Believe it or not, one of the most powerful political figures in the United States has also been in not one, but five, count 'em five Batman movies. Indeed, Senator Patrick Leahy, a Democrat from Vermont, is a self-proclaimed huge fan of the iconic DC Comics hero. Be it a powerful figure in the field of politics or otherwise, not many fans can say they've been in any movies related to their comic book heroes, let alone five. But the third man in line for the presidency has been in a handful.

Senator Patrick Leahy was first elected in 1974 and has been serving his country ever since. As it also happens, he's the longest-serving member of the Senate. As President pro tempore of the Senate, that puts him at third in line to become President of the United States, per the official presidential line of succession. He is just behind Vice President Kamala Harris, who was elected alongside President Joe Biden, and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Unlikely though it may be that Leahy would ever actually need to assume the presidency, a particularly high-ranking member of the U.S. Government who has also graced the silver screen alongside Bruce Wayne several times could, under wild circumstances, become president.

Leahy has been a fan of Batman since he was four, discovering the character at his local library. In 1996, he worked with DC Comics on Batman: Death of Innocents: The Horror of Landmines, which was used to warn of the dangers of landmines. Doing away with landmines is something Leahy is passionate about and he felt Batman could help deliver that message to the masses. The collaboration paved the way for Leahy to make his first on-screen appearance in Batman Forever, which featured Val Kilmer as Bruce Wayne. And so began Leahy's long history of appearing in the franchise.

Next, the senator appeared in Batman & Robin, which saw George Clooney take on the lead role. Patrick Leahy played a version of himself, credited as "Senator Patrick Leahy." His sting continued in Christopher Nolan's beloved The Dark Knight. Here, Leahy had his most memorable scene in the franchise, confronting Heath Ledger's Joker at Bruce Wayne's fundraiser for Harvey Dent. Leahy additionally appeared as "Board Member #2 in The Dark Knight Rises. Most recently, the 80-year-old politician appeared in Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice as Senator Purrington. His character was blown up in the United States Capitol during Superman's hearing.

Amazingly, that's not all when it comes to Senator Leahy and the franchise. He also voices a character in the episode Shutdown of Batman: The Animated Series. Leahy played the part of "Territorial Governor." Leahy also contributed a forward to DC's Detective Comics: 80 Years of Batman. In it, he explained why he loves the character so much saying, "The Batman prevailed through superior intellect and detective skills, through the freedoms afforded by great wealth and through sheer will. Not superpowers, but skill, science and rationality." This news comes to us via CNN.