The comics have given us characters that stay with us; some give us hope, like Superman, some stand for strength, liberation and so on. Amidst all the colourful heroes and heroines, we have a dark one too. He has been around for over eight decades now, dressed in all possible shades of grey! Batman is the world’s best detective, dressed in a batsuit. Weird sure, effective, definitely!
Every few years, we get a brand-new Batman on the silver screen, and now everyone’s waiting with bated breath to see how effective Robert Pattinson would be in the big black batsuit. The early updates reveal that this movie would be based on the acclaimed graphic novel by Tim Sale and Jeph Loeb called The Long Halloween. Slated for a 2021 release, this movie got me reminiscing about all the different castings for the Dark Knight and how each actor presented his own take on this classic broody superhero without superpowers.
Batman first appeared in a film in the 1940s, with Lewis Wilson playing the titular role. But it was in the 1960s that the character made his way into pop culture with Adam West’s Dark Knight. Adam’s Batman was campy, funny and witty. The TV series had its own charm (still does), and is extremely popular for its trademark fight scenes, sound effects, little animation and of course, Burt Ward as Robin saying, “Holy Ravioli, Batman!” Who can forget Caesar Romero’s Joker or Julie Newmar’s Catwoman? The tone of the series was in keeping with the Silver Age of comics. It was an age where comics were supposed to be ‘toned down’ for kids and overall ‘safe’ consumption. Which is why a lot of serious characters were suddenly to be shown as fun-loving and child-friendly.
The campiness in comics and Batman stuck around for some years, till Tim Burton took up the mantle of directing the 1989 movie, Batman. Heavily influenced by the dark tone of the graphic novel, The Dark Knight Returns, Tim presented us with a dark and gothic Gotham and with an extremely dark Batman. The suit turned black, the expressions grim, the lighting was moody and dank and the Joker was plain evil (brilliantly portrayed by Jack Nicholson).
When it was announced that Michael Keaton was cast as Batman, fans were concerned and even wrote to the studio in protest. Once the movie released, the fans walked out of the cinema halls largely satisfied. To be honest, this Batman remains one of my top picks. With Batman Returns, Michael made sure that he owned the Batsuit.
After the success of Tim’s movies, Joel Schumacher stepped in to direct the next two movies, namely Batman Forever and Batman and Robin. Val Kilmer was a broodier, poutier Bruce Wayne, but that really wasn’t a problem. Bad writing, horrible villains, wasted actors were just some of the many issues that one can highlight.
I must admit I enjoyed Batman Forever back when it released. I was in school then and it was sheer joy watching my favourite actor Jim Carrey play the Riddler in the movie. However, the movie never really aged well, and Batman and Robin was such a train wreck that Joel actually apologised to fans for it.
It looked as though the franchise was dead after the last dud, but in 2005 Christopher Nolan gave us the unforgettable Batman Begins, followed by the Dark Knight in 2008 and Dark Knight Rises in 2012. This trilogy remains quite definitive, and Christian Bale’s take on the character remains some sort of a fan favourite. Not just him, the casting for all the characters in the trilogy is excellent.
My favourite is Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon, and last but not the least, Heath Ledger as the Joker. Just like in Michael’s case, Heath’s casting as Joker was questioned, till we got to witness a powerhouse performance! Bale brought to table the iconic ‘Bat-voice’ which has become so widely parodied that people go hoarse mouthing his dialogues.
After this trilogy came the rise of the DCEU (DC Extended Universe). With the attention that Man of Steel got, Warner Brothers decided to introduce their brand new Batman and pit both these icons against each other. Enter Ben Affleck, the most buffed up and violent Bat onscreen ever. In fact, Ben’s Batman was a slightly older version, who has seen enough happen in Gotham for over two decades, and doesn’t mind killing the baddies too. This was a new update in the character’s onscreen mythos and left fans divided. I would say I really enjoyed this Batman. Ben’s casting was seen as controversial among fans, but he did provide a very different spin. We still cannot forget the warehouse fight scene from Batman V Superman!
After starring in BVS, Suicide Squad and finally the ill-fated Justice League, Ben hung his Bat-boots, making way for yet another controversial casting. Enter ex-glitter vampire, Robert Pattinson. Robert, the actor, can bring so much to the character’s story and narrative. But will Robert, the ex-emo-icon, be able to do justice to the force of nature that is Batman?
Looking at the journey of the Batty’s onscreen portrayal over these decades, it sure seems like it’s been a mirror to the times we live in. From the naïve and innocent ’60s, to the loud and neon-driven ’90s and to the darker times that we are living in... it’s been an interesting curve. We have to see what’s in store for us in Matt Reeve’s version. Till then, we’ll make sure we look for the bat-signal in the skies!
(The writer is a comic creator, illustrator and animator)