20 Things You Didn't Know About Batman Begins

Batman cannot be an imposing figure unless he has an intimidating voice to match. Kevin Conroy used his naturally deep voice while portraying the character in animated series and video games. Ben Affleck's voice was synthesised to sound deeper for Batman v Superman and Justice League. Christian Bale simply spoke in a gravelly voice while portraying Gotham's protector.

Unfortunately, the "Batman voice" has received more criticism than any other aspect of Bale's depiction of the character. Bale defended his voice, saying "If he was just Bruce Wayne in a Batsuit, that would be ridiculous. You have to really go for it in every way, and for me that involved taking on a slightly beast-like voice.”

Speaking in this gravelly tone took its toll on Bale since he lost his voice three times. (I see that as a sign he should have just stopped doing it.) You might be thinking, "If putting on that voice hurt so much, why didn't he stop doing it for the sequels?" But here's the thing; he did! For The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, Bale spoke normally as Batman and his voice was then synthesised to sound deeper in post-production.