On the big screen, numerous Dark Knights flaunted their abs and flexed their muscles for the audience; however, Christian Bale’s Batman physique remains the most believable representation of the character yet. Now, before the Batfleck fans flood the comments section or threaten to go rogue like Gotham City’s most wanted, read on to see the reasoning for this claim. Afterward, all doubters can mail their apology notes and gift baskets to Fortress Entertainment headquarters.
He’s built like an agile martial artist – not a brute
Ask yourself this question: Are the best martial artists smaller in stature or oozing steroids and other growth hormones out of the pores of their hulking frames? Naturally, it’s the former here. Neither Bruce Lee or Chuck Norris – two of the most recognized celebrity martial artists – stood tall at six-foot-something or weighed over 200 pounds. Lee was around 5’7 and 130 pounds, while Norris hit 5’10 and 175 pounds at his peak. They might not have been the biggest men on the block, but they obliterated anyone in their path with a combination of speed, technique, and accuracy.
Similarly, the same should be expected of Batman, who trained under all the greatest martial artists on the planet and the deadly League of Shadows in Batman Begins. He’s a ninja for heaven’s sake, so there’s an expectation for him to flip, dodge, and roll around like a fleet-footed assassin. During his stint as the Dark Knight, the 6-foot Christian Bale reached the 190-pound mark as his character, firmly slotting into the light heavyweight category. While this makes him slightly bigger than Norris, it isn’t a massive difference that makes one look like a grown man and the other a school child. In fact, all it does is add more muscle to Bruce Wayne’s power game, while still allowing for him to still be agile enough to move around his opponents.
His physique prevents him from standing out
At 6’4 and 230 pounds, Ben Affleck was the biggest actor to have played Batman. He’s a heavyweight through and through, and no villain would want to feel a slug from him. However, there’s one problem with this iteration of the character: He stands out immediately.
Think about it this way: if the Gotham City Police Department is determined to find out the true identity of the Dark Knight, it makes it much easier to narrow it down to the hulking brutes in the city. How many men stand at 6’4 and weigh 230 pounds versus those who are 6’0 and weigh under 200 pounds? Ultimately, it shows the GCPD’s total incompetence that they didn’t even think of this process of elimination.
For Batman, keeping his real identity secret is vital. It’s not only for his own safety, but for those around him. If the villains were to find out about Alfred Pennyworth or Lucius Fox, they could wreak havoc and shut down this game where he dresses up as a giant bat and beats the pulp out of bad guys every evening. In The Dark Knight Trilogy, Christian Bale’s Batman physique doesn’t stand out like a sore thumb. Sure, he is in great shape, but would anyone automatically look at the guy in the street and think he’s a crimefighter? Unlikely.
Batman isn’t supposed to be superhuman
The reason Batman connects with fans so much is because he can be anyone. He isn’t endowed with superpowers or special abilities beyond being rich. Instead, he trained his mind and body to be at optimum levels. He isn’t a freak of nature or someone whose genes help him lift a truck. He’s an everyday man who pushed his body to be the best.
Consequently, it makes sense for the actor who portrays him to follow suit. Everyone knows the training regime that Christian Bale underwent to bulk up from The Machinist to get into shape for Batman Begins. (As a matter of fact, he even had to shed some muscle because he arrived too big for the movies.) He’s in perfect shape to rush around the rooftops of Gotham and to zip in and out of fights with the city’s underworld.
Tell us, is the Christian Bale Batman physique right for the character? Let us know in the comments section down below.
