When it comes to Twitter users in America, Michael Keaton is simply the best Batman in cinema.
According to data pulled by home-entertainment furniture company Valencia Theater Seating from over 150,000 tweets, Keaton is still the most popular actor to play Batman in live-action, winning 23 states and comfortably beating Christian Bale in second place with 18. The ranking is based on evaluating geo-tagged tweets from three months containing wording like "[Keaton/Bale/Clooney] is the best Batman," "best Batman," "GOAT Batman," and "best live-action Batman." In a surprise revelation, Ben Affleck comes ahead of Robert Pattinson, winning seven states against two. Affleck played the role most prominently in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League, two films often ridiculed by critics and comic book purists.
How Did Michael Keaton Become Batman?
Before reprising his role in the upcoming The Flash, Keaton played Batman twice in 1989 and 1992. His casting was considered controversial at the time as he was mostly known for comedic roles in films like Mr. Mom and Beetlejuice (another Keaton role now up for a reprise). Endorsed by Batman producer Jon Peters, who was convinced by his tormented performance in addiction drama Clean and Sober, Keaton beat out an eclectic group of considered actors, including Mel Gibson, Charlie Sheen, Bill Murray, and Burton's favorite, then relatively unknown Willem Dafoe. While Keaton obviously left a lasting impression on the American public, marketing focussed more on the villains than on the titular hero at the time of his films' releases. He faced top-billed Jack Nicholson as the Joker in 1989 and had no less than three big-name opponents to tackle in Batman Returns: Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman, Danny DeVito as the Penguin, and Christopher Walken as Max Shreck.
When Batman Returns underperformed at the box office, Burton and Keaton left the franchise and Joel Schumacher took over as director, taking the series into a campier direction. He directed Val Kilmer and George Clooney in the title role; neither actor won any states in the recent Twitter survey. Adam West, who played a not-so-dark version of the Dark Knight in 120 episodes of the tongue-in-cheek, pop-art-influenced 1960s TV show as well as several spinoffs and specials, also came up empty-handed.
Pattinson will have another chance to win over the hearts of America and the rest of the world when he returns in a sequel to The Batman, which is expected in cinemas in late 2025. It will be considered to be part of the "DC Elseworlds," taking place outside the mainline DC Universe.
The Flash opens in theaters on June 16.
Source: Valencia Theater Seating