In the 21st century, superhero narratives are frequently evaluated based on their realism—how “gritty,” how dark, how “adult” they are. Nowhere is this more evident than with Batman. Whether considering Christopher Nolan’s interpretation in the or the ongoing takes by , the Caped Crusader appears tailor-made for the Nirvana-backed, somber mood of tragic flashbacks and smudged eyeliner.
However, more than half a century ago, superhero media adopted a very different yet equally authentic approach. The focus wasn’t on making Bruce Wayne feel like a real individual, but rather on portraying him as what he truly was: a comic book character.
Batman debuted on television in 1966, launching with an episode where Batman (Adam West) and Robin (Burt Ward) confront The Riddler (Frank Gorshin). This established the series’ template: each week, the dynamic duo would square off against a “Special Guest Villain,” from iconic figures like Julie Newmar or Eartha Kitt as Catwoman to more obscure ones like Ethel Merman as “Lola Lasagne.” Episodes included a Bat-Gadget, a plot involving an abandoned factory, a horizontally filmed building climb, and a meticulously choreographed fight with onomatopoeia interspersed with title cards. Concluding each installment was a cliffhanger and the famous tagline: “Same Bat-Time, Same Bat-Channel.”
Was it corny? Undoubtedly. Was it low-budget? Amusingly so. Yet it was dependable, popular, humorous, and captured that over-the-top sense of danger one experiences when fully engrossed in a comic book. This effect is heightened by Adam West’s deadpan delivery, which made dancing the “Batusi” feel like a Shakespearean performance, and a rotating cast of classic Hollywood character actors—including Burgess Meredith, Cesar Romero, Vincent Price, and Milton Verle—portraying various villains.
In the six decades since Batman premiered, superhero media has veered sharply toward darkness, though the trend may be shifting once more. Recent projects, including The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Peacemaker, aim to recapture the retro comic-book vibe and whimsy of the superhero Golden Age, indicating that Batman might not have merely been a product of its era but also ahead of it.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe may have transformed the superhero landscape indefinitely, but it was Batman that truly birthed the phenomenon. Even if it’s not the same Bat-time, it remains the same Bat-channel.