The actor took only one turn in the famous batsuit. That film, “Batman Forever,” couldn’t be a more representative artifact of its era.

Val Kilmer has sadly passed away at the age of 65. He leaves behind countless broken hearts but also an incredible oeuvre of popular films. And exactly 30 years ago, in the summer of 1995, his lead performance in Batman Forever changed everything. Here’s why.

Val Kilmer, who died of pneumonia at 65 on April 1, famously had a negative experience portraying Batman in 1995's Batman Forever. "It’s not about Batman. There is no Batman," he once said in an interview.