From Bale to Fail: Nolan's Batman Growl Didn't Age Well At All

But despite the superhero boom of the past decade and the ambitious DC Extended Universe, the most iconic Batman of the past twenty years remains Christian Bale. That is, if you can get past his voice.

Bale's performance was renowned for the nuance he brought in a comic book movie, a genre previously relegated to campy sci-fi flicks.

Dark Knight director and screenwriter Christopher Nolan made sure to create a grounded and gritty take on the character, and Bale exemplified that in his starring role as Bruce Wayne/Batman.

But he chose to use what's now dubbed the "Batman Voice" – a deep, harsh snarl that's often almost unintelligible. It's been parodied to death.

Bale and Nolan both said that it was important to establish the difference between Wayne and Batman. Beyond just the costuming, they wanted it clear that these were two different entities.

Nolan said that he wanted Bale to use a voice that "supported the visual appearance of the character."

It was especially noticeable in the final installment of the trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises. While Batman was growling every word in that raspy, hard to hear voice, his enemy Bane (Tom Hardy ) had his voice damped by his now-iconic mask.

Despite excellent performances by both Oscar-nominated actors, it's hard to have a compelling good-guy/bad-guy dynamic when you can't understand what either is saying.

After the Batman portrayals by Ben Affleck and Robert Pattinson in the past decade, that Batman Voice doesn't age all too well.

Both Pattinson and Affleck had their versions of the Batman Voice. Affleck used voice-changing technology to dampen his voice. Pattinson's approach was far more subtle, using a normal speaking voice in a lower register.

In both cases, the Batman Voice was far less of a critique among fans. Both were able to achieve their goal of successfully hiding their true identity without bordering on absurdity – which is what happened to Bale.

Despite how awkward it sounded and how easy it was to mock, Bale's Batman Voice was one of the more iconic and recognizable parts of the franchise.

How many times have fans screamed the ever-quotable, "Swear to me!" or "Where is she!?" line in that iconic voice? Would the movie be remembered as fondly without it?

The voice was great for lines in which Batman was shouting; it struck fear in his enemies and asserted himself as something more than a regular man.

When it got awkward was the quiet moments, especially when he stuck to the voice while speaking to people who knew his identity.

For instance, when he revealed his identity to Commissioner Gordon in Dark Knight Rises, he insisted on using the voice while mumble-growling his final words as Batman.

But, for the most part, the Batman Voice was a welcome addition to the trilogy, something that made it at least a thousand times more re-watchable.