No one?
If I had to choose just between these two, then I’d go Conroy, but my real answer is neither and no one. I think there have been a lot of decent Batman actors and many have added something to the role so that there’s not a definitive version for me. I have some favorites, but different facets of the character are highlighted by them.
Like how Conroy mastered the role of Bruce Wayne while Keaton played a better Batman then Bruce Wayne.
Yeah, I tend to prefer different Bruce and Batman portrayals.
My favorite Batman is Affleck. That’s as close as it came to how I picture Batman in my head. I know I know, the no killing rule, he was a bit unhinged in BvS… still my favorite. This could very well change with what the new DCU has to offer in a couple years.
Between Keaton and Conroy, which is the choice of the poll… it’s like comparing apples & oranges, with one being a voice actor, and the other physically playing the role. If we’re comparing versions of Batman between BTAS and Batman 89, I’d probably vote for BTAS because that was a more complete version of Batman, his allies & villains, & Gotham. Batman 89 on the other hand was a very singular vision, a fantastic one that I love, but very specific to that world.
Having said that. I don’t think Batman has had his Christopher Reeve yet. There’s not an animated or live action version that I feel is constantly compared to everything else as the gold standard.
You are right when you say that. Christopher Reeve made films like Superman 3 and Superman 4: Quest for Peace a little better.
A great movie (III) and a movie that could have been great, but is still very dear to my heart (IV was probably earliest movie theater experience 
).
I watched the first one when I was 6 and then when I was 8, I watched all of them as part of a TV marathon and I thought they all looked awesome. Now, I wish I could think that when I watch IV and Superman Returns and I do, a tiny bit when I watch IV, but Returns just bores me.
Couldn’t disagree more. Conroy will always be the gold standard for any Batman actor, and I know a ton of other fans feel the same
Not entirely. I feel the actor from Batman: the Telltale Series made a better Bruce Wayne.
Troy Baker was good in that role, but that’s getting into personal preference vs. being more objective about who’s more iconic in the overall role. In that specific regard, Baker can’t hold a candle to Conroy
It’s not personal. Conroy is my favorite, hands down. It’s the truth, supported by facts. As of the release of the first season of BTTS, Troy Baker in the better Bruce Wayne.
And it’s not meant to be who’s more iconic. It’s meant to be who’s better.
I don’t know if you’re talking about Conroy or Baker w/ this, but either way it doesn’t hold up because you’re still talking about your favorites in each particular role. You can certainly argue for who you like more, but there’s no objective facts to support that sort of viewpoint
I understand. I’m not saying he can’t be the best. I like that version of Batman too, and think it’s s a timeless performance. I also concede it may very well the most liked amongst fans. As a bigger fan of Superman than I am of Batman though, I feel like Reeve’s shadow looms so large that it’s become difficult for another actor to really break through as Supes because of the constant comparison. I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen “it’s not Reeve” when Cavill, or Routh, or Cain, or Welling’s performances are discussed. STAS may be an exception, and maybe Hoechlin of late. Whereas with Batman, well… I see so many posts citing Keaton, Bale, Conroy, and even Pattinson as their favorite Batman. This isn’t based on any scientific evidence or anything, just my observation. I’m the rare specimen that loves almost all the above, with The Batman being the only one that didn’t resonate with me .
Again, no I am not. I have seen almost every Kevin Conroy performance (I refuse to watch Killing Joke) and I have played the Kevin Conroy Batman games. I have also played through both seasons of Batman the Telltale Series.
After all that, I can say it’s an absolute fact: Baker is the better Bruce Wayne.
Damn! You took the words right out of my mouth!
I know the definition of fact. My cruel-as-■■■■ 5th grade teacher had us spend an hour every day looking up words in the dictionary for no real reason since most of out courses involved the use of computers for tests and stuff.
And it’s not an opinion. While Kevin was great when it came to portraying Bruce Wayne originally, the writing for him eventually focused only on Batman almost every time and his Bruce Wayne faded into a slightly higher version of his Batman voice with an extra joke.
Meanwhile, with Troy Baker’s Bruce Wayne, you could see the line drawn between Bruce and Batman and since Baker doesn’t play Bruce as often as Conroy, his Bruce Wayne hasn’t had the chance to fade away.
I write fiction only, since I find more appeal in writing about that then real-world events. That means things like facts and opinions get bent a bit.
I definitely get your mindset more w/ this point and better understand why we’re apart on this matter. While I feel like I do understand how iconic Reeve is on a basic level, I don’t have nearly that same sort of personal connection to his performance. Your comment about his shadow looming over Superman is exactly how I feel about Conroy w/ Batman. Contradictory to your point, I’m obviously a bigger Batman fan than Superman, so our respective levels of investment in these 2 characters definitely leads to differing viewpoints on the portrayals, and there’s nothing wrong w/ that
This is all the literal definition of an opinion, I don’t know how else that much can be explained
Touché, friend.
Look at it using this scenario, made by my imagination at 12:56 at night:
You work for a spy organization and you have to evaluate two different agents who both have to act like two kinds of American: a Redneck and a Lawyer.
Agent 1, who’s been in service for years seems to do both pretty well, but then you see Agent 2, a newcomer to the group, does the redneck better then Agent 1.
Then you see that one of them needs to be deployed to Texas.
Who would you send?
It’s the same thing here: Kevin has been doing this for a long time and when push comes to shove, he is the better Batman.
But Baker is the better Bruce because of the fact that he has a better connection to Bruce Wayne’s character, while Conroy is more connected to Batman, which he said himself in Finding Batman.
Either way, there was always going to come a time that someone better at either Batman or Bruce Wayne was going to come along.
After all, most people though Jack Nicholson was the best Joker, but then Mark Hamill stole the show, and then after him, Heath Ledger became the next great Joker.
I actually do some acting myself at times and I can confirm: it’s not the actor’s experience that makes them great for a role, it’s their connection to the character. It’s why I have to say that while Kevin will always be one of, if not THE best, Batmen, Troy Baker is a better Bruce Wayne.
But, that’s also why we have opinions. I believe Baker is the better Bruce through what I know and the conclusions I’ve made from various facts, but you don’t have to agree, just like I don’t have to agree with @moro that Reeve is the best Superman (I mean, I do. It’s just an example. I mean, I watched Superman 1 when I was 6 so what did you expect?).
This is the only thing I can get behind. You’ve made your case for why you feel Baker’s a better Bruce, and even though I disagree w/ the notion, I don’t have a problem w/ it in general as long as we can all acknowledge that it’s an opinion, not an objective fact
And I’m just gonna leave it there because we’ve already gotten too off track w/ this