Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, who is currently the longest-serving member of the Senate, isn't shy about his love for the Batman franchise. The President pro tempore has cited the Caped Crusader as influencing him all throughout his life, sparking an interest in reading from a young age. If his face looks familiar, it's because he’s actually appeared in five Batman movies.

Leahy’s first screen acting cameo came in 1995 during the widely panned Batman Forever. In Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, he was even on the receiving end of an explosive as Senator Purrington. Leahy joked to Roll Call in 2016 (via CNN): “I explain to everybody that getting blown up was OK ’cause my wife’s a registered nurse. She put me back together and I never missed a vote.”

His true moment to shine came in 2008’s The Dark Knight. Leahy’s character confronts the Joker, played by Heath Ledger, telling him that he’s “not intimidated by thugs.” The Joker then proceeds to pull a knife out on him. “He scared the heck out of me, when he came at me with the knife,” he told Roll Call. “I didn’t have to act.”

While Leahy has been able to successfully balance a life in politics with a life in Gotham City, he didn’t seek out an appearance in Matt Reeves’ upcoming film The Batman. “I have too many other things going on with Covid, with appropriation bills,” he told the Burlington Free Press in August.

While the chances of Leahy assuming the role of president are unlikely, it’s still fun to know Leahy’s colorful background as a recurring member of the Batman universe.

Gallery — A Visual History of Batman In Movies:

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