This past week, on June 9th, Adam West passed away after a battle with leukemia. Adam West has recently been working as a voice actor on shows like Family Guy, but to many comic book fans, like me, he will always be remembered as Batman, and is the actor who helped make the character what he is today.

Now, that may be hard to believe, since Adam West's portrayal of Batman was more campy and colorful than Christian Bale's performance in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy, or Ben Affleck's performance in the DC Extended Universe. But, honestly, Adam West gave life to a character that had previously only known the world of comic books.

Adam West played a Batman who was an intelligent detective and skilled crime fighter who dealt with some of the most ridiculous scenarios and the craziest looking villains like the Joker, King Tut, and the Riddler. But even amidst all that nonsense, Adam West played his part with a straight face and treated every case with the utmost urgency.

The seriousness that Adam West brought to Batman stuck with the character to this day. Sure, Batman started out as a grim and dark detective character back when he first appeared in the late 1930's. It wasn't until the 1950's and the 1960's that Batman became more campy. But it was Adam West who played with character with a straight face and really brought the caped crusader to life.

To an entire generation, Adam West was Batman and he represented a hero who used his intellect and wealth to fight crime and save lives. Adam West was someone who represented a symbol of heroism that we should all try to reach. It didn't matter that he carried shark repellent and danced the Batusi-- he was still cooler than any of the other superheroes around.

After Adam West left the cape and cowl of Batman behind, it was picked up by Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, and the aforementioned Christian Bale and Ben Affleck. Even though each of them brought something new to Batman and gave their own interpretation of the character, it was Adam West who did it first.

I grew up with Christian Bale as my Batman and now I am waiting to see Ben Affleck return to the role in Justice League later this year, but I will always remember that Batman would simply not be what he is today if not for Adam West. I do not know what Adam West was like off-screen, nor do I know much of his career outside of being Batman, but I just want to thank him for bringing the character that I love to life. Like many other fans, I will miss Adam West and the joy he could bring just by lending his voice to cartoons like Batman: The Brave and the Bold and The Batman.