Seven actors have sported 16 different versions of the Batman costume in live-action movies over the years, but some of these have been far more popular, comic-accurate, and effective than others. Before DC Studios reveals the official look for the Batman of the rebooted DC Universe, it’s worth looking back at the Caped Crusader’s rich live-action history. Some of the Batsuits we’ve seen in past movies have been fantastic, and contain elements DC Studios could replicate for Batman in The Brave and the Bold, but others are memorable for all the wrong reasons.
Videos by ComicBook.com
When he was first introduced to DC Comics in 1939’s Detective Comics #27, Bruce Wayne’s Batman sported a skin-tight grey costume with black shorts, cape, and cowl, and a yellow belt. The bat emblem on his chest is also black, creating a dark look perfect for enacting his vigilante justice on the streets of Gotham City. The Batsuit has been through many iterations in the almost nine decades since, just as it has in live-action. There have been 16 main costumes worn by the various incarnations of Batman in live-action movies over the years, but not all have been successful.
16) Adam West’s Suit (Batman)
For its time in the 1966 Batman movie, Adam West’s low-budget Batsuit was praised, and it is certainly still regarded as iconic, given its importance in Batman’s live-action history. Even so, the costume vibe of this suit, cardboard-style cowl, lack of realism, and lack of flash makes this clearly the least impactful iteration of Batman’s live-action suit. It looks more like a cheap Halloween costume than an official Batman costume fit for the big-screen. Not to say West’s portrayal of Batman isn’t brilliant, but there’s no denying his costume left a lot to be desired.
15) Val Kilmer’s Sonar Suit (Batman Forever)
Little more than a gimmick suit designed so that Batman Forever would lead to a boost of merchandising and toy production in 1995, the Sonar Batsuit is considered one of the most disappointing and awkward Batman costumes. Its plastic look, lack of grounded and serious textures, and lack of color and vibrancy made the Sonar Batsuit a lackluster addition to Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever. Val Kilmer only sported this suit very briefly in Batman Forever — his only movie as the Dark Knight — but his primary costume wasn’t much more impressive.
14) George Clooney’s Ice Armor (Batman & Robin)
Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin from 1997 is considered one of the worst superhero movies ever made, and the design of both of George Clooney’s Batsuits contributed to this downfall. Similarly to the Sonar Batsuit, the Ice Armor from Batman & Robin was little more than a merchandising gimmick, and while it had more layers and dimension than the Sonar Batsuit, it still fell completely flat. Overly reliant on its silver plating, lacking in functionality and aesthetic cohesion, and devoid of any personality — especially when seen alongside Batgirl and Robin — the Ice Armor is one of Batman’s worst looks.
13) George Clooney’s Suit (Batman & Robin)
Only marginally better than the Ice Armor is George Clooney’s primary Batsuit from Batman & Robin. Even 28 years later, the question remains as to why this Batsuit was benippled, and this detail has proven to be one of the most controversial and hated aspects of any Batman costume ever. With a blueish-purple tint, little separation between the suit, cape, and cowl, and pronounced areolae, this was a goofy Batsuit that really failed the character. The suit’s darker look made it slightly more effective than the Ice Armor, the Sonar Batsuit, and West’s costume, but it’s still one of Batman’s worst.
12) Ben Affleck’s Black & Grey Suit (The Flash)
It’s a shame that one of the most recent Batsuits is so far down this list, but this look worn by Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne during his last appearance as the Caped Crusader in The Flash left a lot to be desired. This black and grey costume was clearly mostly CGI, giving the cowl an unrealistic, rubbery look that really didn’t work. and the disconnection of the armor simply didn’t make sense and made Batman look too homemade. Even so, the increased functionality, more modern look, and Affleck’s own portrayal made this suit significantly better than George Clooney’s suit.
11) Val Kilmer’s Suit (Batman Forever)
Streamlined, more structural and anatomical, and more reflective of Batman’s aesthetic from DC Comics, Val Kilmer’s Batsuit from Batman Forever was far better than Affleck’s. While this suit had some yellow on the Batman logo, and the all-black look gave the Dark Knight a grittier feeling that reflected his DC Comics history, this suit also marked the debut of the nipples. The reason for giving the Batsuit nipples has never been properly explained, but they were seriously controversial and divisive. Kilmer’s weren’t as pronounced as Clooney’s, but this is still an embarrassing footnote in Batman’s live-action history.
10) Michael Keaton’s Suit (Batman)
We’re starting to get into better territory now, as Michael Keaton’s suit for his debut as Bruce Wayne in Batman from 1989 is widely considered as one of the most iconic versions of the costume. Intimidating, armored, and detailed, this Batsuit was great for the time, but lacked a sense of mobility, versatility, and flexibility that made Keaton’s performance as the Caped Crusader somewhat stunted. While the latex, rubbery material made this look a bit goofy and unrealistic, Keaton is considered one of the best Batman actors, and the simply but iconic design of his costume helped him achieve this.
9) Michael Keaton’s Suit (Batman Returns)
Batman Returns gave Michael Keaton some serious improvements to his Batsuit. This upgrade gave him a more flexible and refined look, but still retained the goofiness that polarized some back in 1989. A smoother cowl made Keaton’s expressions easier to define, thereby making his performance better, and the larger and brighter emblem on his chest struck even more fear into the Dark Knight’s enemies. This suit did have its problems, however, including the thicker material for the cape and neck area, which made the cowl seem disproportionately small and gave the entire costume a more weighty and less mobile feeling.
8) Ben Affleck’s Armored Suit (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice)
At the halfway point, we have one of Ben Affleck’s most iconic looks as the Dark Knight from his DCEU debut in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The armored Batsuit was designed to be strong enough to withstand attacks from Superman (Henry Cavill) when Batman sought revenge on the Man of Steel for the attack on Metropolis. This was heavily inspired by similarly-armored suits from DC Comics, so was praised for faithfulness, but seemed uncomfortable and made it impossible for Batman to fight, move, or demonstrate his acrobatic skills. Certainly badass and intimidating, the armored Batsuit just wasn’t practical.
7) Christian Bale’s Nomex Suit (Batman Begins)
Streamlined, more flexible, and far more practical than Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’s armored Batsuit, Christian Bale’s Nomex suit from Batman Begins was far stronger. This suit better reflected Batman’s designs from DC Comics, but avoided ever feeling rubbery or synthetic, like Clooney, Kilmer, and Keaton’s looks. The Nomex explanation for the suit made it grounded and realistic, enhancing Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy with believable textures. Bale did find the suit claustrophobic and confining, and famously couldn’t turn his own head, so it’s far from perfect, but certainly iconic.
6) Ben Affleck’s Tactical Suit (Justice League)
Much more reminiscent of some of his armored looks from DC Comics, Justice League’s tactical suit gave Ben Affleck a heavy-duty suit of armor while still emphasizing mobility and versatility. With enhanced armor plating, specialized gadgets and hidden tricks, and a design better suited to fighting supernatural and superpowered threats, such as Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds), the tactical suit was better-equipped than Bale’s Nomex suit, but still lacked the impact that some of the other Batsuits delivered. This was certainly one of Affleck’s better Batsuits, but still not the DCEU Caped Crusader’s best.
5) Michael Keaton’s Modern Suit (The Flash)
Recreating his iconic look from 1989 and 1992, but with a few modern additions, arguably the best aspect of The Flash in 2023 was Michael Keaton’s updated Batsuit. With its new glider function, this suit was much better equipped than Keaton’s previous looks, and with its better structured cowl, more separated cape, and darker, grittier aesthetic — including losing the yellow belt — this costume was a much better fit. We would’ve liked more comic-accuracy, and more focus on the suit’s actual capabilities, which The Flash all but ignored, but it was great to see Keaton suit up again.
4) Ben Affleck’s Knightmare Suit (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice)
While Michael Keaton’s Batsuit from The Flash reminded us of the nostalgic sleek costume design from back in the day, the Knightmare suit from Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was far different. Some may argue this look shouldn’t be so high on this list, but this outfit’s rugged, post-apocalyptic aesthetic gave us something fresh, unique, and new for Batman. This suit would have been developed further had Snyder kept exploring his version of the DCEU, and it’s a shame it wasn’t. We loved the fabric-style cowl, worn-out armor, and heavy-duty trench coat for Ben Affleck’s Batman.
3) Christian Bale’s Suit (The Dark Knight & The Dark Knight Rises)
After sporting his Nomex look in Batman Begins, Christian Bale’s Batman returned in The Dark Knight with a much more sophisticated, comic-accurate, armored, and iconic design. Bale could finally turn his head, and could move his entire body more easily, allowing him to show off more Bruce Wayne’s acrobatic skills during his battles against the Joker, Two-Face, and Bane in The Dark Knight Rises. Narratively, this suit upgrade also made sense for Batman as a better-established vigilante in Gotham City, whereas most other suit changes have gone unexplained. This is easily one of Batman’s best live-action looks.
2) Ben Affleck’s Suit (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice)
If comic-accuracy was the only thing we were taking into consideration, Ben Affleck’s primary Batsuit from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice — not his armored look — would be top of the list. Combining the black cape and cowl with the grey, fabric, somewhat-armored suit, this costume is the most reminiscent of Batman’s very first suit from DC Comics back in 1939. The Batman emblem on the chest stands out, and the suit looks far more comfortable than other iterations, though the rubbery look of the cowl still received some criticism — as did the entire 2016 movie this suit featured in.
1) Robert Pattinson’s Suit (The Batman)
Whichever your favorite live-action Batsuit may be, there’s no denying that the modernized costume sported by Robert Pattinson in Matt Reeves’ The Batman from 2022 is one of, if not the, best. This suit blended the armored design of Affleck’s tactical suit with the sleekness of some of the class looks from the ’80s and ’90s, while giving us a more structural, natural-looking cowl, more slender and intimidating ears, a sleeker and sharper logo design, and more separation between the suit and cape. Realistic, grounded, and with handmade textures, this suit really made us feel like Batman could be real, and we can’t wait to see it return in the upcoming The Batman: Part II.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
