Despite the surplus of superhero films that proliferate the big screen nowadays, Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy starring Christian Bale as the Caped Crusader is still regarded as some of the greatest superhero films of all time. In particular, 2008's The Dark Knight is often touted as a quintessential film of the genre.
While Bale is a well-regarded and respected actor within Hollywood, he certainly drew his fair share of criticism when donning the cowl. Fortunately, Bale is still considered one of the greatest Dark Knights to hold the mantle. But despite his well-chronicled journey, there are still some secrets fans might not know about Bale's seven-year tenure as Batman.
10 Several Actors Auditioned To Be Nolan's Batman
Although Bale has become synonymous with Batman in modern times, this certainly wasn't the case prior to 2005's Batman Begins. In fact, Bale found himself at odds with a multitude of other actors who sought the role, including the likes of Heath Ledger and Cillian Murphy who went on to play Joker and Scarecrow respectively in Nolan's films.
Other names that sought the role included future stars like Henry Cavill, who became the Man of Steel in the DCEU, Billy Crudup, who took up Dr. Manhattan in Zack Snyder's Watchmen, and Jake Gyllenhaal, who wound up as Mysterio in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Having only starred in a handful of small films back then, Bale certainly had his work cut out for him.
9 Bale's Audition Saw Him Don Val Kilmer's Batsuit
Among the pantheon of actors who have portrayed the Caped Crusader, Val Kilmer is often considered the most forgettable, making his one and only debut as the Dark Knight in 1995's Batman Forever. In fact, it seems that Kilmer's Sonar Batsuit has had a more enduring legacy than the actor himself, resurfacing during as the audition costume for Nolan's films.
Christopher Nolan claims that it was Bale's performance in Kilmer's suit that ultimately won him the role, explaining that he demonstrated the exact "balance of darkness and light that we were looking for." The decision would transform Bale's career forever, effectively turning him into an industry superstar who would be recognized for generations to come.
8 Bale Wasn't A Comic Fan Prior To Becoming Batman
It's not uncommon for actors to initially be unfamiliar with the source material of the roles they land, especially when it comes to superheroes. Christian Bale was no exception. Having only been familiar with Adam West's portrayal of the character, Bale was surprised to learn of Batman's darker side when reading Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth.
Falling in love with the idea of portraying a more serious and complex version of the Caped Crusader, after he landed the role of the Dark Knight, Bale continued to dive deeper into the character's dark origins with Frank Miller's 1988 Year One and Tim Sale and Jeph Loeb's 1999 Dark Victory comic runs.
7 Bale Underwent Extreme Weight Transformations
Any Christian Bale fan is well aware of the painstaking process of weight transformations he endures for each of his roles, and finding the perfect balance for the World's Greatest Detective was nothing short of a roller coaster. Having dropped to an emaciated 124 lbs for his prior film The Machinist, Bale only had a couple of months to bulk up for his superhero role.
Despite the tall order, Bale pulled off the impossible with the help of a trainer to put on around 100 lbs for the role. Unfortunately, the producers asked him to lose some of the weight he put on for Batman Begins. Bale took all of this in his stride, being no stranger to weight gain and loss with his roles in films like American Psycho and American Hustle.
6 Batman's Voice Is Meant To Invoke The Character's Pain
One of the most critically panned aspects of Bale's portrayal of the Dark Knight is the growling voice he uses while in character, even leading the iconic Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy to implore Bale to stop using the ridiculously husky voice during a 2010 C2E2 panel. However, the pleas and criticisms didn't seem to deter Bale for 2012's The Dark Knight Rises.
In his defense, Bale explains how the gruff voice is supposed to mirror his character's pain who "become[s] a beast in that suit." It's a way of encapsulating Bruce Wayne's trauma. However, perhaps a more likely reason is that Bale's aggressive performance is a result of the many hours he spent in the uncomfortable and heavy Batsuit.
5 Bale Enjoyed Competing To Outshine Ledger's Joker
It's an unquestioned fact that Heath Ledger's performance as the deranged anarchist known as the Joker is one of cinematic legend. In fact, Ledger's embodiment of the Clown Prince of Crime won him a posthumous Oscar, making him the first actor to win an Academy Award for portraying a comic book character.
Although Bale felt he could've done a better job with his role as the Dark Knight in retrospect, he admitted to the thrill of competing with Ledger for the spotlight, believing that it ultimately drove him to make a better movie. Given that The Dark Knight made over $1 billion at the worldwide box office, it's safe to say the movie wound up being a roaring success.
4 Bale's Batman Is Meant To Be Four Different Characters
The character of Batman is often thought to be a split of two characters—the Dark Knight and Bruce Wayne—with the latter being a mask to hide the former. While Robert Pattinson's take seeks to blur these lines with Matt Reeves' 2022 The Batman reboot, Bale's Caped Crusader is very much a man of two worlds.
However, the actor himself saw the role as four different characters. While fans have become well acquainted with the intimidating vigilante that is Batman and the superficial playboy that is Bruce Wayne, Bale also sees two more personalities in the rage-filled youthfulness of Wayne's younger self and the disillusioned bitterness of his older, grizzled self.
3 Bale Refused To Star In A Batman Film With Robin
It's no secret that Christian Bale absolutely despised Robin, and refused to participate in a Batman film where he would be forced to co-star along with his iconic sidekick. However, Nolan managed to sidestep Bale's objections by hinting at the possibility of Joseph Gordon Levitt's Blake as the future crime stopper at the end of The Dark Knight Rises.
In fact, there are rumors that Bale auditioned to play Robin in Batman Forever, but lost the role to Chris O'Donnell in 1995. However, when asked by a British newspaper back in 2008, Bale adamantly debunked the rumor, claiming that he "would never have bloody auditioned to play Robin."
2 Bale Doesn't Feel He Fulfilled His Potential As Batman
While many consider Christian Bale to be one of the best actors to don the Dark Knight's cowl, one of his few critics happens to be the actor himself. Expressing disappointment with his performance, Bale felt that he "didn’t quite manage what [he] hoped [he] would through the trilogy" as he originally intended to play a much more dark and messed-up character.
Despite his own shortcomings, Bale does praise Christopher Nolan's tremendous efforts with the trilogy, believing that the director nailed it. While perhaps Bale's self-criticism stems from his perfectionism, fans can't help but wonder if Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker has something to do with Bale's disillusionment of his portrayal.
1 Bale Believes Bruce Survived The Dark Knight Rises
One of Christopher Nolan's many filmmaking trademarks is crafting ambiguous endings that are left open to interpretation. For example, 2010's Inception is the most iconic film to exhibit this trait, as Cobb's spinning top wavers in the film's final moments. Likewise, Nolan's conclusion to the Dark Knight trilogy follows a similar trajectory.
Fans are initially led to believe that Bale's Batman faked his death with the detonation of a nuclear bomb, then retired to Florence to live out his days with Selina Kyle. However, there is speculation that the events are a dream sequence. While Bale himself is open to such interpretation, the Dark Knight himself believes the final scene of the trilogy was very much the reality.