Changes

==Film and television==

==Film and television==

The first dramatic appearance of Batman appeared as a reoccurring guest star on the "Superman" radio series. Interestingly, during the initial story line, Batman and Robin didn't interact with Superman, but Clark Kent.  Batman's young side-kick, "Robin", was created specifically as an exposition device, desperately needed in radio.  Although a pilot episode was recorded, Batman never received his own radio series.   

The first dramatic appearance of Batman appeared as a reoccurring guest star on the ''Superman'' radio series. Interestingly, during the initial story line, Batman and Robin didn't interact with Superman, but Clark Kent.  Batman's young side-kick, "Robin", was created specifically as an exposition device, desperately needed in radio.  Although a pilot episode was recorded, Batman never received his own radio series.   

====Film serials====

====Film serials====

====''Batman'' television series====

====''Batman'' television series====

In January 1966, ABC released a "Batman" television series starring Adam West and Burt Ward.  During the series pre-production, there was a heated debate over which direction the Caped Crusader should be taken.  Eventually, Producer William Dozier's vision won out - "Batman" would be a high budgeted, camp series which often made the character more droll than stern.  This portrayal of the character, while it was in line with the comics of the time, came in later years to be reviled by fans, particularly during the '80s and '90s.  During the summer of 1966, Dozier released a "Batman" feature film, also starring Adam West.   

In January 1966, ABC released a ''Batman'' television series starring Adam West and Burt Ward as Batman and Robin.  During the series pre-production, there was a heated debate over which direction the Caped Crusader should be taken.  Eventually, producer William Dozier's vision won out - "Batman" would be a high budgeted, camp series which often made the character more droll than stern.  This portrayal of the character, while it was in line with the comics of the time, came in later years to be reviled by fans, particularly during the 1980s and '90s.  During the summer of 1966, Dozier released a ''Batman'' feature film, also starring Adam West.   

Although the series caught on quickly, its ratings fell just as suddenly.  During the series' third season, Yvonne Craig was hired to portray "Batgirl", but this did nothing to slow the ratings plunge.  The last few episode of "Batman" were among the lowest rated television series of the 60s.   

Although the series caught on quickly, its ratings fell just as suddenly.  During the series' third season, Yvonne Craig was hired to portray Batgirl/Barbara Gordon, but this did nothing to slow the ratings plunge.  The last few episode of "Batman" were among the lowest rated television series of the 1960s.   

For many years after, the "Batman" television series defined the filmed comic book template, which can be seen feature films such as "[[Doc Savage]]" and the television productions of "The Justice League" and "The Spirit".  In 1978 Adam West and Burt Ward would both be reunited in the two-part television special "The Legend of the Superheroes", in which Batman and Robin were part of a group of superheroes thwarting the attempts of a rival collection of villains to take over the world in a combination of camp and comedy, with the second part of the special having both groups taking part in a celebratory roast hosted by Ed McMahon.  The camp-template suffered by Batman would be broken in 1978 as well, by a successful show with well-written scripts titled "[[The Incredible Hulk]]" starring [[Bill Bixby]], and based on the character owned by rival publisher [[Marvel Comics]].  Meanwhile, the course of the character as written in the comics since 1973 had returned him to his darker roots as writers and artists placed him in more compelling storylines and situations, culminating in 1986's four-part ''The Dark Knight Returns'' by Frank Miller, a work which helped influence director Tim Burton prior to putting Batman on the big screen once more.

For many years after, the ''Batman'' television series defined the filmed comic book template, which can be seen feature films such as ''[[Doc Savage]]'' and the television productions of ''The Justice League'' and ''The Spirit''.  In 1978 Adam West and Burt Ward would both be reunited in the two-part television special ''The Legend of the Superheroes'', in which Batman and Robin were part of a group of superheroes thwarting the attempts of a rival collection of villains to take over the world in a combination of camp and comedy, with the second part of the special having both groups taking part in a celebratory roast hosted by Ed McMahon.  The camp-template suffered by Batman would be broken in 1978 as well, by a successful show with well-written scripts titled ''[[The Incredible Hulk]]'' starring [[Bill Bixby]], and based on the character owned by rival publisher [[Marvel Comics]].  Meanwhile, the course of the character as written in the comics since 1973 had returned him to his darker roots as writers and artists placed him in more compelling storylines and situations, culminating in 1986's four-part ''The Dark Knight Returns'' by Frank Miller, a work which helped influence director Tim Burton prior to putting Batman on the big screen once more.

====Early animation====

====Early animation====

While Adam West was in costume in prime time, the Filmation and Hanna-Barbera studios made several efforts to bring Batman to Saturday mornings in animated form.  In 1968, Batman appeared with Superman in Filmation's "Batman/Superman Hour", a program divided into individual shorts featuring "Dragnet" character-actor Olan Soule as the voice of Batman, and radio disk jockey Casey Kasem as Robin.  The following year the show was cut to thirty minutes, with just the Batman shorts in Filmation's newly titled "Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder", also lasting a year.

While Adam West was in costume in prime time, the Filmation and Hanna-Barbera studios made several efforts to bring Batman to Saturday mornings in animated form.  In 1968, Batman appeared with Superman in Filmation's ''Batman/Superman Hour'', a program divided into individual shorts featuring ''Dragnet'' character-actor Olan Soule as the voice of Batman, and radio disk jockey Casey Kasem as Robin.  The following year the show was cut to thirty minutes, with just the Batman shorts in Filmation's newly titled ''Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder'', also lasting a year.

Hanna-Barbera created the "Superfriends" in 1973, again using Soule and Kasem for voice work, and placed Batman and Robin alongside Superman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman in a "hall of justice" as the team fought minor villains around the world with a built-in moral message for children watching it.  The "Superfriends" proved a success, ultimately spinning off several creations through the early-1980s.

Hanna-Barbera created the ''Superfriends'' in 1973, again using Soule and Kasem for voice work, and placed Batman and Robin alongside Superman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman in a "hall of justice" as the team fought minor villains around the world with a built-in moral message for children watching it.  The ''Superfriends'' proved a success, ultimately spinning off several creations through the early-1980s.

====Tim Burton films====

====Tim Burton films====

[[Batman (film, 1989)|''Batman'']] was released to the screen in 1989, taking a dark tone and look, with director [[Tim Burton]] portraying Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton) as a reclusive, quirky billionaire who probably was not entirely sane.  While at first wary of an actor known primarily for comedies playing Batman, fans caught on after seeing the trailer to the film, with many of them paying for tickets just to see the trailer alone and walking out of the theaters without even watching the actual movie they paid for.  The film was a success, and was widely lauded for [[Jack Nicholson]]'s portrayal of Batman's nemesis, the Joker.  It was followed up with 1992's ''Batman Returns'', which, while not as well-reviewed or successful, was still accepted by the fans, and brought the iconic figures of Catwoman and the Penguin into the movie universe.

''[[Batman (film, 1989)|Batman]]'' was released to the screen in 1989, taking a dark tone and look, with director [[Tim Burton]] portraying Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton) as a reclusive, quirky billionaire who probably was not entirely sane.  While at first wary of an actor known primarily for comedies playing Batman, fans caught on after seeing the trailer to the film, with many of them paying for tickets just to see the trailer alone and walking out of the theaters without even watching the actual movie they paid for.  The film was a success, and was widely lauded for [[Jack Nicholson]]'s portrayal of Batman's nemesis, the Joker.  It was followed up with 1992's ''Batman Returns'', which, while not as well-reviewed or successful, was still accepted by the fans, and brought the iconic figures of Catwoman and the Penguin into the movie universe.

====Joel Schumacher Films====

====Joel Schumacher Films====

Tim Burton was replaced with Joel Schumacher for the third Batman movie in the canon, ''Batman Forever'' (1995), which introduced Robin (Batman's iconic sidekick), and the villains the Riddler and Two-Face.  Whereas Burton had tried for a more dark and Gothic look, Schumacher went with bright neon colors and brought back some of the camp of the '60s TV series.  The movie did well at the box office, but received mixed reviews.  The fourth and final film of the series was ''Batman and Robin'', released in 1997.  Widely regarded as the worst of the series by fan and critic alike, ''Batman and Robin'' returned fully to camp, featuring "candy-coated" sets, poor special effects, weirder science than normal from Bat-Media, character derailment, and Arnold Schwarzenegger as the lead villain Mr. Freeze, who had with barely 100 lines of dialogue, over half of which centered around cold-themed puns.  This film was reviled for years as having "killed" the franchise, and performed relatively poorly in ticket sales.  Prior to the release of ''Batman & Robin'', a fifth film, entitled ''Batman Triumphant'', was planned.  The film would have seen George Clooney return as Batman, with the villains reportedly being the Scarecrow (with Jeff Goldblum playing the role), and Harley Quinn (with Madonna reportedly being offered the role).  Other villains that would've appeared include the Mad Hatter (reportedly said to have been Martin Short) and Man-Bat (reportedly being played by Mark-Linn Baker).  Jack Nicholson would also return as the Joker, being a hallucination as a result of the Scarecrow's fear toxin.  The film had been slated for release around 1999-2001.

Tim Burton was replaced with Joel Schumacher for the third Batman movie in the canon, ''Batman Forever'' (1995), which introduced Robin (Batman's iconic sidekick), and the villains the Riddler and Two-Face.  Whereas Burton had tried for a more dark and Gothic look, Schumacher went with bright neon colors and brought back some of the camp of the 1960s TV series.  The movie did well at the box office, but received mixed reviews.  The fourth and final film of the series was ''Batman and Robin'', released in 1997.  Widely regarded as the worst of the series by fan and critic alike, ''Batman and Robin'' returned fully to camp, featuring "candy-coated" sets, poor special effects, weirder science than normal from Bat-Media, character derailment, and Arnold Schwarzenegger as the lead villain Mr. Freeze, who had with barely 100 lines of dialogue, over half of which centered around cold-themed puns.  This film was reviled for years as having "killed" the franchise, and performed relatively poorly in ticket sales.  Prior to the release of ''Batman & Robin'', a fifth film, entitled ''Batman Triumphant'', was planned.  The film would have seen George Clooney return as Batman, with the villains reportedly being the Scarecrow (with Jeff Goldblum playing the role), and Harley Quinn (with Madonna reportedly being offered the role).  Other villains that would've appeared include the Mad Hatter (reportedly said to have been Martin Short) and Man-Bat (reportedly being played by Mark-Linn Baker).  Jack Nicholson would also return as the Joker, being a hallucination as a result of the Scarecrow's fear toxin.  The film had been slated for release around 1999-2001.

The tone of the first two Burton movies influenced the 1991 critically-acclaimed ''Batman: The Animated Series'', a cartoon shown at first in prime time.  Some of its takes on certain villains - such as Mr. Freeze - became iconic, and it introduced several characters that eventually "immigrated" to the comics, such as Detective Renee Montoya, and the Joker's hench-girlfriend, Harley Quinn.

The tone of the first two Burton movies influenced the 1991 critically-acclaimed ''Batman: The Animated Series'', a cartoon shown at first in prime time.  Some of its takes on certain villains - such as the Joker (whose appearance in this series was based on Jack Nicholson's portrayal in the 1989 movie) and Mr. Freeze - became iconic, and it introduced several characters that eventually "immigrated" to the comics, such as Detective Renee Montoya, and the Joker's hench-girlfriend, Harley Quinn.

====Fan films====

====Fan films====

The film series was rebooted again in 2005, with ''[[Batman Begins]]'', a grittier, more realistic take on Batman.  In this film director [[Christopher Nolan]] took Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) halfway around the world in search of the answer to the riddle of criminality.  He learns to fight multiple opponents, conceal himself, and gains the will to act in defense of others.  Returning to Gotham after being declared legally dead, he deftly maneuvers himself back into the control of his murdered father's company and resolves to terrify the criminal element by making himself seem inhuman, choosing the mantle of a bat, because bats scare ''him''.

The film series was rebooted again in 2005, with ''[[Batman Begins]]'', a grittier, more realistic take on Batman.  In this film director [[Christopher Nolan]] took Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) halfway around the world in search of the answer to the riddle of criminality.  He learns to fight multiple opponents, conceal himself, and gains the will to act in defense of others.  Returning to Gotham after being declared legally dead, he deftly maneuvers himself back into the control of his murdered father's company and resolves to terrify the criminal element by making himself seem inhuman, choosing the mantle of a bat, because bats scare ''him''.

Several critically-acclaimed comic book stories - among them ''The Long Halloween'' and ''The Killing Joke'' - were used as in the most recent entry in Nolan's series, ''[[The Dark Knight]]'' (2008), which has thus far exceeded all expectations.  Almost universally lauded by critics and shattering numerous box-office records, ''The Dark Knight'' featured the final complete performance of [[Heath Ledger]] as a monstrous version of the Joker, a psychotic who thinks the only sane way to live is without rules and wants to prove it to the world - and at the same time gave the artists and writers who penned the Batman stories a version of the Joker they thought was closest to their own.  Though the tone at the start of the film is hopeful - Batman has inspired citizens to stand up for themselves again and has organized crime in the city reeling - it quickly spirals downward, embodying the theme that Nolan chose for the movie: things have to get worse before they get better.

Several critically-acclaimed comic book stories - among them ''The Long Halloween'' and ''The Killing Joke'' - were used as in the most recent entry in Nolan's series, ''[[The Dark Knight]]'' (2008), which has thus far exceeded all expectations.  Almost universally lauded by critics and shattering numerous box-office records, ''The Dark Knight'' featured the final complete performance of [[Heath Ledger]] as a monstrous version of the Joker, a psychotic who thinks the only sane way to live [[anarchy|is without rules]] and wants to prove it to the world - and at the same time gave the artists and writers who penned the Batman stories a version of the Joker they thought was closest to their own.  Though the tone at the start of the film is hopeful - Batman has inspired citizens to stand up for themselves again and has organized crime in the city reeling - it quickly spirals downward, embodying the theme that Nolan chose for the movie: things have to get worse before they get better.

''[[The Dark Knight Rises]]'' was the third film in what has since been called ''The Dark Knight Trilogy''.  It was released on July 20, 2012.  Most of the cast from the previous two films returned.  New cast members included Tom Hardy as Bane, Anne Hathaway as Catwoman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake, and Marion Cotillard Miranda Tate/Talia al Ghul.  The film takes place eight years after ''The Dark Knight''.

''[[The Dark Knight Rises]]'' was the third film in what has since been called ''The Dark Knight Trilogy''.  It was released on July 20, 2012.  Most of the cast from the previous two films returned.  New cast members included Tom Hardy as Bane, Anne Hathaway as Catwoman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake, and Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate/Talia al Ghul.  The film takes place eight years after ''The Dark Knight''.

====''Gotham'' (2014)====

====''Gotham'' (2014)====