Ben Affleck might be done with superhero movies, but at least he’ll be fondly remembered – our recent poll found one in three Americans still think he’s the best on-screen Batman.

In anticipation of “The Batman”, the caped crusader’s latest film premiere on March 4 2022, we asked 1,000 survey respondents to weigh in on who they feel brought Batman to life most convincingly by offering up their top three picks.

Overall, Affleck (31%) just barely edged out Michael Keaton as the favorite (30%).

And while George Clooney’s self-described franchise killer ranked low (23%), it wasn’t the bottom of the list – that honor goes to Will Arnett’s comedic portrayal in “The LEGO Movie” and “The LEGO Batman Movie” (21%).

Not surprisingly, age seemed to be a factor;
  • Gen Z and Millennial respondents (ages 18-25 and 26-41) gravitated toward Ben Affleck
  • Gen Xers (ages 42-55) favored Michael Keaton
  • Baby Boomers (ages 57-71) went with Adam West from the 1966 live-action TV series.

However, when asked which actor does a better Bruce Wayne, because as every comic fan knows, Batman’s billionaire secret identity warrants a very different performance – Affleck (33%) lost out to voice actor Kevin Conroy (34%) of the ‘90s animated series and Arkham games.

That goes double for Gen Z and millennials, who overwhelmingly preferred Conroy’s Bruce Wayne (55% and 38%).

But what about Robert Pattinson, the latest man to don the cape and cowl?

While respondents weren’t asked to give him an official ranking before seeing his actual performance, 58% felt he’ll do a better-than-average job at the very least.

One in four (25%) even theorized that he’s on track to be the best Batman, although millennials seemed the most divided – which isn’t all that surprising, given Pattinson’s past status as a former heartthrob in both the “Harry Potter” and “Twilight” franchises. 

Meanwhile, respondents had a harder time nailing down their favorite version of Catwoman, who’ll be portrayed by Zoe Kravitz in the upcoming film.

Data revealed a three-way tie between Michelle Pfeiffer from “Batman Returns,” Anne Hathaway from the “The Dark Night Rises”, and Adrienne Barbeau, who voiced Selina Kyle for the animated series. Halle Berry, the only person to play Catwoman in her own standalone movie, came in fourth with 28%. 

The best thing about Batman, though, is that there’s plenty of room to interpret the franchise at least according to one in six respondents (16%) who don’t feel there’s ever been a “definitive” version of the character. 

A different one in six, however, named Michael Keaton as the definitive Batman, which makes sense. After all, while he and Affleck are returning for “The Flash,” only one of them will be moving on to yet another upcoming cameo in “Batgirl”… and it won’t be Affleck. 

How good is your caped crusader knowledge? Take our quick quiz.

Not counting the 2022 film, we asked our survey respondents who are the best…?

BRUCE WAYNE?

  1. Kevin Conroy – 34%
  2. Ben Affleck – 33%
  3. Michael Keaton – 33%
  4. Adam West – 30%
  5. Christian Bale – 29%

BATMAN?

  1. Ben Affleck – 31%
  2. Michael Keaton – 30%
  3. Kevin Conroy  – 28%
  4. Christian Bale – 26%
  5. Adam West – 25%

CATWOMAN?

  1. Michelle Pfeiffer – 29%
  2. Anne Hathaway – 29%
  3. Adrienne Barbeau – 29%
  4. Halle Berry – 28%
  5. Julie Newmar – 27%

Batman VILLAINS?

  1. Joker – 25%
  2. Penguin – 19%
  3. Riddler – 19%
  4. Catwoman – 17%
  5. Harley Quinn – 16%
  6. Two-Face – 14%
  7. Bane – 13%
  8. Mr. Freeze – 13%
  9. Man-Bat – 12%

This OnePoll general population online survey was conducted from March 1st to 2nd 2022, with 1,000 Americans. As members of AAPOR – the American Association for Public Opinion Research, OnePoll researchers adhere to the principles and actions set out in the AAPOR Code.

Photo credit: Sajjad Ahmadi on Unsplash