Val Kilmer, who played Bruce Wayne in “Batman Forever,” channeled Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone ‘s “The Doors” and starred as a tubercular Doc Holliday in “Tombstone,” died Tuesday in Los Angeles. His daughter Mercedes told The New York Times the cause was pneumonia. He was 65. He had been battling throat cancer for several years.

Val Kilmer’s time as Batman was brief, but the real story behind his exit, its fallout, and his lasting legacy is anything but simple.

Batman Forever may have long lived in infamy, but its bizarro take on Bats has aged excellently against the backdrop of self-serious superhero movies — and Kilmer, who died from pneumonia this week, w