Here are the main gadgets Adam West's Batman carried in his ever-useful utility belt. It's hard to picture now, but Adam West's Batman was once the dominant image of the Caped Crusader in popular culture. While the Batman TV show only ran for three seasons it was a huge success, but its campy take on the character meant many didn't take later efforts to produce a dark Batman movie seriously. Tim Burton's Batman helped change that in 1989, with the film being a landmark blockbuster that forever altered how the hero was viewed.
Many different actors and filmmakers have since tackled the property, with Matt Reeves' The Batman from 2022 tapping into the detective roots of the character. The Adam West Batman was somewhat dismissed for its silliness following Burton's big-screen reinvention, and while 1997's Batman & Robin tried to recapture some of that zany energy, it was roundly lambasted. However, the Batman series is an important and thoroughly entertaining chapter in the superhero's live-action evolution.
Adam West and Burt Ward's take on Batman and Robin remains one of the most defining portrayals of the dynamic duo, and the series itself helped cement Batman's popularity. In essence, Batman - which ran from 1966 to 1968 - was a sitcom with no laugh track, and its focus was more on comedy than exploring the twisted psyche of the title character or alter ego Bruce Wayne. That's reflected in the many wild gadgets in Batman's utility belt.
Batman 1966 Had Many Bizarre Gadgets
Thanks to this infographic from artist Kevin Tong (via Info-Rama), it's possible to list the many utility belt gadgets Adam West's Batman - who Bruce Lee refused to lose a fight to - deployed over the show's three seasons.
- Batarang
- Bat-Shield
- Bat-Hook
- Bat-Cuffs
- Laser Gun
- Bat-Gauge
- Smoke Pellets
- Anti-Mesmerizing Bat-Reflector
- Bat Homing Transmitter
- Currency
- Bat-Communicator
- Climbing Claws
- Binoculars
- Bat-Key
- Adhesive Bat-Bomb
- Bat-Magnet
- Bat X-Ray Deflector
- Magnifying Glass
- Bullhorn
- Bat-Funnel
- Alphabet Soup Bat-Container
- Live Fish
- Bat File
- All Purpose Bat-Swatter
- Universal Drug Antidote Pill
- Bat Pill
- Sad Pill
- Shark Repellent
- Bravery Tablet
- Anti-Lethal Fog Batspray
- Bat Gas Tranquilizer Spray
- Anti-Blast Bat Powder
- Bat Wake
- Batnasia Gas
The wacky sense of humor of the '60s Batman series saw the Caped Crusader and Robin pulling out all manner of situation-appropriate gadgets. From the Bat-Shield to repel bullets to Bravery Tablets, which are self-explanatory. Of course, West's Batman utility belt featured lots of familiar tools too, like the Batarang. That said, a recurring gag always saw the Dynamic Duo retrieving the strangest devices from their seemingly limitless belts.
The Simpsons' even made a gag about West's Batman utility belt, imaging an episode where Batman and Robin are tied to a spinning carousel. Luckily, the superhero has a can of "Bat Carousel Reversal Spray" in his belt to literally reverse their grim fate.