Popverse's top stories of the day

• Superman celebrates kindness and love in his DCU reboot, says writer/director James Gunn during CinemaCon 2025 presentation
• MEMBERS ONLY: Raina Telgemeier & Scott McCloud's The Cartoonist Club is for all the indoor kids (past and present)
• Spider-Man vs. Venom on the big screen? "We got close" to a Tom Holland/Tom Hardy movie, says Hardy

As reported first by The New York Times, actor Val Kilmer has passed away.  The revered actor, who had suffered from throat cancer since at least 2014, died in his Los Angeles home surrounded by his family and friends. He was 65.

For many superhero fans of a certain generation, Kilmer was an introduction to the cinematic Batman/Bruce Wayne in 1995's Batman Forever, but his work stretched far beyond the campy Gotham romp (and much farther, as Kilmer himself would admit, than the restrictive rubber batsuit would allow). Music fans recall Kilmer's angelic manifestation of Elvis Presley in True Romance, and his historic turn as The Doors' frontman Jim Morrison, for which the actor famously employed intense method acting.

Despite the commitment to his craft, Kilmer was never nominated for an Oscar or Emmy award, a fact that longtime fans have decried as a great injustice. In fact, famed critic Roger Ebert once dubbed Kilmer "the most unsung leading man of his generation." Still, audiences awarded him in their own way, making his films' box office earnings some $3.8B as of this writing.

A monumental feat, especially considering that most of the actors' most prolific work came before the advent of the billion-dollar franchise.

And yet, Kilmer never coasted on his success, financial or otherwise. In 1993's Tombstone, Kilmer brought life to historical lawman Doc Holiday, widely regarded as one of the best performances in the genre. Then in crime thrillers Heat and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Kilmer played two wildly different characters that wrapped audiences up in suspense and action. And speaking of action - Kilmer's double dip as Tom "Iceman" Kazansky, in both Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick, is maybe the most recognized action movie sidekick that doesn't wear a mask. That's to say nothing of his roles in The Saint, Willow, Thunderheart, and more.

After the actor's passing, longtime friend Josh Brolin took to Instagram to say "You were a smart, challenging, brave, uber-creative firecracker. There’s not a lot left of those." 

Not a lot at all, and absolutely none exactly like Mr. Kilmer. RIP.