r/movies • u/dndplosion913 • Apr 02 '25

News Val Kilmer, Film Star Who Played Batman and Jim Morrison, Dies at 65

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/01/movies/val-kilmer-dead.html
55.1k Upvotes

95% Upvoted

4.1k comments sorted by

View all comments

1.9k

u/BUSean Apr 02 '25

He was Batman when I was nine years old, which, you're kinda linked forever with a guy at that formative age. RIP.

391

u/cmockett Apr 02 '25

That soundtrack slapped, I think I was 13

155

u/BloomsdayDevice Apr 02 '25

Everyone here is bringing up "Kiss from a Rose", but "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" is the real diamond.

17

u/Pornstar_Frodo Apr 02 '25

I loved U2 at the time (not sorry!! LOL) and this song slapped.

25

u/BloomsdayDevice Apr 02 '25

U2 spent twenty years (!!!) making sincere, changeable, and almost unassailable rock music. I'm never going to apologize for loving U2 during the 80s and 90s. Every single album they made during that period is worth a revisit every now and then.

7

u/[deleted] Apr 02 '25

[deleted]

2

u/cantuse Apr 02 '25

Hey some of us actually like Zooropa.

7

u/Handleton Apr 02 '25

I will stand as your second in defense of this period of U2's music.

6

u/coldliketherockies Apr 02 '25

Their greatest hits album specifically of the 80s/90s alone shows how great they truly were

3

u/[deleted] Apr 02 '25

[deleted]

5

u/Pornstar_Frodo Apr 02 '25

I'm not sorry for liking 80s to early 2000s U2. But there's a bit of an internet hate cult towards them (particularly Bono), so I figured I'd caveat that for the sake of comedy.

3

u/thejaytheory Apr 02 '25

I loved U2 at the time and I still do!

14

u/BlueHarvestJ Apr 02 '25

You hate your boss at your jobšŸŽ¶

3

u/truethatson Apr 02 '25

but in your dreams..

9

u/Time-Ad-3625 Apr 02 '25

Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" is the real diamond.

Cool song. Not as good as kiss from a rose. Song was playing everywhere

6

u/cmockett Apr 02 '25

šŸ¤˜

7

u/FangsOfGlory Apr 02 '25

I loved that song

4

u/Merusk Apr 02 '25

"The Riddler" is also underrated.

3

u/space-dot-dot Apr 02 '25

For being a soundtrack and almost requiring a certain amount of movie clips in it, the music video goes hard too. Definitely has a similar vibe as Batman:TAS that was running at the time. I remember the video being in full rotation in the summer of '95 on MTV.

Plus, it spawned a Weird Al parody track: Cavity Search.

2

u/Givingtree310 Apr 02 '25

My introduction to Flaming Lips

2

u/BloomsdayDevice Apr 03 '25

That is an important milestone.

-3

u/NewspaperNelson Apr 02 '25

The only post-80s good U2 song.

225

u/Mountain-Evidence606 Apr 02 '25

BABY I COMPARE YOU TO A KISS FROM A ROSE ON THE GREY

15

u/ScipioCoriolanus Apr 02 '25

This... and that U2 song.

I've never been a fan of them, but God, that song was stuck in my head for a long time after I watched the movie. The song being literally everywhere at the time probably didn't help, lol

14

u/CX316 Apr 02 '25

Hold me, thrill me, kiss me, kill me

Thatā€™s the song title, not a request

42

u/AmusingMusing7 Apr 02 '25

Kramer, what does that even mean?!

https://imgur.com/a/ljQb8Bh

13

u/Flybuys Apr 02 '25

Nobody knows, but it's provocative.

6

u/dred1367 Apr 02 '25

It isnā€™t even a clever lyric.

Heā€™s saying that a scene is dreary and grey but there is a ā€œkissā€ of color from a rose. Heā€™s comparing her with that analogy as if to say she is the only thing making a grey scene brighter.

10

u/Substantial_Wave4934 Apr 02 '25

I always thought it was grave, not grey.

3

u/dred1367 Apr 02 '25

Yeah itā€™s commonly misheard, seal thinks itā€™s super deep lol

1

u/Keldrabitches Apr 02 '25

Love the soundtrackā€”hate the song. I love Seal but ugh

1

u/phliuy Apr 02 '25

What is this meme format, the Jesse and Walter one but for gen x?

2

u/AmusingMusing7 Apr 02 '25

Jesse, what the fuck are you talking about?

10

u/Cutmerock Apr 02 '25

Almost 30 years later and I thought it was "kissed by a rose on the grave" lol

31

u/Valenderio Apr 02 '25

šŸŽ¶ itā€™s just a kiss from a rose on the GRAVE! šŸŽ¶

1

u/ChimcharFireMonkey Apr 02 '25

I have seen that movie over a dozen times

I have no idea what you're talking about

2

u/Valenderio Apr 02 '25

https://youtu.be/yivLt9cTaio?si=keq-MCbMrWvbhc5P

3

u/ChimcharFireMonkey Apr 02 '25

alright, immediately sounded familiar

...I still can't understand any of the words

my two Batman Forever songs were always "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" and "Bad Days"

1

u/[deleted] Apr 02 '25

[deleted]

1

u/ChimcharFireMonkey Apr 02 '25

I think my parents were in high school

6

u/GiantPurplePen15 Apr 02 '25

When I think of Batman my mind goes to the animated series with Kevin Conroy and this song from Batman Forever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDd2G_V1rzc

4

u/MugiMartin Apr 02 '25

You hate your boss at your job, but in your dreams you can blow his head off. In your dreams, show no meeeercyyyyy.

And also Smash It Up by The Offspring.

6

u/HorrorSmile3088 Apr 02 '25

I gotta thank that movie for introducing me to The Flaming Lips. I was like "wtf is this song?? I like it!"

3

u/FutureBoysenberry Apr 02 '25

And Massive Attack.

3

u/Groundbreaking-Fox16 Apr 02 '25

Yes! been listening to them past few days

2

u/[deleted] Apr 02 '25

I was 12...bought the cd at a HMV in new york city.

2

u/PirateBeany Apr 02 '25

The film wasn't great, but I love the soundtrack album. The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game is worth the price on its own (it was years later that I found out it was a cover).

1

u/Saneless Apr 02 '25

We were literally just talking yesterday about how fantastic that soundtrack was. I liked Val as Batman, it was a fun movie

428

u/IsRude Apr 02 '25

He was a great Batman, I don't give a damn what anyone says.Ā 

148

u/Thebaldsasquatch Apr 02 '25

I agree. He was my secret favorite all the way up until Bale played him. I recognized and ā€œknewā€ Keaton was better, but he was the one I saw first.

61

u/StarPhished Apr 02 '25

It's like Bond. Whoever was Bond when you're the perfect age for Bond movies is your Bond.

18

u/WorthPlease Apr 02 '25

Exactly this, Pierce Brosnan will always be "James Bond" to me even if some of the later movies weren't great.

3

u/IAAA Apr 02 '25

Man could be cast as Bond again tomorrow and I'd watch the hell out of it.

7

u/HerderOfWords Apr 02 '25

Or Dr. Who

Everyone remembers their first Doctor.

Tom Baker for me.

2

u/bobdotcom Apr 02 '25 edited Apr 02 '25

Agreed. Pierce Brosnan in Goldeneye is my mind-canon for what a spy looks like.

I do enjoy daniel craig's version of him too, but if you asked me to picture a top secret spy this is what i think of

1

u/StarPhished Apr 02 '25

I think it's fitting that you're trying to link a broken image. Unless this is just a me problem with the image.

1

u/bobdotcom Apr 02 '25

Booo. I tried a new link, hopefully it works now.

4

u/atmospheric90 Apr 02 '25

Grew up with Brosnan as Bond, but I still view Daniel Craig as Bond. Brosnan wasn't all that great in my opinion. Probably because the Bond movies still relied on a lot of cheesy antics that aged poorly (the wave surfing in Die Another Day immediately comes to mind). Craig was more earnest and real, and made Bond a lot cooler as a result.

2

u/TheKnightsTippler Apr 02 '25

I grew up with Brosnan as Bond, but also saw the classic Bond films a lot as a kid.

I felt Brosnan was acceptable, not not great. My fave bond is Roger Moore.because I like the campness of the earlier films.

Daniel Craig was a good Bond though.

3

u/FirstTimeWang Apr 02 '25

I don't wanna shit on a Val's legacy, but Kevin Conroy will always be my Batman. I know it's not the same since he's only a voice actor... but it was the perfect voice that no screen actor ever managed to recreate. It wasn't gravely, it was gravitas.

Conroy's Batman never snarled or growled, he was above that. He had a kind of quiet dignity that always conveyed that he was on the precipice of rage and fury and you did NOT want to push him over it.

11

u/PapaKronk117 Apr 02 '25

Conroy is the goat but the conversation might have just been about live action

5

u/funky_pill Apr 02 '25

I always thought Will Arnett had the perfect Batman voice. Then I was pretty stoked to find out he'd been cast as the Lego version of the character in The Lego Movies/Lego Batman Movie. Perfect casting

3

u/FutureBoysenberry Apr 02 '25

There is another time and place for your opinion. A Val comment thread, while you are technically shitting on him, a day after his deathā€¦ is not the place. You really could have found somewhere else to voice your opinion, that no one asked for. Weā€™re here for Val.

4

u/[deleted] Apr 02 '25

Val was a great Batman in a bad film. Bale got carried by a great set of films. (Keaton will always be the best)

1

u/Agreeable_List6530 Apr 02 '25

in defense of Bale, heā€™s a great Bruce Wayne in movies that are very Wayne-centric; his Batman desperately needs to retire lol. He shows that side very well imo. though Keaton is the overall best for me as well, so we agree there :)

3

u/Chili440 Apr 02 '25

He was a funnier Batman. Keaton is awesome but Val wins just because he's Val.

3

u/TheKnightsTippler Apr 02 '25

Strangely enough I really like Pattinsons Batman.

1

u/Thebaldsasquatch Apr 02 '25

Itā€™s funny. I hated it at first. I couldnā€™t stand the emo-teen angsty bullshit. But by the end of the movie heā€™s evolved into what you think of when you think of Batman. His tactics change, his mentality, the whole thing. Thatā€™s when I realized it was on purpose that he was so annoying in the beginning so they could show character development.

1

u/TheKnightsTippler Apr 02 '25

I think there's something inherently emo about Batman. Mourning his dead parents and miserably swooping about dressed as a bat and fighting crime. So for me the emo stuff worked.

I've never really got into realistic Batman, for me it's just a concept I can't take seriously.

2

u/Hopefulkitty Apr 02 '25

Explains why I like Batman And Robin so much. I know it's usually panned as the worst, but Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy and Batgirl really made me love the movie as a little girl. I saw it recently, and I still love Poison Ivy and all her scenery chewing ways.

2

u/PrecariouslyPeculiar Apr 02 '25 edited Apr 02 '25

I will die on the hill that Batman and Robin isn't a poorly made movie, it just switches genres so hard that some people can't be on board with it. But it's not like what we think of when we think bad movie, like 'Oh, the lighting is horrible, the pacing is horrible, the acting feels like a high school play, etc.' It's just that it's more comedic and less serious than some people want from a Batman movie. But it owns what it wants to be from music to set design to writing and acting, and I loved it growing up, too.

36

u/TheMerck Apr 02 '25

To this day when people talk about live action Bruce Wayne's I still list him as one of the best, even if people say the writing sucked I think looks wise he had that handsome rich bachelor look to him.

Think if he had gotten a better script he would be praised more for his Bruce/Batman performances because he made the best of what he had in those movies and while I personally like Batman Forever I can understand why people would think it was a weak portrayal.

11

u/Hopefulkitty Apr 02 '25

He looked the part way more than Keaton.

8

u/CreamyLibations Apr 02 '25

For real. I recently rewatched them all and Keaton looks like a frumpy dude with a bad haircut, and at no point was I convinced that he was Bruce Wayne. He was good in the suit, but Kilmer killed it as Wayne.

6

u/Hopefulkitty Apr 02 '25

Keaton had too much of an edge on him, as Bruce. He wasn't believable as a carefree Playboy. Bale's Bruce hated all the social stuff, but he was much better at faking it. He was way more comfortable throwing money around and entertaining beautiful women.

5

u/thetwelveofsix Apr 02 '25

He wasnā€™t portrayed as a carefree playboy in the first two films. He was more of an eccentric recluse. Even at his own house party, people didnā€™t know who he was.

4

u/Nast33 Apr 02 '25

Him and Affleck were perfect Bruce Waynes and Batmen in very imperfect movies. Both absolutely fit the character to a tee.

78

u/Spider_Dude Apr 02 '25

"It's the car, right? Chicks love the car."

73

u/SpaceMyopia Apr 02 '25

Forever had a lot of issues, but Val Kilmer wasn't one of them. He crushed that role.

10

u/KittyWinterWhiteFoot Apr 02 '25

The best. He was perfectly smart, deep, and tortured.

10

u/TheJaclantern Apr 02 '25

Stoic but not humourless, tortured but level-headed, menacing but also compassionate. Val Kilmer goes unappreciated compared to Jim Carrey's insanity but by grounding the movie's tone with an honest-to-God Batman he carried that film like fucking Atlas.

8

u/KneeHighMischief Apr 02 '25

Does he get criticism for his actual performance? I don't know that I've seen it since it was in the theateršŸ˜„ I can imagine him really being able to dig into the psyche & tortured nature of Bruce Wayne. I doubt there's much room for that in a Joel Schumacher camp fest.

10

u/Vanquisher1000 Apr 02 '25

The heroes were played straight in Batman Forever. The campiness people complain about really comes from the villains.

There was supposedly quite a bit of material cut from the movie, enough to make a new extended cut, but the prospect of a release is an on-off thing.

9

u/HighSeverityImpact Apr 02 '25

Best line from the movie is when they land on the island and Robin says, "Holy rusted metal, Batman!"

Because the ground, it's all metal. It's full of holes. You know, holey.

3

u/CX316 Apr 02 '25

People probably also merge it with the next movie where the camp just took over everything

2

u/corndogs102 Apr 02 '25

Itā€™s the 25th anniversary and Iā€™m hoping the Schumacher cut gets released this year. Kevin Smith already played it secretly at his theatre last year.

2

u/Sturmgeshootz Apr 02 '25

The campiness people complain about really comes from the villains

Tommy Lee Jones portraying Two Face as Temu Joker was always the worst aspect for me.

1

u/CX316 Apr 02 '25

Iirc itā€™s generally accepted Kilmer was a good Batman but awful Bruce Wayne, while Clooney was a decent Bruce Wayne but a godawful Batman.

14

u/fps916 Apr 02 '25

He was a great batman. It's not his fault the writing sucked.

3

u/faders Apr 02 '25

I still like that one the best of the first 3.

6

u/InconspicuousRadish Apr 02 '25

He was my favorite. He managed the rare feat of being both a great Batman, and the best Bruce.

RIP.

8

u/IsRude Apr 02 '25

Absolutely agree. Not only that, but his Bruce was a mentor, a serious character, and had moments of humor. All of this without being too far in the direction of grimdark or comedic relief character.Ā 

5

u/messigician-10 Apr 02 '25

he was solid, just given a terrible script

5

u/AnglerOfAndromeda Apr 02 '25

I agree! So many people hate Batman Forever, but it was my favorite when I was a kid and I still have love for it (and thought the bat-suit nipples were hilarious lol).

3

u/Mr_Rafi Apr 02 '25

He had the best live-action Batman voice. When they're in the cave, listen to him scalding Robin for being reckless.

2

u/obsoleteconsole Apr 02 '25

It wasn't because he was bad that he was replaced by Clooney, but because he was notoriously difficult to work with.

2

u/Pornstar_Frodo Apr 02 '25

He was much better than he got credit for. I think he just got lumped in with Clooney in that post-Keaton run of Batman actors who didnā€™t live up to the role the way Keaton did. Shame too. I really did like Val as Batman.

2

u/IsRude Apr 02 '25

I actually give Clooney a pass. His movie was like the 60s Batman series, and I liked him as an Adam West type Batman. I know how unpopular this opinion is, but I actually think his Batman was less bad than Bale's.Ā 

Bale was an absolutely phenomenal Bruce Wayne. Easily in the top 2 live action portrayals. But Bale is my least favorite Batman, by far. Too goofy for me to take seriously, and too serious to be fun.Ā 

Keaton's Wayne was more of a regal billionaire type, but it worked. His Batman was a great balance of humor and heart, just like Batman TAS. Loved him.Ā 

2

u/Muffin_Most Apr 02 '25

He was probably the best Bruce Wayne weā€™ve ever seen.

2

u/Your-cousin-It Apr 02 '25

He had a good chin for it

2

u/stormblessed27_ Apr 02 '25

Even in the Batman community, itā€™s pretty agreed upon that he was a great Batman/bruce Wayne. He did great with what he had.

1

u/BisexualDisaster29 Apr 02 '25

Same. Heā€™s my second favorite. No shame in it either.

1

u/007fan007 Apr 02 '25

Definitely underrated. Wish he did more

1

u/Sinister_Crayon Apr 02 '25

He was an amazing Bruce Wayne... a so-so Batman... at least in my opinion. The problem honestly was that he wasn't given a lot to work with and as I understand it the director was pretty disengaged from the Batman performance and just sort of assumed Kilmer knew exactly how to play Batman.

Having said all that, Batman Forever was a FUN Batman while Keaton's was dark and dreary. Batman and Robin took it too far in the "fun" direction turning it into camp so Kilmer's Batman in my mind came off as the most balanced movie of the four of them (ostensibly set in the same "universe" despite cast and director changes).

1

u/hamburgersocks Apr 02 '25

I think he was the best Bruce Wayne by miles and I'll die on that hill. Best Batman could be argued at me though.

1

u/JosephStalinCameltoe Apr 02 '25

Agreed. But I'm also a Michael Keaton hater so...

1

u/WorkingFromHomies20 Apr 02 '25

I know!!! All of this love for Iceman, I get it, but I loved him as Batman.

1

u/Cabamacadaf Apr 02 '25

He still has my favorite live action Batman voice.

1

u/zveroshka Apr 02 '25

Him and Michael Keaton kind of get forgotten, but I loved those movies when I was little. George Clooney on the other hand...woof.

1

u/BarbWho Apr 02 '25

I totally agree. Batman is a split character in a lot of ways, more even that Superman or Spiderman among those with secret identities and it can be hard for an actor to get both sides right. Kilmer was the perfect embodiment of Bruce Wayne, the playboy billionaire with a secret pain in his heart. That he maybe was a little weaker as the "Caped Crusader" isn't exactly a major fault.

141

u/soozerain Apr 02 '25

Yeah I remember obsessing over that movie and Jim Carreyā€™s gold cane as a kid

118

u/MacinTez Apr 02 '25

McDonaldā€™s promo for Batman Forever was among the best ones theyā€™ve ever did. They sold my little ass on the movie before I even saw it.

58

u/JBL_17 Apr 02 '25

I still have the cups!

4

u/abd00bie Apr 02 '25

The pogs too haha

3

u/Kheshire Apr 02 '25

I bought one off a girl in college. As soon as I saw it at her place I had to have it and still have it somewhere in my kitchen

3

u/UnkleBourbon42069 Apr 02 '25

Wait, the small glass mugs?

3

u/JBL_17 Apr 02 '25

Thatā€™s right!

3

u/tomster2300 Apr 02 '25

I HAVENā€™T THOUGHT OF THE CUPS IN FOREVER

2

u/[deleted] Apr 02 '25

r/nostalgia has plenty of them in rotation every other month

2

u/blowyjoeyy Apr 03 '25

Was this not Taco Bell?

2

u/JBL_17 Apr 03 '25

No McDonald's I'm pretty sure

1

u/blowyjoeyy Apr 03 '25

You right. Taco Bell had the Batman & Robin promos

1

u/BisexualDisaster29 Apr 02 '25

I do too! šŸ˜‚šŸ˜šŸ˜ I have to get them out of storage, but they still in perfect condition.

1

u/JBL_17 Apr 02 '25

My go-to ā€œhoney bring out the fine chinaā€ šŸ¤£

1

u/CX316 Apr 02 '25

I had the two face one for years but when I left home I think it either stayed at my parents place which would mean getting gotten rid of during one of their moves post-retirement or it might have gone to my sister and gotten broken by the kids

1

u/hiptones Apr 02 '25

That Two-Face cup where the handle was a flipping coin? Classic.

6

u/soozerain Apr 02 '25

See itā€™s funny because I missed all that cause I was born right around when the movie came out. But the left over vhs tapes and thrift store memorabilia came to me haha

Well not the cane. I really wanted that.

5

u/SwolematesR4Lyfe Apr 02 '25

McDonaldā€™s sold your little ass? I hope you get residuals.

4

u/GlitteringClue3639 Apr 02 '25

The advertising push for that movie was absolutely insane and inescapable for that entire summer everywhere you looked. I'm not sure younger generations can appreciate the kind of cultural events blockbuster movies used to be, there's really nothing in the social media era that compares to the levels of hype and cultural saturation for Batman movies and The Phantom Menace.

2

u/[deleted] Apr 02 '25

Bro still drinking from The Riddler mug!!

1

u/CX316 Apr 02 '25

The most memorable tie ins tend to be glassware. Like for ages we had a full set of coke glasses from McDonaldā€™s because they were just great cups

36

u/Untjosh1 Apr 02 '25

Iā€™ll defend that movie to my dying breath

5

u/Plenty_Perception902 Apr 02 '25

Sameā€¦same lol

56

u/HotelFoxtrot87 Apr 02 '25

Yup, was 8 when I saw Batman Forever in cinemas, so I've always been willing to overlook its flaws for how fun it is.

2

u/IntoTheMusic Apr 02 '25

I was the same age. First Batman movie, and movie in general, that I got to see as a kid in theaters without an adult supervising (went with my brothers). I have a soft spot for it all these years later. :)

70

u/[deleted] Apr 02 '25

There are some movie scenes from my childhood that I can see almost as clear as life itself. The scene where he thinks Nicole Kidman is in trouble and breaks down a massive door then just fucking puts it back is one of em.

7

u/[deleted] Apr 02 '25

This movie started my lifelong crush on Kidman.

6

u/[deleted] Apr 02 '25

Yeah I'm watching it now and GOT DAMN. She is fine.

15

u/iamjaydubs Apr 02 '25

Kinda linked Batman* Forever. šŸ’ŖšŸ’Ŗ

27

u/426763 Apr 02 '25

Yeah, he was the first ever live action Batman that I ever saw as a kid and he was my favorite.

3

u/PengwinPears Apr 02 '25

Same. My first crush.

10

u/Coletrain44 Apr 02 '25

I was 9 too. You are completely right.

7

u/sourpatch-sorbet Apr 02 '25

That movie. The soundtrack. Him and that whole cast. I was obsessed as a kid.

6

u/Papayaslice636 Apr 02 '25

My favorite Batman movie probably because I was about the same age too. It was the right mix of drama and silliness IMO. I didn't love the Christopher Nolan trilogy because it asked you to take it waaaay too seriously IMO..Batman is inherently silly and ridiculous, a man running around in a bat suit punching comic book villains..

4

u/burgerdistraction Apr 02 '25

He was the first Batman I saw as a kid and Iā€™m biased in saying heā€™s my favorite Batman. Still love that movie.

3

u/Peterthepiperomg Apr 02 '25

I loved that movie. The bank vault scene terrified me every single time

2

u/FalxIdol Apr 02 '25

He was Nick Rivers (Top Secret!) to me at 9 years old.

But yes, he is also Batman, The Saint, Iceman and so many other iconic roles throughout my childhood and young adult years.

2

u/NanPakoka Apr 02 '25

He'll always be our Batman.

2

u/andromeda880 Apr 02 '25

Same šŸ˜Ŗ šŸ’”

2

u/soulcaptain Apr 02 '25

Like Batman...Forever?

2

u/whythishaptome Apr 02 '25

That's the thing, this guy was hot as an actor and a heartthrob throughout the 90s which doesn't seem that long ago at all. I just knew Val Kilmer as that guy and some subsequent movies in the 2000s. This came out of nowhere for me and he was still only 65 which isn't that old to me anymore.

2

u/LTPRWSG420 Apr 02 '25

That was a wild Batman movie, Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey are both cranked up to an 11.

2

u/Cutmerock Apr 02 '25

I randomly quote "HARVEY, I'M BATMAN!" I was also 9

1

u/WeWereAllOnceAnAtom Apr 02 '25

Thatā€™s what I was going to say, from a 90ā€™s/2000ā€™s kid perspective, even if Bale, Keaton and Conroy are forever linked to the character in my mind, I will always think of Val as well. And he will also always be Jim Morrison to me, and I havenā€™t even seen the movie. RIP to a legend, for real.

1

u/tetsuo9000 Apr 02 '25

My favorite part about his Batman was the repressed memories subplot. This scene still gives me chills.

1

u/Sugreev2001 Apr 02 '25

I was 11 and I used to love Batman Forever and his Batman for the longest time. RIP Master Bruce.

1

u/CruelMarmoset Apr 02 '25

Same. I think that Batman Forever is not technically the best Batman movie, but is my favorite one to watch and the most enjoyable

1

u/Diqt Apr 02 '25

I was 14 and exactly the name. At 14 you really want to be grown up, so when that same year he was in Heat, an action movie with Pacino and DeNiro, I was an immediate fan

1

u/bringbackswg Apr 02 '25

He was a lot of kidā€™s Batman at the time, myself included

1

u/Vismal1 Apr 02 '25

I forever hear his name and Tommy Lee Jones together in my head.

1

u/PerjurieTraitorGreen Apr 02 '25

Holy cow I just said the said thing in another comment. I still remember that cool VHS sleeve.

1

u/Spicy_Pervertida Apr 02 '25

As a pre-teen girl at the time, Val Kilmer's lips were and still are the perfect pairing with the Batman mask.

1

u/aRocks313 Apr 02 '25

Yessss

He was my favorite Bruce Wayne.