10. Pamela Isey / Poison Ivy
Uma Thurman has voluptuous down, no problem, but doesn't make for a particularly threatening baddie. And her dweeby representation of Poison Ivey's alter ego, Pamela Isely, seems out of character. I blame Joel Schumacher's direction more than Thurman's performance. Diane Pershing of The Animated Series picks up most of the slack for this duo, convincingly giving voice to both the seductive and the villainous sides of Ivey's personality.9. Edward Nygma / The Riddler
Jim Carrey's manic limb-flailing helped make The Riddler a livelier character than one could have expected. However, his comedic limelight-hogging didn't really scream “evil genius” to me. He was just plain screaming. John Glover's voicing of The Riddler on The Animated Series, though scarcely used, allowed the character's calm intelligence to be his distinctive quality, but maybe could have used some more zest. He is a comic book villain, after all.8. Dick Grayson / Robin
Obvious homoerotic subtext from the 1960s Batman series have made Robin the butt of many jokes for a long time, but when executed properly, he's a pretty good character. Chris O'Donnell came close in Batman Forever (less so in Batman and Robin) by playing Robin as the punkass kid that he is, but still came off just a bit too whiny. Loren Lester played up the chummy Batman/Robin repartee in The Animated Series, while also working in some badass attitude every now and then.7. Rahs Al Ghul
Liam Neeson was as decent choice as any to play the disciplined, calculating leader of the League of Shadows, but may have been better served by a script that gave him more concrete motives. He still carves a solid presence, as always. The Rahs Al Ghul of The Animated Series was more mysterious and intriguing, well voiced by a perfectly cast David Warner (remember the manservant from Titanic?). He gets bonus points for always addressing Batman as “Detective”.6. Harvey Dent / Two-Face
The movies get double representation from two actors who took on the schizophrenic D.A. of Gotham City. Aaron Eckhart terrifically handled his pronounced character arc in The Dark Knight, but the team loses some points due to Tommy Lee Jones' hammed up performance in Batman Forever. But that's more than made up for by Richard Moll's gravelly vocal embodiment of Two-Face in The Animated Series, making him one of the show's more intimidating heavies.5. Commissioner James Gordon
Pat Hingle (may he rest in peace) is a bit of a write-off for Burton's and Schumacher's Batman movies, as he really wasn't given the time of day by the writers. The brothers Nolan have remedied that by writing Gordon as a fully dimensional character, outstandingly played by Gary Oldman, the unsung hero of both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. In The Animated Series, Bob Hastings did a great job at conveying a tough guy with nerves of steel and a heart of gold.4. Bruce Wayne / Batman
Several actors have played the role of the Caped Crusader in the films. I still think Michael Keaton is the best of them, choosing to keep Bruce Wayne's troubled past an internal struggle for the audience to read from his performance. Val Kilmer and George Clooney didn't have all that much to do in the Schumacher movies, but Christain Bale has been doing a fine job in Chris Nolan's version, even if his gruff Batman voice is a bit off-putting. He should take lessons from Kevin Conroy, who absolutely nailed the Batman/Bruce Wayne characterizations in The Animated Series, capturing the gentleness of a caring hero and the harshness of a tortured soul.3. Selena Kyle / Catwoman
We'll find out in a year or so if Anne Hathaway can fill Michelle Pfeiffer's catsuit, and I don't just mean physically. Pfeiffer's Catwoman is one of the most memorable performances of her career; slinky, sinister, suggestive, and importantly, she remembered to keep her sense of humour about her. Former Maude star Adrienne Barbeau was an inspired choice to voice the cartoon character, by virtue of her assertive, sexy voice and flirtatious line delivery.2. Alfred Pennyworth
Alfred is one character which every movie and The Animated Series got absolutely right. It requires the actor to communicate both the sternness and unconditional love of a parent, as well as the dry wit of a proper British butler. Michael Gough (who recently passed away) gave understated but perfectly tuned supporting performances in the Burton and Schumacher Batmans. Michael Caine was given slightly more dramatic heft in Nolan's films, but maintains an appropriately stoic front. Efrem Zimbalist Jr. served The Animated Series well, but was particularly effective in the theatrically released Mask of the Phanstasm.1. The Joker
The fascinating thing about The Joker (and maybe this is just a property of the character), is that he can be interpreted in a variety of ways, and all of them can work. Jack Nicholson set the tone in Tim Burton's first Batman, turning in a devilishly comic performance that remains unforgettable and entertaining to this day, even in the shadow of Heath Ledger's monstrous Academy-Award-winning reinvention of the villain. Ledger's Joker, while not without humour, was less a criminal clown and more of a mad dog, full of contradictions and unnerving unpredictability, making him less amusing than Nicholson's Joker, but far more frightening. Not to be outdone is Mark Hamill, who breathed palpable life into the animated character with charisma, malicious glee, and what is probably the best Joker laugh you will ever hear.
