It's been three long years since Batman Begins, but this week sees the reappearance of Gotham City's finest in the hugely anticipated The Dark Knight. Despite being overshadowed by the untimely death of Heath Ledger - cast as Batman's arch-enemy, The Joker - the film still promises to be the biggest blast of the summer.

But Bats hasn't always been Bale's role. Since director Tim Burton dragged Bruce Wayne back out of his batcave and back on to the streets of Gotham in 1989, four actors have jingled the keys to the Batmobile in their pockets, Ahlan! checks out who rocked the role - and who should have been strangled by his own utility belt.

Geeky!

Michael Keaton
Batman, 1989
Batman Returns, 1992

Bat style:
Sexier and gruffer than the words ‘Michael Keaton' might initially suggest, his Batman went back to basics and perfectly captured the darker, obsessive side of the character. If only he'd been taller.

Bruce style:
Hardly the square-jawed hunk of the comic strips, the first Bruce Wayne of the modern age was bespectacled, socially awkward and kinda nerdy. Bill Gates called, he wants his cardigan collection back.

The suit:
My, what long ears you have! Matt black rubber and an all-encompassing cape, but still with the famous logo emblazoned on the chest.

The car:
A stealth bomber on wheels, complete with afterburners, machine guns and armour.

On being Batman:
"I'm gonna do four or five of these movies, and it's going to become my career. I'll have to keep expanding the bat suit, because I get fatter every year. I'll be bankrupt. I'll be out opening shopping malls, going from appearance to appearance in a cheesy van". Fat-man? In a van? Thankfully Keaton stopped after two Bat movies.

Bat rating:
4/5

Pretty!

Val kilmer
Batman Forever, 1995

Bat style:
Moody and pouting pretty boy, flashing his enviable dental work and referring to women as ‘chicks'. Which we quite liked until he decided to take pity on an orphaned circus performer and Robin started tagging along.

Bruce style:
Taller and easier on the eye than Keaton, but lacking his quirkiness, Kilmer's playboy millionaire posed around in designer polo-necks and took himself very seriously. And blonder James Bonds we can put up with, but we prefer our knights dark.

The suit:
Glossed-up, all-black rubber made for some serious slinking about. More a catsuit for the boys than Bat-suit.

The car:
Tricked-up streetfighter with menacing fins and neon inserts.

On being Batman:
"Warner Bros offered me the next Batman, and the only reason that I didn't do it was because of The Saint." Hmmm, lucrative franchise or expensive flop - now you know why people say "Whatever happened to that Val Kilmer?" (If you care, he's now the voice of the car in Knight Rider. Classy.)

Bat rating:
3/5

Happy!

George Clooney
Batman and Robin, 1997

Bat style:
Lambasted by Bat-fans as the man who smirked his way through some of the worst dialogue ever uttered in Gotham City, Clooney's wisecracking crimefighter was as camp as a row of Bat-tents, a fact not helped by the return of vogueing sidekick Robin. Cue lots of "To the Batcloset!" remarks.

Bruce style:
Suave, looks pleasing in a suit, good hair. That's right George, always be yourself.

The suit:
Clooney will forever be linked with the now-infamous ‘rubber nipple suit', apparently fashioned after classical Greek ideals. We're not sure that explains the rather solid-looking codpiece and a mystifying amount of gratuitous butt shots filling the screen, but maybe we haven't been reading much Homer lately.

The car:
Serious chrome fenders you could slice cheese on and onboard disco lighting. So much for subtlety.

On being Batman:
"I did the best I could in the situation I was given." Bless him.

Bat rating:
1/5

Sexy!

Christian Bale
Batman Begins, 2005
The dark knight, 2008

Bat style:
Fighting fit and deliciously dark, our Christian ranks as the sexiest man ever to pull on the cowl. His ninja-trained Batman is aggressive, cold, and menacing, swooping out of the grimy Gotham City shadows to kick criminal butt.

Bruce style:
The public face of Bruce Wayne was laid-back with a twinkle and very good taste in cars, but his brooding private persona blurred the line between playboy and masked vigilante.

The suit:
Expect to see a more dynamic Bale in The Dark Knight, as the new Bat-suit is said to be lighter and more flexible than in the previous outing, with elastic banding added for an extra-tight fit. Holy phwoar!

The car:
Military-style, all-terrain beach buggy on steroids, all driven in manual, but soon to be swapped for the Batpod, a sort of backward motorcycle.

On being Batman:
"This isn't going to work. I'm claustrophobic. I can't breathe. I'm getting a headache already, and this is all going to go very badly." Pull yourself together, man - you've got crime to fight!

Bat-rating:
5/5

Wacky!

And before all this...
Ah, the psychedelic 1960s. Long before the Dark Knight reverted to the mysterious, chiselled look of the early comics, there was Adam West. His Caped Crusader wore tight satin underpants over a grey stretch bodysuit, had quizzically-arched eyebrows painted on his Bat-helmet and looked like it was only the utility belt which was keeping his paunch in place. With the help of fist-thumping Robin - an excitable puppy of a lad in yellow thigh-hugging tights - he somehow kept a straight face while delivering both wacky dialogue and uppercuts to the chins of flamboyant villains.

But thanks to a jolly theme tune, an iconic car and an impressive range of daft gadgets - who carries shark repellent around these days? - he's still the Batman that all small boys want to be. After all, no one else made ‘Zap!' and ‘Pow!' appear magically in the air like West did. Altogether now... na na na na, na na na na, Batman!

Joker's wild!
When the late Heath Ledger was revealed as the new face of The Joker, film snobs and Bat-buffs alike scoffed at the very idea. What, that baby-faced brokeback cowboy having the acting chops to pull off the most anarchic of comic book characters? Nah, dream on.

But with the imminent release of The Dark Knight, all the buzz is about a posthumous Oscar for Ledger. Looks like you can banish all memories of Cesar Romero's hysterical clown and even Jack Nicholson's eccentric-but-rather-pervy uncle take on The Joker - Heath's grungy psychopath, with his rotting make-up and natty line in socks, is set to scare the bejeezus out of ya!