"Wow, the Batman! Or is it just Batman?" asks Selina Kyle/Catwoman in "Batman Returns," laying out a mystery that simmers beneath the surface of all the movies featuring the Dark Knight. Opening Friday, the newest one seems pretty clear as to what should be on the caped crusader's "Hello, My Name Is" sticker: "The Batman."
As new Batmen sub in and out, so do the actors who surround the defender of Gotham, including those playing his manservant Alfred (now played by Andy Serkis), Police Commissioner Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) and allies such as Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz).
Robert Pattinson plays the caped crusader in "The Batman" but does it matter which square-jawed, 30-ish actor is solving Gotham City crimes? Once actors step into the costume, they all speak in the same raspy whisper and act with the same emotional economy.
Still, looking back at the men who have donned the cape, a few distinctions emerge.
Michael Keaton
Batman: "Batman," "Batman Returns"
Batfriends: Jack Nicholson's Joker and Michelle Pfeiffer's Kyle/Catwoman, the best supporting character in any of the Batman films. Fight me.
Bat-complishment: It's difficult to overestimate how loud the release of "Batman" was. In an era when movies played on fewer screens, it was impossible to get tickets in the first days of its release.
The score: Danny Elfman went for classic underscoring, all scissoring strings and tense treble notes. (Prince, of course, contributed a No. 1 hit.)
Great lines: "Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?"
Run time: 126 minutes (both).
How broody is he? Casting a comic was controversial but director Tim Burton's decision paid off with the wittiest Batman we've had.
Val Kilmer
Batman: Val Kilmer, "Batman Forever."
Batfriends: The cast includes Drew Barrymore, Nicole Kidman and Tommy Lee Jones but Jim Carrey's gonzo Riddler stands out.
Bat-complishment: Nipples. Batman's suit typically lacks them but director Joel Schumacher thought their pertness made the outfit sexier. (The Batnipples remained for his successor.)
The score: Elliot Goldenthal's music feels more superheroic than Elfman's, its blaring horns seeming to quote the "Raiders of the Lost Ark" theme.
Great lines: "I'll get drive-thru." (When Alfred asks if he wants a sandwich.)
Run time: 121 minutes.
How broody is he? Very, but not in a good way. Kilmer said he was intimidated by the scale of Carrey's performance, feeling like his job was just to stand in the right place and keep his face still. Mission accomplished?
George Clooney
Batman: "Batman & Robin."
Batfriends: It's a colorless bunch, led by Chris O'Donnell's bland Robin. At least someone put effort into the 007-like naming of Vivica A. Fox's character, Ms. B. Haven.
Bat-complishment: "Destroyed the franchise," according to the actor, who, unlike Ben Affleck and Keaton, was not asked to appear in the upcoming, parallel-reality "The Flash."
The score: Goldenthal's booming music is in the same vein as its predecessor. Both were orchestrated by composer Robert Elhai.
Great lines: "This is why Superman works alone" (to Robin).
Run time: 125 minutes.
How broody is he? Not. Clooney seems to want to turn the movie into a parody.
Christian Bale
Batman: "Batman Begins," "The Dark Knight," "The Dark Knight Rises."
Batfriends: So many! But the best is the Oscar-winning performance by the late Heath Ledger's Joker.
Bat-complishment: Maggie Gyllenhaal's appearance as a Bruce Wayne squeeze in "The Dark Knight" begins what could have been a family takeover. Her husband, Peter Sarsgaard, is in "The Batman," which was long rumored to feature brother Jake in the title role Pattinson snagged.
The score: Hans Zimmer brings his penchant for rumbling bass lines you can feel in your molars.
Great lines: "Sometimes the truth isn't good enough. Sometimes people deserve more."
Run time: 140 minutes; 152 minutes; 164 minutes.
How broody is he? Not like he's ever a social butterfly but, with three movies to develop the character, Bale makes his Batman more impassioned each time.
Ben Affleck
Batman: "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice," other Justice League films.
Batfriends: All of the compelling characters, including Diane Lane's Martha Kent and Amy Adams' Lois Lane, are in the "Superman" half.
Bat-complishment: In what was apparently a tricky shoot, the chaotic script often loses track of Batman.
The score: Zimmer again, but in collaboration with Junkie XL. You'd think that combo would contemporize things with electronic dance music touches but the score actually sounds like opera.
Great lines: "We're criminals, Alfred. We've always been criminals."
Run time: 152 minutes.
How broody is he? Zack Snyder's vision is even more grim and humorless than Nolan's but Affleck lightens it up with sardonic wisecracks.
Robert Pattinson
Batman: "The Batman."
Batfriends: Zoe Kravitz's Catwoman is so full of fire that she might as well have "Give me my own damn movie" scrawled on her leather catsuit.
Bat-complishment: In a rarity, the origins story — in which Bruce Wayne's parents are murdered, igniting his fight for justice — is not depicted on screen, although it is referred to often.
The score: Michael Giacchino's music takes a turn toward the romantic and lyrical, incorporating "Ave Maria" and something that sounds like John Williams' "Imperial March." There's even a love theme!
Great lines: "I am vengeance."
Run time: 175 minutes.
How broody is he? Very. He contemplates suicide and blows off steam by journaling.
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