Rank the Live Action Batmen from Smartest to Least Smartest

[The Batman]

Discuss.

All I know is, West is my number one.

 

[Dark Raven]

I'd say West was the most detective like who used his intelligence and crime-solving skills.

I don't know if any of the rest were really detective like, and it's too soon to tell about Affleck.

 

[Travesty]

West
Kilmer
Keaton
Bale
Clooney

 

[The Joker]

West - He had gadgets for every occasion. Flawlessly deduced Riddler's riddles, Puzzler's puzzles, and other cryptic clues and mind games villains like to play. He was also a great one for seeing through phony disguises - Molly dressed as Robin, Joker dressed as the Maharajah, False Face's disguises etc. Was a fountain of information on just about any subject. Quick thinker on his feet. Look at how he got out of all those cliffhanger death traps.

Bale - Close second to West. Using the marked bills to track the mob's money in the banks. Getting the fingerprint off the shattered bullet. Constructing the sonar machine to track down the Joker. Cross referencing the names in the database with addresses in the vicinity of Loeb's funeral to get Melvin White's address. Surveillance of Crane, Gordon, Rachel, Police radio bands. Tracking down Selina Kyle. He saw through the Prewitt Building set up. Forewarning Gordon with the names of Cops with relatives in the hospital. Using his Bruce Wayne guise effectively in daylight hours for crime fighting.....and a plethora more I can't be inclined to type out because my point is made.

Kilmer - Like West he was great and nailing Riddler's riddles. He was quick to deduce Two Face's two's obsession link with the bank heist. Cleverly escaped the bank vault death trap using a simple hearing aid.

Keaton - He cracked Joker's poison code. He saw through Penguin's poor abandoned orphan act, and made the link between him and the Red Triangle gang.

Clooney - Apart from deducing Pamela Isley was Poison Ivy, I can't think of anything stand out smart that he did.

 

[Greens]

Clooney - Apart from deducing Pamela Isley was Poison Ivy, I can't think of anything stand out smart that he did.

He didn't leave the cave without the Bat credit card.

 

[The Batman]

I definitely agree that Bale is the second smartest Batman. The sonar device alone nabs him that spot.

 

[Travesty]

Yeah, but Bale didn't create the majority of his tech, as he was heavily reliant on Lucius. Sure, he helped solve a lot of things, but he didn't create any of his suits, vehicles, gadgets, etc. That's why I think all of the other ones were above him. It's not just about solving cases and catching the bad guy, it's who was also smart enough to create their own tech to help them do those things. It goes into answering the overall question, IMO.

 

[The Joker]

He didn't leave the cave without the Bat credit card.

Yeah, but Bale didn't create the majority of his tech, as he was heavily reliant on Lucius. Sure, he helped solve a lot of things, but he didn't create any of his suits, vehicles, gadgets, etc. That's why I think all of the other ones were above him. It's not just about solving cases and catching the bad guy, it's who was also smart enough to create their own tech to help them do those things. It goes into answering the overall question, IMO.

How do you know the others created their own tech? For example in Batman Returns Alfred was wondering about how they were going to repair the Batmobile after Penguin trashed it. If someone can build their own car, then they can certainly fix it. Alfred said they couldn't just take it to any repair shop, which means Bruce couldn't repair it himself. If he could it wouldn't have been an issue.

 

[Dark Raven]

I think West's Batman created the Batmobile, whereas Lucius Fox created Bale's one.

And come to think of it, didn't all the other Batmen created their own Batmobiles as well?

 

[Travesty]

How do you know the others created their own tech? For example in Batman Returns Alfred was wondering about how they were going to repair the Batmobile after Penguin trashed it. If someone can build their own car, then they can certainly fix it. Alfred said they couldn't just take it to any repair shop, which means Bruce%2

But we saw Bruce repairing the Batmobile after he put it in bullet mode, so we know he worked on it. It was right before he told Alfred to tear up the invention, and then took it back, even though it was already torn in half.

 

[The Joker]

But we saw Bruce repairing the Batmobile after he put it in bullet mode, so we know he worked on it.

Yeah because he had no choice but to try and fix it himself since he couldn't take it to a repair shop for security reasons. Since we never see that version of the Batmobile again, I'm guessing he failed to fix it

 

[Dark Raven]

Affleck's Batman better be smart, because he'll probably be using mostly his wits to beat Superman.

 

[The Joker]

I think West's Batman created the Batmobile, whereas Lucius Fox created Bale's one.

And come to think of it, didn't all the other Batmen created their own Batmobiles as well?

Even the BTAS Batman didn't make his own Batmobile. In the episode called The Mechanic we see he hired an out of work mechanic called Earle Cooper to design and build it for him in secret.

 

[Dark Raven]

Well I think West's Batman did create it, and all the other gadgets and vehicles.

 

[The Batman]

Yeah, I was going to say that we have no concrete idea of who built anything in the Burton/Schumacher films.

But it is an absolute certainty that Bale took the sonar concept and made it much more effective, a feat of genius that no Batman in the Burton/Schumacher series equaled, IMO.

 

[Dark Raven]

Clooney built the Batsuit with Batnipples, which automatically puts him at the bottom.

 

[JackWhite]

West - He had gadgets for every occasion. Flawlessly deduced Riddler's riddles, Puzzler's puzzles, and other cryptic clues and mind games villains like to play. He was also a great one for seeing through phony disguises - Molly dressed as Robin, Joker dressed as the Maharajah, False Face's disguises etc. Was a fountain of information on just about any subject. Quick thinker on his feet. Look at how he got out of all those cliffhanger death traps.

Bale - Close second to West. Using the marked bills to track the mob's money in the banks. Getting the fingerprint off the shattered bullet. Constructing the sonar machine to track down the Joker. Cross referencing the names in the database with addresses in the vicinity of Loeb's funeral to get Melvin White's address. Surveillance of Crane, Gordon, Rachel, Police radio bands. Tracking down Selina Kyle. He saw through the Prewitt Building set up. Forewarning Gordon with the names of Cops with relatives in the hospital. Using his Bruce Wayne guise effectively in daylight hours for crime fighting.....and a plethora more I can't be inclined to type out because my point is made.

Kilmer - Like West he was great and nailing Riddler's riddles. He was quick to deduce Two Face's two's obsession link with the bank heist. Cleverly escaped the bank vault death trap using a simple hearing aid.

Keaton - He cracked Joker's poison code. He saw through Penguin's poor abandoned orphan act, and made the link between him and the Red Triangle gang.

Clooney - Apart from deducing Pamela Isley was Poison Ivy, I can't think of anything stand out smart that he did.

This is my rankings as well.

I'll add that Bale's Bruce already knew about Lau's illegal revenue stream; even before Lucius.

 

[batmanswife]

For me the only live action Batman that I like is Ben Affleck. So if I had to choose between all the live action Batmans I would always choose Ben Affleck.

 

[the5timechamp]

So hard to say... Do we award Kilmer for solving the riddles so quickly or Keaton for being smart enough to know not to return for another film... so hard..

 

[the last son]

Bale, kilmer, keaton, Clooney

 

[schereZada]

Yeah because he had no choice but to try and fix it himself since he couldn't take it to a repair shop for security reasons. Since we never see that version of the Batmobile again, I'm guessing he failed to fix it

Bruce at that point was trying to stop Shreck and the Penguin, and had Catwoman in the mix too. It's completely possible that Wayne didn't have the time to repair a car when there was so much going on. If they couldn't have it repaired anywhere else, it means nobody else has been involved with the batmobile, which would mean that Wayne had to build it himself.

 

[The Joker]

Possible but how likely. The fact that their first thought was 'we can't take the Batmobile to a repair shop so what are going to do' means Bruce is not mechanically adept at fixing his toys himself. Otherwise they wouldn't even be thinking about taking it to a repair shop in the first place when they can fix it themselves. Can only go by what we're told and shown.

 

[Dark Raven]

I think, having seen BvS now, I'd still say West is the smartest.

 

[shauner111]

For me the only live action Batman that I like is Ben Affleck. So if I had to choose between all the live action Batmans I would always choose Ben Affleck.

So, completely ignore the point of this thread.

 

[shauner111]

I'm pretty sure I remember Riddler's riddles, and a high school student could figure them out.