Top 25 performances from a comic book movie or TV show

8. Christian Bale as Batman

Appears in: Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises

In my opinion, Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy will never be outdone. The series is a masterpiece of storytelling and The Dark Knight is one of the greatest movies (not just superhero movies) ever made. Everyone is familiar with Batman’s origins and his greatest villains, but that didn’t stop these films from feeling fresh and new. No other superhero series feels quite as much like it’s set in our world as this one.

What Bale brings to the Caped Crusader is a new understanding of the desperate man-child ever burdened by his own fears and guilt. Bale goes hard on the voice, creating a very distinct line between Batman and Bruce Wayne to the point where it can be easy to forget that they’re the same person underneath the cowl. This Oscar-winner seems to understand that when Bruce Wayne puts on the costume, he allows himself to be all of the things he really is deep down. Violent and merciless, being Batman gives him the chance to get back at a world that took so much from him, while hopefully making it a better place at the same time. These movies are so successful because they make us question the motivation of our hero. When will it be enough for him? Is it really about saving the city, or is it about revenge? And at what cost is he doing this? Once that cost is paid, what are you left with?

I’ve seen some criticism of Bale’s Bruce Wayne, but I think that part of the performance is very well thought out. You can tell that he’s playing a part. He’s not nearly as comfortable as Bruce Wayne as he is when he’s beating up criminals in a bat costume. This guy has some serious psychological issues and Bale doesn’t shy away from them. He brings a new understanding of what it means to be a superhero, one that has yet to be topped.