We recently proposed a difficult question to our readers – what is the best version of Batman, video game or otherwise? Here are the responses.
No need to tease the results – among readers here at Game Informer, Kevin Conroy's interpretation of Batman, specifically from Batman: The Animated Series, was the clear winner.
To be fair, it is a bit of a trick question. Kevin Conroy's Batman is technically also the Arkham Series' Batman, as well (except for Origins), but the two are distinct both visually and in personality. When commenters called out Conroy as their favorite though, they mostly referenced the Batman: The Animated Series specifically, alleviating any confusion.
In second is the Arkham interpretation of Batman, followed by Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale's take on the character. Tim Burton and Michael Keaton's Batman were next, and then after that the voting became close. Many readers also shared appreciation for Scott Snyder's current run in the Batman comics, but were hesitant to define his Batman as their favorite. Same goes for Batman Beyond – lots of love, but no one proclaimed it as their favorite.
Some surprising results from the comments, many had appreciation for Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns Batman, but referenced the recent two-part animated film, as opposed to the comic book.
The Batman that inspired the largest divide is the Nolan/Bale Batman. Many love that version of Batman, but then there were comments like, "Def not the horrible Nolan/Bale movies as they were terrible," from referee123.
As I suspected, it was a difficult choice from many. RedEyeSurprise offered up the comment, "Adam West started the obsession. Michael Keaton cemented it. Conroy perfected it," which was a common sentiment – every Batman has his strengths.
There were also many comments I couldn't count in the tally as they didn't pick a specific Batman, but rather talked about why they liked certain Batmen in certain mediums. The_Penultimate_Spaz who offered a number comments throughout the discussion, wrote,"Never seen a competition really seeing as each medium has its definitive version of Batman." Though to be fair, The_Penultimate_Spaz did finally land on the Nolan/Bale Batman if they had to pick one.
Perhaps jmpittman860220 had the most apt comment, especially when you look at the overall results. They wrote, "Kevin Conroy is Batman. Everyone else is just pretending to be."
Is there a big oversight here? Did your favorite make the list? Or do you agree – Batman: The Animated Series' Batman is the best Batman.