How Batman Has (Literally) Grown over Time

How tall and short has Batman been? The shortest is, surprisingly, not Michael Keaton from the 1989 movie. It was LEGO Batman--if he counts. This chart and article by The Economist describes how directors have compensated for the actors' varying heights and weights:

Mr Keaton was the most diminutive of the actors to play Batman, weighing just 159 lbs and reaching only 5”10. To compensate, the slight superhero was shot in narrow doorways (giving the illusion of breadth) or near to the camera, and other characters constantly referred to a “six-foot bat”. George Clooney was also a little short for the role, but appeared bulky and imposing in the ill-fated “Batman and Robin” (1997). He never shared screen-time with the “super soldier” Bane, and only fought the hilarious Mr Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger) hand-to-hand at the film’s climax.

Later Batmen did not require such choreography. Val Kilmer’s sturdy build spoke for itself, with some help from the script: Nicole Kidman, his love interest, lasciviously implored us to gaze at his “eyes, [his] lips, [his] body”. Mr Bale trained topless in “Batman Begins” (2005) and “The Dark Knight Rises” (2012). Not to be outdone, Mr Affleck stars in a semi-nude and perspiration-filled training montage featuring tyres and chains.

The DC Animated Universe films are not included in this chart. But I vaguely recall Batman being mentioned as 6'4" in one of them.

-via Jonah Goldberg