FAQ

It came on two nights in a row. At the end of the first episode in the week, the announcer would say, "Tune in tomorrow. Same BAT time! Same BAT channel! or something to that effect.

Note: For this list only the creators of the characters first appearances are listed. As with all comic book characters, Batman and his supporting cast have had several reinventions and different contributions from different writers. Theses include different iterations in different mediums that all have added different concepts to the overall mythology of the characters.

Obviously there's Bruce Thomas Wayne/Batman referred to as Bruce Wayne or Batman on screen. He made his first appearance in the comic story "The Case of the Chemical Syndicate" from Detective Comics #27 (May, 1939) by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane.

Richard John "Dick" Grayson/Robin, referred to as Dick Grayson or Robin on screen. He made his first appearance in the comic story "Robin the Boy Wonder" from Detective Comics #38 (April 1940) by writer Bill Finger, artist Bob Kane and illustrator Jerry Robinson.

Alfred the butler, whose comic counterpart's full name is Alfred Thaddeus Crane Pennyworth, however in his first comic appearance he was original called Alfred Beagle. The Beagle version of Alfred made his first appearance in the comic story "Here Comes Alfred" from Batman #16 (April-May 1943) by writer Don Cameron and artist Bob Kane. The character was later reintroduced as Alfred Pennyworth (complete with a different appearance) in comics continuity by writer Bill Finger and artist Jerry Robinson.

Gotham City Police Commissioner Gordon, whose comic counterpart's full name is James Worthington Gordon. Sr. Just like Batman he made his first appearance in the the comic story "The Case of the Chemical Syndicate" from Detective Comics #27 (May, 1939) by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane.

Harriet Cooper (Dick Grayson's Aunt), sometimes called Aunt Harriet or Mrs Cooper on screen (Season 1 & 2). She made her first appearance in the comic story "Gotham Gang Line-Up!" from Detective Comics #328 (June 1964) by writer Bill Finger and artist Sheldon Moldoff.

The Joker (episodes: The Joker Is Wild (1966)/Batman Is Riled (1966), The Joker Goes to School (1966)/He Meets His Match, the Grisly Ghoul (1966), The Joker Trumps an Ace (1966)/Batman Sets the Pace (1966), The Impractical Joker (1966)/The Joker's Provokers (1966), The Zodiac Crimes (1967)/The Joker's Hard Times (1967)/The Penguin Declines (1967), The Joker's Last Laugh (1967)/The Joker's Epitaph (1967), Pop Goes the Joker (1967)/Flop Goes the Joker (1967), Surf's Up! Joker's Under! (1967), The Funny Feline Felonies (1967)/The Joke's on Catwoman (1968) & The Joker's Flying Saucer (1968)). He made his first appearance in the comic story "The Joker" from Batman #1 (Spring 1940) by writer Bill Finger, artist Bob Kane from a concept by illustrator Jerry Robinson.

The Penguin (episodes: Fine Feathered Finks (1966)/The Penguin's a Jinx (1966), The Penguin Goes Straight (1966)/Not Yet, He Ain't (1966), Fine Finny Fiends (1966)/Batman Makes the Scenes (1966), Hizzonner the Penguin (1966)/Dizzoner the Penguin (1966), The Penguin's Nest (1966)/The Bird's Last Jest (1966), The Zodiac Crimes (1967)/The Penguin Declines (1967), Penguin Is a Girl's Best Friend (1967)/Penguin Sets a Trend (1967)/Penguin's Disastrous End (1967), Enter Batgirl, Exit Penguin (1967), The Sport of Penguins (1967)/A Horse of Another Color (1967) & Penguin's Clean Sweep (1968)). In the comics he's real name is Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot. He made his first appearance in the comic story "One of the Most Perfect Frame-Ups" from Detective Comics #58 (December, 1941) by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane.

The Riddler (episodes: Hi Diddle Riddle (1966)/Smack in the Middle (1966), A Riddle a Day Keeps the Riddler Away (1966)/When the Rat's Away the Mice Will Play (1966), The Ring of Wax (1966)/Give 'Em the Axe (1966), Death in Slow Motion (1966)/The Riddler's False Notion (1966), Batman's Anniversary (1967)/A Riddling Controversy (1967) & Ring Around the Riddler (1967)). In the comics he's real name is Edward Nashton/Edward Nigma. He made his first appearance in the comic story "The Riddler" from Detective Comics #140 (October 1948) by writer Bill Finger and artist Dick Sprang.

Catwoman (episodes: The Purr-fect Crime (1966)/Better Luck Next Time (1966), Hot Off the Griddle (1966)/The Cat and the Fiddle (1966), The Cat's Meow (1966)/The Bat's Kow Tow (1966), The Sandman Cometh (1966)/The Catwoman Goeth (1966), That Darn Catwoman (1967)/Scat! Darn Catwoman (1967), Catwoman Goes to College (1967)/Batman Displays His Knowledge (1967), Catwoman's Dressed to Kill (1967) and The Funny Feline Felonies (1967)/The Joke's on Catwoman (1968), as well as a cameo appearance in Ma Parker (1966)). In the comics her real name is Selina Kyle. In her first appearance, she was called "The Cat" and appeared in the comic story of the same name from Batman #1 (Spring 1940) by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane.

Dr Art Schivel/Mr. Freeze (episodes: Instant Freeze (1966)/Rats Like Cheese (1966), Green Ice (1966)/Deep Freeze (1966) & Ice Spy (1967)/The Duo Defy (1967)). Originally called Mr Zero in his first comic appearance in the comic story "The Ice Crimes of Mr Zero!" from Batman #121 (February 1959) by ghostwriter David Wood and ghost artist Sheldon Moldoff from a concept by artist Bob Kane. He was renamed Mr Freeze for this series and given the alias Dr Art Schivel. The comics adapted the name Mr. Freeze and 30 Years later for Batman: The Animated Series (1992) he was given a different alias Dr Victor Fries and his origins were retold by writer Paul Dini in the episode Heart of Ice (1992). This new origin introduced his terminally ill, cryogenically frozen wife Nora Fries, which explained his obsession with ice and need to build a criminal empire to raise research funds. This more complex, tragic character was enthusiastically accepted by fans and has become the standard portrayal for the character in most forms of media, including this film and the comic book series themselves, which previously had the character casually killed off by the Joker. Mr Freeze was resurrected s not long after "Heart of Ice" first aired.

Dr Jervis Tetch/The Mad Hatter (episodes: The Thirteenth Hat (1966)/Batman Stands Pat (1966) & The Contaminated Cowl (1967)/The Mad Hatter Runs Afoul (1967)) referred to in the series without the doctor in his name. He made his first appearance in the comic story "The Scoop of the Century!" from Batman #49 (October 1948) by writer Bill Finger, artist Lew Schwartz based on a concept by artist Bob Kane.

False Face (episodes: True or False Face (1966)/Holy Rat Race (1966)), who made his first comic appearance in the story "The Menace of False Face!" from Batman #113 (February 1958) by writer Bill Finger and an unknown ghost artist.

The Clock King (episodes: The Clock King's Crazy Crimes (1966)/The Clock King Gets Crowned (1966)), who made his first comic appearance in a Green Arrow comic story called "The Crimes of the Clock King" from World's Finest Comics #111 (August 1960) by writer France Herron and artist Lee Elias.

The Puzzler (episodes: The Puzzles Are Coming (1966)/The Duo Is Slumming (1966)), shares the name of a minor Superman villain who first appeared in the story, "The Wizard of Chance," from Action Comics #49 (June 1942). Since this character has no resemblence to the later TV character in appearance or manner and the episode was originally written as a Riddler story, it is unlikely the producers were aware of the character.

Also theirs Barbara Gordon/Batgirl who was later adapted into the comics and other media.

All other characters not listed were created just for the series.

It's a long story so here goes....

After the success of the comic book Superhero Superman, artist Bob Kane tried to come up with his own hero "The Bat-Man", the character Kane created wore a red suit with a domino mask, blonde hair and a pair of bat wings. Kane then asked for writer Bill Finger's assistance on the project. Finger rejected several of Kane's initial ideas about the character and suggested several changes in design and characterization. His changes included changing his hair colour, a black colour scheme for the costume, adding a cape and cowl, the idea that he shouldn't have any superpowers, his civilian identity of Bruce Wayne (which Finger named after Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland and general Anthony "Mad Anthony" Wayne), the origin story about his parents being shot in an alley and the idea that he should also be a detective.

Kane marketed the "Batman" character to National Comics, and Batman's first story was published in "Detective Comics" #27 (May 1939). The script was written by an uncredited Finger, making him the first of many ghost writers to work on comics officially credited to Bob Kane. When Kane negotiated a contract about selling the rights to the "Batman" character, he claimed he was the sole creator and demanded a sole mandatory byline acknowledging him as such on all comics and adaptations. Out of fairness, Kane agreed to pay Finger his share with money out of his earnings. Unfortunately, the agreement was never put into writing, and Finger never saw a cent.

Finger would go on to ghost write Batman stories up into the mid 1960's, either with Kane or for DC Comics directly. During his writing tenure, Finger was responsible for the unaccredited creation of many key players and pieces in the Batman universe.

These included the Batmobile, the Batcave, Gotham City, and Batman's nickname "The Dark Knight. He also came up with several secondary Batman characters including," his sidekick Robin, his arch-nemesis The Joker, and his occasional love interest Catwoman, as well as Commissioner Gordon, The Riddler and The Scarecrow. Despite all of this, the only writing credit that Finger received for Batman in his lifetime were two episode of Batman (1966), The Clock King's Crazy Crimes (1966) and The Clock King Gets Crowned (1966) which he co-wrote with friend Charles Sinclair.

Eventually, the truth did come out. Finger attended the first official New York Comic Con in 1965 and sat on a panel with other comic book creators where he revealed the role he played in Batman's creation. Finger's story gained exposure in a two-page article titled "If the truth be known, or a Finger in every plot!," written and distributed by pop culturist Jerry Bails. Kane caught wind of Finger's appearance not long after and replied in the form of a printed letter to Batman fan magazine, "Batmania," where he labeled his old friend a fraud. Finger, who by this time was deeply in debt, continued to write for various projects in and outside of comic books until his death in 1974, when he was found alone in his apartment by friend Charles Sinclair. Finger died penniless and his contributions to the character was never acknowledged in his lifetime.

However, after the popularity of Tim Burton's Batman (1989), Kane acknowledged Finger as "a contributing force" in the character's creation, and wrote in his 1989 autobiography "Batman and Me" that "Now that my long-time friend and collaborator is gone, I must admit that Bill never received the fame and recognition he deserved. He was an unsung hero ... I often tell my wife, if I could go back fifteen years, before he died, I would like to say. 'I'll put your name on it now. You deserve it.'"

Many failed attempts were made over the years by Finger's family to get him recognition for his work, including a request from his second wife Lyn Simmons to have his name listed in the credits of Tim Burton's Batman (1989).

Finger remained largely unknown, even to Batman fans, until writer Marc Tyler Nobleman began investigating the late author's life for a book being written about him called "Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman". Nobleman went in search of Finger's family to help fill in the gaps and give him credit. While Finger's autopsy report claimed no relatives were present, Nobleman discovered that Finger had a son, Fred.

Unfortunately, Fred, who was an outspoken proponent of his father, had died in 1992. Nobleman learned that Fred was also homosexual, leading him to believe that Fred had no children before his death. The trail was starting to go cold.

However, after receiving new information from Finger's nephew, Nobleman discovered Fred indeed had a daughter, Athena Finger, who was born two years after Finger's death. Nobleman met with Athena and convinced her to meet with DC about getting recognition for her grandfather. DC in turn welcomed Athena with open arms, cut her a check and invited her to the premiere of The Dark Knight (2008) with all expenses paid. It wasn't until around 2012 that DC offered her more money. This time, however, she had to sign away her rights to her grandfather's claim. With encouragement from Nobleman, Athena rejected the money and took DC to court.

It took years of litigation before a settlement was reached. A major turning point in the case was the unearthing of recorded interviews with Bob Kane during the writing of his autobiography. During one of the interviews, Tom Andrae, Kane's co-writer, asked Kane to what extent Finger contributed to Batman's creation. "Bill was responsible for 50 to 75 percent," Kane bluntly responded.

Finally, in September 2015, DC Entertainment issued a statement informing the public that Finger would be listed as co-creator on any piece of Batman media henceforth. Starting with the superhero film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and the second season of Gotham (2014), an updated acknowledgement for the character appeared as "Batman created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger".

Finger's story was later used as the subject of the Hulu original documentary, Batman & Bill (2017).

No one has answered this question yet.

Answer

No one has answered this question yet.

In the original DC comics, this series and the Batman movie that came along between the first and second seasons, it was millionaire Bruce Wayne and his young ward, Richard John "Dick" Grayson. Since the mid 1990's, Bruce Wayne has been portrayed as a BILLIONAIRE in DC comics.

Alfred, Bruce Wayne's loyal and faithful butler.

In the original comic books, Alfred's last name was at first was Beagle and was portrayed as a bumbling overweight man. However that version was erased from history and replaced with a different looking Alfred, with new backstory now called Alfred Pennyworth. Although it is not mentioned in the television series or the film his last name is probably the Pennyworth version. His proper full name is Alfred Thaddeus Crane Pennyworth.

The character of Alfred Beagle was created by Don Cameron (writer) and Bob Kane (artist).

The character of Alfred Pennyworth was developed by Bill Finger (writer) and Jerry Robinson (artist).

In the comic books, Commissioner Gordon 's first name is James, but it is not mentioned in the television series or the film. He's proper full name is James Worthington 'Jim' Gordon, Sr.

Batman's base of operations.

Beneath stately Wayne Manor.

They gain access to the Batcave via Batpoles hidden in Bruce's study. There is a hidden switch inside a bust of William Shakespeare that, once flipped, causes a false bookcase to slide open, revealing the poles.

In the first season, by elevator. Starting in the second season (and something else shown in the 1966 feature film), compressed steam causes a platform at the base of the Batpoles to go back up.

Midway down the Batpoles, there is an "Instant Costume-Change Lever." This was depicted in the 1966 feature film that came out in between the first and second seasons of the television show.

The Batmobile, an atomic reactor, the Batcomputer and other devices.

Two primary methods: the "hot line," apparently a dedicated telephone line, and the Bat Signal, a spot light with a bat logo on the top of Gotham City hall.

If that's attempted, Batman has an alarm that goes off. He then can flip switches that send the trace to other telephone lines. This is shown during the second season when Gordon attempts a trace after it appears Batman has gone bad.

14 miles.

Gotham City is a fictional U.S. port city located on the north-eastern Atlantic coast. It was originally a stand-in for New York City, but has also been likened to other crime-ridden urban centers such as Chicago and Detroit. Some sources have placed Gotham City in the state of New Jersey; however, this cannot be considered definitive. The Gotham City of "Batman" (1966) seems to be a direct analog for New York City. This is supported by the fact that there are visible references to a number of actual New York landmarks and location; Jack Dempsey's Restaurant can even be seen in the background in some of the rear-projected Batmobile footage.

The current DC Universe version of Gotham City is actually a small island connected to the mainland by a series of bridges and tunnels. The east and south sides of Gotham face the Atlantic Ocean. The city is further divided by the Sprang River (named for Dick Sprang) on the northern end and the Finger River (for Bill Finger) to the south. Tiny Blackgate Isle to the south-east is home to Blackgate Maximum Security Penitentiary. Blackgate is replaced by Stonegate Peniteniary in the animated series "Batman" (1992) and its spin-offs.

His parents were "murdered by dastardly criminals," as he states in the pre-credits sequence of "Hi Diddle Riddle," the first episode. This fits in with the DC comics. In the DC comics from the 80's, the shooter of Bruce's parents was identified as Joe Chill, although, the Batman movie (1989) with Michael Keaton tried to state that it was a young Jack Napier long before he became the Joker.

The "big four" are The Riddler, The Penguin, The Joker and Catwoman.

The role of the villain Two Face was Offered to Clint Eastwood, but producers felt that The Character would appear too frightening for children. However he will be included in a sequel to Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders (the animated aniversary movie) called Batman vs. Two-Face in which Harvey Dent/Two-Face will be played by actor William Shatner.

In the comic books the Riddler's real name was Edward Nygma (or E. Nigma) in early comic books which was later changed to Edward Nashton as his birth name. The Penguin's real name was Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot. Catwoman's real name was Selina Kyle. The Joker's real identity is uncertain. The television show and spin-off theatrical film did not make use of any of their real identities in any capacity, including flashbacks.

Yes. The Green Hornet is mentioned three times on the show. On one occasion, the Hornet (Van Williams) and Kato (Bruce Lee) appear in a cameo as Batman and Robin walk up a wall. During this encounter, Batman and Robin seem aware that the Green Hornet and Kato are crime fighters. The Hornet even says he is on "special assignment" from the Daily Sentinel, the newspaper owned by Brit Reid (the Green Hornet's true identity). On another, Bruce and Dick are watching the Green Hornet television show but are interrupted. Finally, they meet again, except this time Batman is unaware the Green Hornet is a crime fighter (he poses as a criminal). In reality, the executive producer of both shows was William Dozier.

Yes. Among them: Jerry Lewis, Edward G. Robinson and Colonel Klink (Werner Klemperer in the role he played on "Hogan's Heroes." Dick Clark also asked them if they were part of a band.

Although it is a popular rumor that is often taken as fact, in truth, Aunt Harriet Cooper was introduced into the Batman stories in Detective Comics #328 in 1964 -- a full two years before the show hit the air. Aunt Harriet Cooper was introduced as a replacement for Alfred Pennyworth, who had died and would later be resurrected as the supervillain The Outsider, not realizing his true identity because of amnesia (Don't worry -- he eventually got better).

No, you are confusing two separate, different pieces of information.

-Clint Eastwood was considered as a special guest villain, but would have portrayed Two-Face (see the entry above.) The character of False Face (played by Malachi Throne) is believed to have been a "replacement" for this possible Two-Face incarnation.

-There was an entirely separate Western-themed villain named Shame, portrayed by Cliff Robertson.

As of June 2015: Julie Newmar (Catwoman), Glynis Johns (Lady Penelope Peasoup), Joan Collins (The Siren), and John Astin (The Riddler- season 2).

Same Bat Time, same Bat Channel...