Ranking The Batman Movie Actors In Order Of How Intimidating They Are
2. Michael Keaton
Tim Burton shot the 1989 Batman movie like a horror movie, and Batman is the monster. The first time we saw him, he was a silhouette on a tall gothic building. Immediately he evoked someone like The Phantom of the Opera. He is always somewhere walking in the shadows and staring down an enemy in absolute silence. Put a bullet on this Batman, he will just get up as if he is the undead.
There is a confidence in Michael Keaton's Batman that no other character can replicate. When he enters the room with a silent glare, it is as if the fight is already over.
The consensus among fans is that Batman's mask looks better in Batman Returns, but the strength of the 89 mask is that because it looks somewhat more primitive, Michael Keaton looks like an unhinged serial killer wearing it. Of all the Batman actors we have, only Michael Keaton can smile in the suit and still look intimidating.
Because the Michael Keaton version portrays himself as an eccentric, there is always an unpredictable element of what he is about to do next. This is why the "You wanna get nuts? Let's get nuts" scene is so effective.
Years later, in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Michael Keaton shows off his ability to be intimidating again, showing off that smile that made Batman so intimidating.