(Possibly) Controversial opinion: Adam West is the most intimidating Batman

[Jiminy]

After watching quite a bit of the 60s show, I came to this conclusion. Now, this sounds absolutely crazy but bear with me:

He doesn't hide in the shadows: Adam West's Batman is not called the Bright Knight for nothing. He is perfectly willing to face his foes in broad daylight under a bright, blue sky if necessary. "Darkness is your ally" most definitely does not apply to this Batman. Also, notice how he never sneaks up on his enemies. He doesn't hide in the rafters above, swinging from gargoyle to gargoyle or perform bungee-jumping, hit-and-run stealth attacks. No, he just charges straight in and announces his presence. His entire style is basically just "Here I am, now bring it on".

His costume: It looks ridiculous and that's the point. He doesn't wear thick, bullet proof, super Hi-Tech advanced battle armor. Instead, he wears something that looks like a bargain basement Halloween costume. Like something only a lunatic would run around in. I won't lie, if I was a criminal and saw a guy in the full light of day, heading towards me in this getup, proclaiming me under-arrest, I wouldn't laugh. Instead, I'd be extremely unnerved. I'd think, is this guy mentally all there? Maybe I'd better take him seriously. Who knows what he might do If I don't?

He never, ever, (unless it was in an episode I didn't watch) loses his temper. Honestly, that's probably that's probably the most intimidating part for me. Someone who is completely calm at all times and never raises their voice would unnerve the hell out of me. I'd probably be walking on eggshells around them, in anticipation of the very thing that would cause them to finally snap.

Thoughts? As I said, probably controversial, but interesting to see what others think.

[JT221]

Honestly, I think his Batman would really wind up like this:

https://youtu.be/7YyBtMxZgQs

That said, I absolutely loved how they worked him into Batman 900.

[thwhtGuardian]

Honestly, I think his Batman would really wind up like this:

https://youtu.be/7YyBtMxZgQs

That said, I absolutely loved how they worked him into Batman 900.

Eh, the gag was done already and in a better story by Warren Ellis back on Planetary two decades ago.

[Majesty]

"Start pounding, Joker."

[Buried Alien]

Adam West's Batman would grin like a loon at you while beating you senseless. If that isn't scary, nothing is.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[bat39]

So this reminds me of the opinion expressed in this article (https://comicsalliance.com/ask-chris...night-returns/) and elsewhere that Miller's Batman in DKR is a kind of natural evolution of the Adam West Batman (and the Silver Age take on Batman in general). It's not that hard to see DKR Batman as the West Batman 20 years later, in a Gotham City (and more broadly, an America) that has gone to sh#t, with the gloves off and no veneer of heroism or 'being a duly deputized agent of the law' left. The BIFF! BAM! ZAP! are replaced with the more realistic sound of a jaw cracking or a spine snapping.

Adam West Batman is Batman at his absolute peak of competence - working with the authorities to ensure a completely safe and crime-free Gotham, barring the odd eccentric criminal who gets taken down and tossed back in jail in a matter of days, if not hours. Alternatively, one might even argue that 60's Gotham is a kind of benevolent police state - enjoy life amidst the baseball matches, art galleries and society galas, but if you step out of line, the police will send their costumed 'deputized agents' to beat the cr#p out of you and toss your ass in jail!

[sunofdarkchild]

He's definitely a frightening creature here.

[Pete26]

I actually like your premise. I'm a huge fan of the 60's show having grown up with it as a kid and loved the way he just jumped in tights and all, including endangering his ally Robin. I never understood how no-one particularly the highest ranking coppers of Gotham city saw through the disguise. Adam West didn't even disguise his voice. No wonder they needed Batman. Good detective as well.

[Jiminy]

To expand a bit more on my first point, I think one thing that makes Adam West's Batman genuinely unsettling is that unlike almost every other version of Batman, who uses the shadows of night as a cover, West's Batman, combined with his looney outfit and his borderline-freakish sense of calm would play, even to an innocent, like a version of what TV Tropes would refer to as "Daylight Horror".

And just to expand on the costume part as well, even Batman's equally outlandish costume in the comics is always drawn as sophisticatedly designed and tailored to his physique. West, on the other hand, looks he just cut up a plastic bin bag, stitched an ill fitting cowl to it, and went "Yep, that'll do." Whether or not he's actually aware of just how he looks is up for interpretation, but if I saw a middle aged, average-shaped guy dressed like that in broad daylight, unironically acting like this was a totally normal thing to do and walking in my direction, I'd probably be silently cursing a blue streak at the traffic lights to hurry up and change so I can cross to the other side of the street as quickly as possible.

And this leads me to another theory, but something makes me think that the Batmobile in this show was actually a gift from the city authorities. West's Batman doesn't really strike me as a particularly gear-headed type of guy, or if the episode where he runs against the Penguin for mayor is any indication, like a very stylish type of guy in general.

[Alan2099]

Also worth noting is that no villain in West's world wants to come at Batman alone. They ALWAYS have a gang of goons with them, and if they catch Batman, they're going to try to kill him. ALL his villains want him dead. Joker isn't going to play games. He wants Batman dead. Riddler, Penguin, even CATWOMAN, they're going to stick him in a specially designed death trap the first chance they get.

[bat39]

Also worth noting is that no villain in West's world wants to come at Batman alone. They ALWAYS have a gang of goons with them, and if they catch Batman, they're going to try to kill him. ALL his villains want him dead. Joker isn't going to play games. He wants Batman dead. Riddler, Penguin, even CATWOMAN, they're going to stick him in a specially designed death trap the first chance they get.

Yeah this show had the most objectively evil version of Catwoman. Even Golden Age Catwoman, in her earliest appearances, was a slightly less villainous character whom you could realistically believe that Batman would develop a soft spot for.

[Vakanai]

Personally I kind of feel like calling Adam West's take intimidating goes against the spirit of the purpose of that take. Adam West's Batman was so badass because he wasn't intimidating, he was just good. It's like how Superman is often the most powerful person in the room, yet very rarely is the alien strong man who can shoot lasers from his eyes made to be intimidating. He can be, just like the West version could be mildly threatening to villains, but really they're kinda great because they aren't intimidating, they're just heroic.

[babyblob]

I always kind of though That the Batman Returns and Batman and Robin Movies with their wackiness and camp were perfect extensions of The Adam West Batman. In my head cannon those are just big budget Batman 66 movies. That makes them easier to watch.

I do like how Adam West Batman was as was pointed out always calm and collected. Even when he had a shark biting he leg he just asked for the shark repellent and went back to business.

[bat39]

Personally I kind of feel like calling Adam West's take intimidating goes against the spirit of the purpose of that take. Adam West's Batman was so badass because he wasn't intimidating, he was just good. It's like how Superman is often the most powerful person in the room, yet very rarely is the alien strong man who can shoot lasers from his eyes made to be intimidating. He can be, just like the West version could be mildly threatening to villains, but really they're kinda great because they aren't intimidating, they're just heroic.

I think that as camp as we find West's Batman from a real-world perspective, in-universe he's meant to be intimidating. Maybe not so much in a "this guy is a monster who emerges from the shadows to beat the crap out of people" way, but definitely in a "this guy is like a super-cop who'll beat the crap out of you and toss you in jail" kinda way.

[Jiminy]

One thing I find intriguing about West's Batman is that we have no idea what he was like when he started being Batman. Heck, for all we know, maybe he was the scowly, shadowy vigilante we're all used to, but softened out over time, possibly with Robin's help. It's interesting to speculate.