Taking into account the number of media appearances across his 75 years in “existence,” it is safe to say that Batman is the greatest fictional hero in American history. And next year, he’s finally taking on his fellow comic icon on the big screen in Batman V Superman. In the wake of a new trailer and plenty of speculation about where Warner is taking their trademark characters, it feels like a proper time to look at what has come before.
The influence of Batman over the years can be felt in how he has been portrayed on screen. The most notable examples are Adam West’s campy Dark Knight in the late 60s that set the tone for Batman throughout the decade and Michael Keaton’s portrayal in Tim Burton’s Batman film in 1989. Both set the tone for the hero in their era and that tone spread across comics and other media along the way.
Today’s caped crusader takes a lot from those iterations, attempting to keep the familiar beats that have come before while also attempting to mark their own territory in the media landscape. The animated Batman film drew upon the earliest days of the hero and the tone set by Burton’s film, while Christian Bale’s tried to keep the darkness of Keaton with a real world flavor.
Our next iteration shows a mix of the entire bunch. There’s some of the campy, comic book feel from the Adam West days. the darkness and realism from Christopher Nolan and Tim Burton and a new focus on the wider DC universe.
Which version would you want protecting your city?
