The History of Batman On Screen, In Pictures

When Ben Affleck assumes the role of Batman in next year’s ‘Batman vs. Superman,’ he will join a long list of actors—some famous, some forgotten—who’ve donned the Caped Crusader’s famous tights (or rubber body armor). In a history that spans more than 75 years, Batman has appeared in over a dozen movies, and he’s evolved all the way from a sad-looking dude in sagging Bat-ears to “Sad Batman.”

In honor of this great tradition, we’ve assembled this gallery of all his big-screen appearances (TV didn’t count; neither did features that went straight-to-video), along with a some fun facts and trivia about the Dark Knight. If and when new actors assume the mantle of the Bat, we’ll update this post, but you’ll still be able to find it here, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel.