Welcome to MovieJawn’s Split Decision! Each week, Ryan will pose a question to our staff of knowledgeable and passionate film lovers and share the responses. Chime in on Twitter, Facebook, our Instagram, or in the comments below.

This week’s question:

In honor of The Batman, what is your favorite on-screen incarnation of the Caped Crusader?

Bonus question: Who is your favorite member of Batman’s rogue’s gallery?

The greatest Batman film without doubt is Batman Returns, if only for the great scene with Keaton and Pfeiffer at the ball, thus Michael Keaton is my favorite Batman. Kevin Conroy is a close second, for all his phenomenal voice-over work doing Batman over the decades. As far as Batman’s rogues go, it’s obviously Harley Quinn’s hyena. No, not that one, the other one. He’s a good boy. The other one is just a jackass. –Anthony Glassman, Contributor

I’m not trying to be insincere here but I know it’ll be taken that way— at this point, my favorite bat-film is Batman And Robin, because it just looks so wild. I hated this movie when I was a Serious Little Comic Book Reader but now that every Batman movie looks the same, Batman And Robin is the most fun to watch. It’s actual escapism. It doesn’t even attempt to ask any serious questions about what it means to be a vigilante, it just barfs neon all over the screen. Mask of the Phantasm is a better movie but it’s timeless. Batman And Robin is the one that could only have been made when it was, by who it was, with all the goodwill built up from his and Burton’s mega-successes. If more movies looked like this, I might be less charitable. I don’t know. I also enjoyed the Star Wars prequels as dumbass time capsules when I revisited them after the last JJ Abrams slog. It’s easier to appreciate these big garish gestures when the current film world has tried to overcorrect so hard. 

And my favorite bat-villain is probably Professor Pyg, a Grant Morrison/Frank Quitely creation that scares the shit out of me. Quitely’s especially good at illustrating gross textures, and Pyg, who maybe wouldn’t translate well to live action, is just a serious of gross textures. - Alex Rudolph, Staff Writer

Adam West will always be Batman for me. Grew up watching the series, and of course, The Penguin is my favorite villain. Kapow! –Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer

My Batman will forever and always be Michael Keaton, followed closely by the late, great Adam West. The Burton movies were my constant companion as a lonely, weird kiddo, and I had them completely memorized by the time I was six, and the 1966 Batman movie was my introduction to just how campy and fun Batman could be. (The duality of man, or something.) No joke, there’s a picture of me in a Batman costume when I was around 4, and I had all kinds of Batman shirts from toddlerhood till, well, now. Jack Nicholson’s Joker remains at the top of my list of villains, but I do greatly enjoy the updated version of Harley Quinn. Now if we could just get a live-action version of her and Poison Ivy, I’d be pleased as punch. –Whitley Albury, Staff Writer

In terms of Gothamties, I much prefer the villains over Batsy. They are more sophisticated and classier. However, if I am forced to choose an incarnation of The Batman I have to go with Adam West's portrayal. His exuberance for the role is enough to make even the most depressed individual smile for at least a couple of seconds.

As for selecting one villain, I curse the person that asks me to choose just one. Each one brings such unique thrills to the screen. If I am forced though, I have to go with Penguin from the hit television program, Gotham. He has a rough exterior, but his heart is made of gold and he truly has a keen sense of fashion. -Rosalie Kicks, Old Sport

The definitive version of Batman for me will always be Batman: The Animated Series. Everything about it is perfect: the tone, the voice acting, the visuals. I’ll always have a ton of respect for the Keaton/Burton combo (especially for their gothic art-deco look) but they were a little too “adult” for my parents in the early ‘90s, so I didn’t see either of them until I was well into my teen years. As far as the baddies go, I’m headed right back to The Animated Series (and subsequent incarnations of the character) for Mr. Freeze. I think he’s one of the villains that’s easiest to connect to emotionally, whose motivations are pretty easy to grasp: he just wants to save his terminally ill wife, by any means necessary. –Clayton Hayes, Staff Writer

Ah, The Batman - everyone’s favorite billionaire (I guess? I don’t think I have one…) I would much rather have Bat-fun than Bat-seriousness, so I think my fave Batman is Michael Keaton. Because to me, he seems like the weirdest guy. Very eccentric with unique collections, not as angry as some of the others. This is from what I remember anyway. I am looking forward to seeing our sparkling prince Eddie take his turn. Fave villain? I am echoing Clayton here - Mr. Freeze from The Animated Series. Total romance. I get you, Mr. Freeze. I mean, the animated one. I don’t think I found Arnold romantical in his role as Mr. Freeze? Do I have to rewatch these movies? I think I have to rewatch these movies. –Ashley Jane Davis, Staff Writer

Favourite Batz is definitely Michael Keaton, although I do enjoy Will Arnett as Lego Batman too. Burton Bats are Best. Favourite villain is a much harder question, but it’s between Catwoman and The Penguin - which is why Batman Returns has everything I could want and more. Pfeiffer and DeVito, being absolute weirdos in their own unique ways, love it. –Fiona Underhill, Contributor

I used the entire 7 years of the The Dark Knight trilogy as a means of trying to convince my family I was straight. In reality, I was only watching because I had a massive crush on Christian Bale. This also explains why my answer to the bonus question is Catwoman. –Matt Crump, Staff Writer