I genuinely can’t believe that I’m only now connecting the dots about how Adam West’sBatmanhas his own movie trilogy. Despite first appearing back in the 1960s, Adam West’s Batman remains one of the most popular iterations of the character of all time.
WhileAdam West wasn’t the first person to pick up the cowl, he was potentially the first one to gain so much success in the role. And in addition to an incredibly popular TV run,West even starred in aBatmanmoviethat would unwittingly lead to one of the more unique superhero trilogies ever made.
Adam West’s 60s Batman Movie Is One Of The First Big Dark Knight Films
Batman: The Movie Shaped The Future Of Comic Book Movies
In 1966, Adam West crashed on to television screens in glorious technicolor alongside his fateful companion, Robin, played by Burt Ward. And while theseries gained modest success, it wasn’t until the release ofBatman: The Movie, which came out at the end of the first season, that it really took off.
While itlooks verydifferent to modernBatmanfilms, this colorful, campy, and over-the-top approach to comic book movies was on trend. And the movie managed to elevate the series to legendary status, and assure the future of the show for another two seasons.
Adam West’s 60s Batman Movie Has Two 2010s Successors
Adam West Returned To Star In Batman: The Movie’s Sequels
And while the show released an incredible 120 episodes between 1966 and 1968, the series was retired after that point. But thatwasn’t the end of West’s relationship with the characteras he would return in various formats and cameos down the years.
But while some of these roles just usedWest for his iconic voice and association with the character, there are two movies that serve as direct sequels to the original TV series and the first movie.
In 2016,Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaderreunited much of the castfrom the original series, including West and Burt Ward, before the trilogy is rounded out in 2017 withBatman Vs Two-Face.
Why The Two Newer Batman Movies Are Far Less Well-Known
Animated Batman Movies Get Less Attention
While these movies are expansions of one of the most beloved iterations of Batman, the animatedmovies have managed to slip under the radarto some degree. For one, the films are animated, which automatically causes a large part of the fanbase to immediately deem it as less important than live-action.
But beyond that, the movies came out 50 years after the original series. No matter how beloved the show is, this is a long time to go without the story being continued. Asequel that tries to revisit a story from half a century earlieris always going to be fighting an uphill battle.
While these movies are expansions of one of the most beloved iterations of Batman, the animated movies have managed to slip under the radar to some degree.
And finally, the movies didn’t get a theatrical release, which means the marketing around them was also much less pronounced. Despite this, the trilogy is an extremely enjoyable andnostalgic ride for any fans of Adam West’sBatman.
