The Evolution of Batman Through the Years

Val Kilmer stepped into the role when Joel Schumacher took the film series in a brighter and more flamboyant direction with Batman Forever. Although the production is remembered for neon-soaked Gotham streets, extravagant villains, and increasingly spectacular action, Kilmer’s Bruce Wayne was surprisingly introspective beneath all that visual excess. The story returned directly to Bruce’s childhood trauma, exploring suppressed memories surrounding his parents’ deaths and asking why he continued choosing the Batman identity as an adult. His relationship with Dick Grayson also pushed Bruce into unfamiliar emotional territory as he confronted another young man consumed by the desire for revenge. Kilmer’s restrained performance sometimes competed with the much louder characters surrounding him, particularly Jim Carrey’s Riddler and Tommy Lee Jones’ Two-Face.