probably up there with "this is sparta"

 

[Spike_x1]

I bet it wasn't awesome for the people who had to sit through most of the movie wondering what Batman was actually saying half the time.

I know I had to watch it a second time in theaters before I fully caught what Bale was saying in the interrogation scene and the scene where's he's got the Joker hanging upside down at the construction site. While it's true that some people have a better ear for that kind of thing than others, and didn't need any help understanding his speech, an actor's performance should not have to depend on that.

There's a reason why his voice has been lampooned and criticized so much.

 

[Mandalore464]

Batsuits :

1 - Batman Begins. I'm a huge fan of the panther neck, and its "puffiness" never bothered me that much.
2 - Batman Returns. Love the armoured look and the cowl of this suit.
3 - The Dark Knight. As far as movies are concerned, I really don't mind the "commando" style Batsuit.

Movies :

1 - Batman Begins / The Dark Knight. Still haven't decided to this day which one was the best. I love Batman Begins as it focuses entirely on Batman, and I love The Dark Knight because it's one hell of a good thriller.
2 - Batman Returns.
3 - Batman Forever.

Bat-actors :

1 - Christian Bale. Only flaw I see in him is the voice, and not because it's too deep or whatever, but because it doesn't sound as natural as Conroy's. I think it still sounds better than Keaton's though.
2 - I'd put Conroy here, but let's be fair, he's only voicing the character, and if I put him there, I would also have to put the animation team who really make his work stand out within the animated series. OK maybe that's what I'll do then. All the guys behind the Batman from BTAS are my second choice.
3 - Val Kilmer. I like his Bruce Wayne. His Batman, not so much, but overall I'd choose him over Keaton any day. The looks are important, and while Keaton could certainly pass as a tortured soul, he looks way too frail and out-of-shape to portray a seasoned crimefighter. And let's be honest, Kilmer did his best to give Schumacher's Batman the most credibility he could. Clooney didn't even try.

Bat-villains :

1 - Joker from TAS (so again, Hamill + the guys who designed his looks + the animation). Only thing I didn't really like about him is that he never was a credible threat. The video game Batman Arkham Asylum fixed that problem, offering us a Joker that looks as good as the one from BTAS, who's voiced by Hamill, but who's also a lot more dangerous, with a higher body count than the BTAS character throughout the whole 4 seasons of the show.
2 - Ledger's Joker.
3 - DeVito's penguin. I really enjoyed his whole arc in Returns, and the performance truly was brilliant.

 

[Comics N' Toons]

nice ranking!

but keaton was the best Batman

Bale the best Bruce Wayne

 

[Comics N' Toons]

nice ranking!

but keaton was the best Batman

Bale the best Bruce Wayne

 

[lzzy]

nice ranking!

but keaton was the best Batman

Bale the best Bruce Wayne

Yes, Keaton was playing what Bale's Bruce Wayne would become. Y'know Wayne at the start of BR, sitting in his mansion in the dark, alone. Pathetic life, then the batsignal lights up and he comes into life. That's what Bale should (de)volve into, now that Rachel is dead and a whole city is against him. Christian was pushed into the background by the frantic events of TDK so we need a little more time with him in Batman3.

Anyway, favourite suits:
- Batman Begins; builky and ferocious looking
- Batman Returns; not as clunky as the B89 one, f**king smoooth
- Meh to the rest

Can't decide on a Joker, they're all awesome in their own ways. Keaton is my Batman, Bale my Bruce Wayne.

 

[Comics N' Toons]

MY SUIT RANKINGS:

(1) Batman 89
(2) Batman Begins
(3) Batman Forever (panther Suit)
(4) Batman Returns
(5) The Dark Knight
(6) Batman & Robin

JOKER:

NICHOLSON
LEDGER
HAMILL (from original BTAS)

 

[BLU8]

Bat-Suits:
1. Batman Begins
2. Batman (1989)
3. The Dark Knight
4. Batman Forever
5. Batman Returns
6. Batman & Robin

Batman Movies:
1. The Dark Knight
2. Batman Begins
3. Batman Returns
4. Batman (1989)
5. Batman Forever
6. Batman & Robin

Batman Actors:
1. Kevin Conroy
2. Christian Bale
3. Michael Keaton
4. Val Kilmer
5. George Clooney

The Joker Actors:
1. Mark Hamill
2. Heath Ledger
3. Jack Nicholson

 

[lzzy]

Honourable Mention: While Heath Ledger was brilliant as The Joker in TDK, for me, Mark Hamill absolutely NAILED the character in B: TAS. He is my personal favourite Joker, with Ledger running a very close second.

To me, the best portrayal of Hamill's Joker was in Mask of the Phantasm, and also in the flashback sequence of Return of the Joker, in both cases he was homicidal and his funny self.

 

[DACMAN]

I just watched Batman (89) on Bluray and man that costume was terrible! It looked way to big for Keaton in the face. It looked really bad. I seriously think I'd put that costume at the bottom with Batman and Robin.

Best Batman/Bruce
Bale
Val Kilmer
Keaton/Clooney (at least Clooney had the chin)

Best Batsuit
Begins
TDK
Batman Returns
Batman Forever
Batman/Batman and Robin

 

[MrQuinn]

if I had to pick a top favorite suit, it's a tough decision because I like the 89 and Returns suits a lot, and even the Forever suit sans nipples, but I guess if I had to choose just ONE favorite for several reasons combined, it may just be the Begins suit. At least his utility belt seemed a bit more...utility-like. The cowl, though a little oddly shaped around the mouth, is intimidating in shape elsewhere, I think even having the wider neck and the arch forward adds to intimidation.