Batman 1966

Nowadays, actors are often straight-up forbidden from doing their own stunts so that they don’t suffer from any lasting injuries. Some, like Tom Cruise, have the star-power needed to convince a director he wants to be strapped to the side of a jetliner while it takes off, but most of the time it’s the stunt-doubles doing all the work. Not so for Burt Ward, who played sidekick Robin in the original 1960’s Batman TV show. He recounts a time during production during which he had to perform a stunt so dangerous he was sent to the emergency room.

But Batmen can come in all shapes and sizes, from the bulky and gritty of the latest movie, to the vibrant and comical stylings of Batman in the ‘60s, or even the new costume that debuted in the comics just this week. Whether fans are going after that classic Adam West appeal, the dark and macabre visions of Tim Burton, or the more combat suit-oriented look, there’s plenty of variety to be had underneath that cape and cowl. Cosplayers around the world have shared their favorite visions of the playboy-turned-vigilante to produce some fantastic results. We’ve combed our archives to assemble an overview of our favorites. From specialized scene photos to conventions crawling with caped crusaders, this gallery brings Dark Knights from all walks of life together. We hope you’ll enjoy this gallery of the best Batman cosplays ever.

The great thing about the Batman 1966 licensing boom that we've been in for the past year or so has been the variety of collectibles commemorating the fan-favorite series. For a long time, we just didn't have much to work with when it came to the Adam West/Burt Ward era, but now we've got action figures, banks, miniature cars, statues, comics and all kinds of other random stuff. While we've seen Funko's Batman 1966 Pop figures and Dorbz on shelves already, the creatives at Vinyl Sugar will introduce Vinyl Idolz based on the Bat-family this fall. The Batman '66 wave was teased earlier in the year, but didn't have any prototypes or release date mentioned at the time. The Vinyl Idolz line has already offered such pop culture icons like the characters from Seinfeld, Ghostbusters and Hot Fuzz in its strange-yet-appealing Family Guy meets Aardman Animation style, and the campiness of Batman '66 helps the characters fit right in without missing a beat.

The comic book movie craze may have exploded in recent years, but there have been movies and TV shows based on our favorite comics for decades. For all the action we see on screen, however, we hardly ever get to see behind the curtain at how it all comes together. Fortunately, we've managed to uncover dozens of behind the scenes images from your favorite comic-inspired movies. From The Dark Knight to Dredd, and Conan to Kick-Ass, we now have a little bit of an idea of what life was like on set during the creation of these beloved adaptations.

21 years after Adam West first appeared on The Simpsons, the star of the 1966 Batman TV series is returning to the Matt Groening universe in August in a new episode of Futurama. Former Robin Burt Ward (who appeared with West in a 2002 Simpsons episode) will also guest star in the episode, "Leela and the Genestalk."

Movies: Nearly six minutes of new Iron Man 3 b-roll might just make your morning. Surveys: From now until May 5, fans can vote in Hasbro's new "Fan Built Bot" poll to decide what Transformer will commemorate the line's 30th anniversary...

Toys: Mezco's first wave of Batman '66 Mez-Itz is slated for a July debut. Upcoming: Cartoon Books will collect Jeff Smith's complete RASL in a 472-page, full color, oversized hardcover this September. Gaming: It's not a comic, but Ballpoint Universe (drawn in ballpoint pen, of course) looks like the kinda game anybody who loves illustration will dig...

After years of being unable to capitalize on the classic Batman TV show, it looks like Warner Bros. and DC are wasting absolutely no time on making up for that. Since merchandising rights were sorted out, they've announced a new line of action figures, a digital comic series, and now, we're getting full-on Batman '66 costumes for Halloween...

Following their reveal at last week's Warner Bros. Consumer Products/Junk Food Clothing launch event last week at Meltdown Comics (where DC's new Batman '66 comic was announced), Mattel has released official images of two upcoming Batman Classic TV Series 6" action figures including a Cesar Romero Joker and "Batusi" Batman...

Fans have known about the basic figures set to roll out during the first wave of Mattel's Batman Classics 1966 line since its debut during Toy Fair 2013, but there's a newly-preorderable option available to collectors set on snagging an Adam West Batman and Burt Ward Robin in one fell swoop...