Batman is an icon. A legend. There have been eight different actors who have portrayed the masked vigilante but two stand out from the rest. And no, George Clooney is not involved. We don't talk about that.
Christian Bale is probably the most well-known portrayal of Batman in the modern age. He starred in Christopher Nolan's Batman franchise that gave us three movies and tons of action. Ben Affleck is the newest edition to the bunch starring in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League, and a small cameo in Suicide Squad.
But who's the best Batman?
The Suit
Batman's suit is singlehandedly the most well-known feature about him. Incorporating the look of an actual bat to incite fear into criminals, it's pretty exceptional attire.
For Christian Bale, the look was sleek. All black attire was a step away from the usual dark grey and blue combo but it worked marvelously. The suit was slimming and perfect for the masked vigilante.
Ben Affleck's suit is a little more robot looking if we're being honest. The suit is a bit chunky and doesn't really look like something a mysterious millionaire hiding his identity would wear.
With these statements, I think it's clear to see that Christian Bale does in fact have the better suit. One for Christian Bale, none for Ben Affleck
The Villains
The villains are arguably the best part of the Batman character. There are so many different personalities and different people and different creatures that it's quite hard to keep up with all of them.
The main villains in Nolan's universe are Ra's al Ghul, The Scarecrow, The Joker, Two-Face, and Bane. The villains shape the way Batman sees himself and shape his overall character.
In contrast, Ben Affleck really doesn't have any villains. Except fighting Superman and then Steppenwolf in Justice League. But other than that he really only has a problem with The Joker in Suicide Squad.
Once again, Christian Bale out does Ben Affleck with the sheer fact that Christopher Nolan used some of the most iconic Batman villains in every film.
The Films
The most important aspect of comparing these two is to look at the films as a whole.
Nolan's franchise has grossed over $1 billion in total. Each film has grossed over $100 million respectively. Each has received critical acclaim for their unique perspective on the franchise. The Dark Knight is especially acclaimed for Heath Ledger's portrayal of The Joker; arguably the best portrayal.
Batman v. Superman , Suicide Squad, and Justice League were not received greatly by critics. A lot of it is from the lack of substantial plot that each of these movies seems to have. Plus Batman isn't a stand-alone character, there's always someone with equal status in each of the movies.
All in all, Bale's portrayal is substantially better than Affleck's in critic's eyes.
To summarize, Bale is a much better Batman by far. The suit, the villains, the success of the films. In every aspect he is the one truly good Batman. Sorry Ben, maybe you could take notes from Christian?
