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DC Fandome just gave fans a big indication of what future movies — including Wonder Woman 1984 and Zack Snyder’s Justice League — will look like. But the most-talked-about project coming out of the event is The Batman. The movie sees Robert Pattinson as the Dark Knight in the first of a planned Batman trilogy from writer-director Matt Reeves.

Ahead of Pattinson’s debut, fans recently got the chance to weigh in on their favorite on-screen Bruce Wayne. After all, every fan seems to have their own opinion on what makes the perfect Caped Crusader. Yet, the results were not what anyone expected.

A Batman Cosplayer at MCM London Comic Con
A Batman Cosplayer at MCM London Comic Con | Ollie Millington/Getty Images

Batman is the superhero with the most enduring presence in media

Since 2000, superheroes have conquered Hollywood. Characters like the X-Men, Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Black Panther have proven audiences have a near-insatiable appetite for comic book movies. But prior to that, only Batman and Superman sustained successful movie franchises. Even so, only Batman had successfully sustained big-screen recasting.

In fact, Batman has been more prominent in the cultural zeitgeist than his Kryptonian colleague. He headlined several animated series, countless direct-to-video animated movies, and the popular Arkham video game series. And he’s been rebooted more than other heroes, with Christian Bale, Ben Affleck, and Pattinson all playing the role within a decade.

A new poll gave fans the chance to vote on their favorite Dark Knight

So fans had a lot to choose from for their favorite Batman performance. On its Twitter account, IMDB used a bracket approach to gradually hone in on fans’ favorite. The initial round saw Bale, Adam West, Michael Keaton, and Ben Affleck emerge victorious over Val Kilmer, Gotham’s David Mazouz, voice actor Kevin Conroy, and George Clooney.

In the next round, Bale defeated West. Affleck beat out Keaton. And ultimately, voters named Affleck the top Batman. With 77, 823 fans participating, the actor won 55 percent of the vote. Ironically, Affleck’s casting was decried among some fans when it was announced. Now it seems they’ll be excited to have him back in the upcoming The Flash movie.

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How will Robert Pattinson’s version stack up against his predecessors?

Of course, Affleck isn’t the only classic Bat-actor returning to the big screen. Warner Bros. has confirmed Keaton will make his own Batman return in The Flash movie as well. Because the story hinges on the multiverse, the DC Extended Universe will tie Tim Burton’s 1989 movie into the continuity.

Both Keaton and Affleck faced criticism from fans when they nabbed the role. Likewise, Pattinson initially seemed an odd fit for Batman, according to some fans. With all three actors set to take on the Dark Knight in the coming years, there’s no telling who might emerge as the next fan favorite.

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