Batman Characters: Every Hero, Ally and Villain in the Films

The Batman films share a core cast of Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, James Gordon, Robin and Catwoman, set against villains such as the Joker, the Penguin, the Riddler, Two-Face, Scarecrow and Bane. The characters fall into five groups: the hero, the male allies, the sidekicks, the women of Gotham and the villains. For the films themselves, start at the batman movies hub, and for the best viewing sequence use batman movies in order.

Bruce Wayne is the one character who appears in every film, and nine actors have worn the cowl or voiced it. Adam West plays Batman (Bruce Wayne) in Batman (1966), directed by Leslie H. Martinson. Michael Keaton plays him in Batman (1989), directed by Tim Burton, and again in Batman Returns. Val Kilmer takes over for Batman Forever and George Clooney for Batman & Robin, both directed by Joel Schumacher.

Christian Bale plays Bruce Wayne for Christopher Nolan in Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. Robert Pattinson plays him in The Batman (2022), directed by Matt Reeves. Two animated spin-offs add voices: Kevin Conroy in Batman: Mask of the Phantasm and Will Arnett in The Lego Batman Movie. Ben Affleck plays the character in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League and Zack Snyder's Justice League, and Keaton returns in The Flash. The full run is laid out under batman actors in order, and the profile for bruce wayne covers the role in more depth.

The main male allies are Alfred Pennyworth and James Gordon, and both are recast more often than Batman himself. Alfred is played by Alan Napier in Batman (1966), Michael Gough in all four films from Batman (1989) to Batman & Robin, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as a voice in Mask of the Phantasm, Michael Caine in the Nolan trilogy, Jeremy Irons in the Snyder era and The Flash, Ralph Fiennes as a voice in the Lego film and Andy Serkis in The Batman (2022). The profile for alfred batman follows the role through each version.

Gordon is played by Neil Hamilton in Batman (1966), Pat Hingle across the four films from 1989 to 1997, Bob Hastings as a voice in Mask of the Phantasm, Gary Oldman in the Nolan trilogy, J.K. Simmons in Justice League and Jeffrey Wright as Lieutenant James Gordon in The Batman (2022). Read more under commissioner gordon. Smaller allies include Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman, all three Nolan films), the reporter Alexander Knox (Robert Wuhl, 1989) and Harvey Dent, played by Billy Dee Williams in 1989 and Aaron Eckhart in The Dark Knight.

Batman's sidekicks in the films are Robin and Batgirl, with Alfred as his closest ally. Burt Ward plays Robin (Dick Grayson) in 1966, Chris O'Donnell plays the role in Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, and Michael Cera voices Dick Grayson in The Lego Batman Movie. In Batman Forever, Dick is a young circus acrobat who loses his family to Two-Face before Bruce takes him in. See robin batman for the full picture.

Batgirl appears twice. Alicia Silverstone plays Batgirl / Barbara Wilson, Alfred's niece, in Batman & Robin, and Rosario Dawson voices Batgirl / Barbara Gordon in the Lego film. In The Dark Knight Rises, Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays the young officer John Blake, who works alongside Gordon.

The women of the Batman films range from the central figure of Catwoman to journalists, doctors and scientists. Here they are, one line each:

• Catwoman / Selina Kyle: Lee Meriwether (credited as The Catwoman, Kitka, in 1966), Michelle Pfeiffer (Batman Returns), Anne Hathaway (The Dark Knight Rises) and Zoë Kravitz (The Batman, plus the voice of Catwoman in the Lego film). The profile for catwoman compares them.
• Vicki Vale: Kim Basinger, a photographer, in Batman (1989).
• Rachel Dawes: Katie Holmes in Batman Begins and Maggie Gyllenhaal in The Dark Knight.
• Dr. Chase Meridian: Nicole Kidman, a psychiatrist, in Batman Forever.
• Andrea Beaumont: Dana Delany, voicing a woman from Bruce's past in Mask of the Phantasm.
• Poison Ivy / Dr. Pamela Isley: Uma Thurman in Batman & Robin, and Riki Lindhome as a voice in the Lego film.
• Batgirl: Alicia Silverstone and Rosario Dawson, as above.
• Harley Quinn: Jenny Slate, voicing her in The Lego Batman Movie.
• Nora Fries: Vendela Kirsebom in Batman & Robin.
• Aunt Harriet Cooper: Madge Blake in 1966.

The main villains are the Joker, the Penguin, the Riddler, Two-Face, Scarecrow, Ra's al Ghul, Bane, Mr. Freeze and the Phantasm, and several of these roles have four or more actors. Batman villains covers each rogue in depth, and the main ones are these:

• Joker: Cesar Romero (1966), Jack Nicholson as Joker / Jack Napier (1989), Mark Hamill as a voice (Mask of the Phantasm), Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight) and Zach Galifianakis as a voice (Lego). See joker batman.
• Penguin: Burgess Meredith (1966), Danny DeVito (Batman Returns) and Colin Farrell as Oz / The Penguin (The Batman). See penguin batman.
• Riddler: Frank Gorshin (1966), Jim Carrey as Edward Nygma (Batman Forever), Paul Dano (The Batman) and Conan O'Brien as a voice (Lego). See riddler batman.
• Two-Face: Tommy Lee Jones as Harvey Two-Face / Harvey Dent (Batman Forever) and Billy Dee Williams as a voice (Lego). See two face batman.
• Scarecrow: Cillian Murphy as Dr. Jonathan Crane in Batman Begins and as Scarecrow in The Dark Knight, and Jason Mantzoukas as a voice (Lego). See scarecrow batman.
• Ra's al Ghul: Ken Watanabe is credited in that role in Batman Begins, where Liam Neeson plays Ducard. See ras al ghul.
• Bane: Jeep Swenson (Batman & Robin), Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises) and Doug Benson as a voice (Lego). See bane batman.
• Mr. Freeze / Dr. Victor Fries: Arnold Schwarzenegger in Batman & Robin.
• Phantasm: Stacy Keach voices the Phantasm and Carl Beaumont in Mask of the Phantasm.

Other Gotham figures include the crime boss Carmine Falcone (Tom Wilkinson in Batman Begins, John Turturro in The Batman), the businessman Max Shreck (Christopher Walken in Batman Returns) and Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg in Batman v Superman). Justice League adds Steppenwolf, voiced by Ciarán Hinds.

The classic Batman characters are the Joker, the Penguin, the Riddler and Catwoman, and Batman (1966) puts all four in one plot. They call themselves the United Underworld and plan to hold the world to ransom with a machine that turns people into dust. That film also introduces Burt Ward's Robin, along with Alan Napier's Alfred, Neil Hamilton's Gordon and Stafford Repp's Chief O'Hara. If you want to see where the screen versions began, it is the place to start.

The films rebuild each character to suit their own story, so the name stays and the job changes. Catwoman is a Russian reporter named Kitka in 1966, Max Shreck's timid assistant Selina Kyle in Batman Returns, a cat burglar who steals from Bruce in The Dark Knight Rises and a waitress searching for a missing roommate in The Batman. The Penguin is an outcast raised in the sewers in Batman Returns and the man behind the Iceberg Lounge in The Batman. The Riddler is an inventor whose brain wave device Bruce turns down in Batman Forever and a masked killer who leaves riddles at crime scenes in The Batman. The Joker moves from one member of a team in 1966 to a mob lieutenant in 1989 and a rival who wants to be called Batman's greatest enemy in the Lego film.

If you want to compare a single actor era by era, go to batman cast, or follow the sequence in the batman timeline.