10 Actors You Didn’t Realise Played Batman

Ben McKenzie was already well-acquainted with the DC universe before he bagged the role of Jim Gordon in Gotham. Three years before the series launched, McKenzie portrayed the titular hero in Batman: Year One. The animated feature, which is based on Frank Miller's influential four-part storyline, follows Bruce Wayne shortly after he adopted his vigilante persona.

McKenzie's performance is more gentle than you would expect but it suits this version of Batman since Bruce is still experimenting with how to portray himself. Since this story takes place early in his career, Bruce hasn't quite figured out how to become a knight of vengeance who's feared by the criminal underworld. As a result, it makes sense that he wouldn't be the Batman that we all know yet.

Sadly, a lot of viewers forget about McKenzie's underrated performance since the story focuses more on Lieutenant Gordon, played excellently by Bryan Cranston. Since Breaking Bad had just become the biggest thing on tv, more people checked out Batman: Year One to see Gordon rather than Batman. (How ironic that McKenzie would be overshadowed by the very character he would be most identified with later in his career.)