8. Michael Caine (Alfred Pennyworth) - The Dark Knight Trilogy
As we already mentioned, alongside Jim Gordon, Alfred Pennyworth is the emotional core of Christopher Nolan's Batman movies. Far away from the campier portrayal in earlier Batman movies, Michael Caine's Alfred is more fleshed out as a human being, complete with the exasperation he feels towards Bruce's escapades, and the deep sense of duty to Bruce's deceased parents to look after him. Though Caine often serves as comic relief in the first two movies ("I hope you're not a member of the fire brigade") and a source of wisdom (the precious stones story from The Dark Knight), by the time The Dark Knight Rises rolls around, he has taken on a very different role: a fatigued voice of reason. When Bruce returns to being Batman, Alfred tries to assure him of Bane's superior strength and dissuade him from taking him on, even admitting to him the unfortunate truth that his deceased lover Rachel was going to marry Harvey Dent (Alfred burned the letter in The Dark Knight). Caine's awards-worthy performance is some of the very best work in the movie, and though his presence is more muted after he resigns from Bruce's employ, his final appearance in Florence is a sure moment of relief for the audience, as Bruce is revealed to have escaped the bomb explosion. Jeremy Irons has been cast in the role for the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and he's certainly got his work cut out for him in trying to just match Caine's fantastic work.