“Batman: Caped Crusader” stars say Val Kilmer ‘doesn’t get enough love’ for his Dark Knight portrayal

Key points

• The stars of Batman: Caped Crusader stopped by EW’s Comic-Con studio to tell us the four actors on their “Batman Mount Rushmore.”

• Matthew Needham and Jamie Chung singled out a deep-cut Dark Knight in Batman Forever star Val Kilmer.

• Their costar Hamish Linklater also helped them pick out three more favorite Batmen.

The stars of Batman: Caped Crusader know their superhero history — and they’re giving an underappreciated Dark Knight actor his flowers.

During a visit to EW’s 2026 San Diego Comic-Con studio, Caped Crusader stars Hamish Linklater, Jamie Chung, and Matthew Needham were asked which four actors would grace their “Batman Mount Rushmore.” Amid the spirited discussion, Needham — who will voice the Joker in season 2 of the animated series — nominated a deep-cut Batman.

“I’d go with Val,” Needham said, referring to the late Batman Forever star Val Kilmer. “He doesn’t get enough love.”

Chung, who plays Harley Quinn, co-signed the choice. “Let’s do it, let’s go Val,” she said.

Released in 1995 and directed by Joel Schumacher, Batman Forever found Kilmer replacing Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman, after the films Batman and Batman Returns. Kilmer starred opposite Jim Carrey as the Riddler, Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face, Chris O’Donnell as Robin, and Nicole Kidman as criminal psychologist Chase Meridian.

The threequel was a financial success, grossing $336 million at the worldwide box office, but garnered mixed reviews. Kilmer, a charismatic but notoriously difficult actor, also clashed with Schumacher on set, and he was replaced by George Clooney in 1997’s Batman & Robin.

Kilmer would go on to star in films including The Saint, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, MacGruber, and Top Gun: Maverick. He died last year, at 65.

Val Kilmer in ‘Batman Forever’Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty

For Needham, Chung, and Linklater, filling out the other three spots on Batman Mount Rushmore was no easy task.

They did ultimately come to a consensus on Christian Bale, the star of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy; Adam West, leading man of the 1960s Batman TV series; and Robert Pattinson, of 2022’s The Batman and its planned 2028 sequel.

In the process, though, the castmates had to give the boot another Batman star — and a fellow voice actor at that. Watch the video above for more.

Check out more of EW’s coverage from San Diego Comic-Con 2026. 

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly