Batman was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger in Detective Comics #27 (1939). The concept was partly inspired by Zorro and The Shadow with name by Kane, but character work and script by Bill Finger. There were movie serials in the 40's, the character was first played by Lewis Wilson in Batman (1943), and then Robert Lowery in Batman and Robin (1947). It was really the Batman tv show that sealed the Dark Knight in pop culture.
The steps in front of the Gotham police department from the tv show, Warner Bros. Studio Tour, 2014, photo by the author.
The BAM! POW! was part of pop culture, we see it in the paintings of Roy Lichtenstein embraced the color and zaniness of comic books. It was fun and satiric. Launched by Batman: The Movie (1966), the quartet of villains in the United Underworld were bizarre, the death traps thrilling, and the gadgets are just absurd with the Shark Repellent Bat Spray! We had Adam West and Burt Ward reprising their iconic roles in the spoofy Legends of the Superheroes (1979). They also had a reunion with The Batman actors in Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt (2003).
The legacy of that show was so strong, it was difficult to break away until the 80's. Now, we see it reflected in the Batman `66 comic book and the animated movies, Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders (2016) and the perfect synthesis of show, animated series, and comics IMO, Batman vs. Two-Face (2017). We saw the return of Burt Ward's Dick Grayson in the "Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part One" (2019) episode of Supergirl. The Dynamic Duo and Batgirl will always be fighting to keep the streets of Gotham safe!
Batman shifted into cartoons with The Batman/Superman Hour by Filmation Studios voiced by Olan Soule and Casey Kasem played Robin. Also crossing over with Scooby Doo by Hanna Barbera and then joining the Super Friends in various series from 1973 to 1986. Burt Ward voiced Robin in The New Adventures of Batman (1977) animated series. The end of the 80's started another Batman craze with Tim Burton's Batman (1989).
The character had a James Bond, noir flair with the comic book run by Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams in the 70's. The game changer was Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns limited series, it was in thick, bookshelf format, and this looked like the vision that was in the Batman film. Batman was now serious not silly. This had Michael Keaton playing Batman. It was a bit controversial since he previously was in Beetlejuice (1988) with director Tim Burton. Keaton was thought to be a comedic actor by Hollywood, but the Batsuit gave him action chops. It is rumored that he will return to play Batman in The Flash movie by Andy Muschietti.
The follow-up, Batman Returns (1992) had Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman. Side note for Catwoman, the character first appeared in Batman #1 (1940) and became a pop culture sensation first played by Lee Meriweather in the 1966 Batman movie. Her Miss Kitka hinted at Bruce Wayne's romance with Catwoman. Then, the character was immortalized with Julie Newmar's Catwoman in her slinky, black leather-like costume, and played with puuurfection by Eartha Kitt. We had Anne Hathaway's version in The Dark Knight Rises (2012). The comics led to the Wedding of Batman & Catwoman by Tom King and Mikel Janin, but of course such pairing couldn't last forever.
There was a constant change of Batman actors, Val Kilmer in Batman Forever (1995), and finally George Clooney in Batman & Robin (1997). Joel Schumacher took over from Burton with these films and placed with the Burton darkness with a neon look. I don't consider Batman & Robin to be the worst Batman film, you have to take it in context, it is meant to be the merging of Burton and 60's. It may not have worked, but it is entertainment.
Batman & Robin seemed to kill The Batman franchise, but it did continue with Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995) from Warner Bros. Animation. It was developed by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Mitch Brian. Kevin Conroy is perfect as Batman and Loren Lester voiced Robin. It was incredible to see Conroy play Batman on screen with "Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Two" (2019) episode of Batwoman. This was The Batman of Earth-99 who was the retired Batman kept mobile by his suit that was in the comic book series, Kingdom Come, by Mark Waid and Alex Ross.
We also had Tara Strong as Batgirl. Still, the newest addition to the Batman universe was the character of Harley Quinn voiced by Arleen Sorkin. Every incarnation of character seems to be iconic with Margot Robbie's portrayal in Suicide Squad (2016) in film. This leads us to director, Christopher Nolan, and his Dark Knight trilogy. He was able to build a more grounded Batman with Christian Bale in Batman Begins (2005). The Batmobile was controversial, the fans were outraged that the tank looked nothing like previous visions of the Batmobile. Of course, now we know that the Batmobile has speed, stealth, and power! When it was parked at Comic Con, those upset fans were now in awe of it!
The sequel, The Dark Knight (2008), changed everything. It featured the addition of Jonathan Nolan for the screenplay. It was the Academy Awards that made an impact on cinema. The Dark Knight was nominated for eight awards, including Best Supporting Actor, not a technical award, which lifts this movie up from the fan boy acclaim. It was of course awards posthumously to Heath Ledger playing the Joker. So this brings us up to date with Ben Affleck playing Bruce Wayne in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), a cameo in Suicide Squad, and Justice League (2017). We have upcoming the Matt Reeves directed The Batman with Robert Pattison in the lead role. There is a Batman for every era and every fan!
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