The Batman is stuffed with characters. It might be the most packed first film in a Batman movie to date. That is not a bad thing either. The sheer amount of heroes and villains onscreen help make Gotham feel like a real city.
It doesn’t feel clustered at all except for one character at the very end of the movie. Saying who that is would be a spoiler but for those curious, there are answers. Of the main cast, there are seven characters in The Batman worth noting including the Caped Crusader himself. What actors played their parts best to elevate these classic characters onscreen?
Warning: Spoilers Ahead
7 Alfred Pennyworth
Andy Serkis’ version of Alfred was good. The only reason Alfred is at the bottom is that he wasn’t in the movie that much. Alfred is rarely the central focus in the movies anyway. He is a side character meant to spout some advice to Batman when he gets stumped or to provide support. Michael Caine’s take on Alfred in The Dark Knight trilogy is perhaps the most well-known.
Caine's version had more screen time than any Alfred before or since, at least in the live-action movies. What is good about The Batman’s version is that it showcases Alfred was more than just a butler. He used to be a secret agent of sorts. That’s how he is able to help decipher The Riddler’s messages for Batman.
6 Carmine Falcone
John Turturro’s take on the popular crime boss from the comics is largely faithful. He is convincing, oozing with sleaze after every word he says. The trouble is he isn’t in the movie very much. When he finally gets taken down through evidence, it’s also not that surprising.
He is all talk in the movie. Viewers never get to see him be brutal like all mob bosses are. It’s mostly hearsay. A crime boss like The Kingpin from Daredevil, on the other hand, shows that he is not to be trifled with. It would have been interesting to see Falcone literally get his hands dirty. John Turturro does a good job, but it would have been good to see a bit more.
5 Batman
Bruce Wayne and his alter ego are not the worst the live-action films have seen. But they are far from the best. On the positive side, this movie gets the character of Batman’s detective work spot on. Why hasn’t Batman acted like a detective in any of these movies before this? Batman looks for clues and analyzes them just like he did in the 90s cartoon series. It’s great.
He does seem to lack a bit of charisma, though. This is true for Bruce Wayne as well. Some fans may feel that the character comes off as a little too stoic. It’s a shame since Robert Pattinson is a highly versatile and talented actor, to be sure.
4 James Gordon
Part of the reason why Batman’s detective work is fun in the movie is because of James Gordon. Jeffrey Wright plays him like a cop that is too old for this stuff. He is a man that simply wants to do the right thing in a world filled with supervillains. What is one normal human supposed to do against a criminal that can turn into clay or is a literal crocodile?
Thankfully Gordon avoids confronting villains like Killer Croc and Clayface in The Batman. The Riddler is just as deadly though. He is seemingly always twelve steps ahead of Gordon and Batman. That doesn’t stop Gordon from marching on. Wright brings some much-needed charisma to the detective duo.
3 Selina Kyle
Selina Kyle, or Catwoman, is a great character in the film because it shows a different morality to the light side of Batman and the extreme dark side of The Riddler. She wants her own justice in The Batman. At first, she just wants to find her friend. After Selina finds out she was murdered, her next step instead is revenge.
It’s perfect timing too because she has always wanted to pay back Falcone for what he did to her mother. That’s a new twist to the series’ lore. It gives Zoë Kravitz a lot to play with on her take with Catwoman. Hopefully, she gets a spinoff movie in the future......
2 The Penguin
Colin Farrell looks almost unrecognizable in his role as The Penguin. Farrell is known as one of the most handsome actors in Hollywood. Covering up his face with prosthetics can feel like a crime. Why not go for a naturally bigger actor? However, the movie makes it work quite well.
Farrell has fun with his take on The Penguin and dials up his character to 100%. This version is more of a crime boss rather than a supervillain. He’s not eating fish whole or riding around the sewers aboard toy ducks like Danny DeVito’s version. Both roles are good in their own way but as far as Farrell’s incarnation goes, he is great. It’s exciting to hear that he is getting a spinoff show.
1 The Riddler
If Colin Farrell was giving his all to The Penguin then Paul Dano was doubling that effort for The Riddler. He is the best part of the movie, hands down. His evil charisma is oozing through the screen. Viewers may never think what he is doing is right but they can at least empathize with his backstory.
Being an orphan and getting gnawed on by rats sounds pretty horrific. It would turn anyone into a supervillain. He’s great in his masked form but he gets even better once the mask comes off. It will be interesting to see how the sequel treats him.