Pee-Wee Herman Actor Paul Reubens Played A Batman Villain You Probably Forgot About

Paul Reubens was no stranger to taking on outlandish roles in even more outlandish projects. While he's best-known for bringing Pee-wee Herman to life, he was also an expert at taking a small role and making it deliciously unique. From "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Mystery Men" on the big screen, to his hilarious turn on "30 Rock" and "What We Do in the Shadows" on television, Reubens managed to make even his smallest characters stand out. That ability served him well when it came to the "Batman" universe, where he was involved more often than you may realize.

The first time Reubens crossed paths with the Dark Knight was as the Penguin's father in Tim Burton's "Batman Returns." 24 years later, he'd play the Penguin's dad again on "Gotham" as part of a three-episode arc. But Reubens had another Batman-related appearance many people might not remember: The voice of Bat-Mite in "The Brave and the Bold," one of the best "Batman" animated shows of all time.

Bat-Mite is an imp from the fifth dimension who spends most of his time on the show idolizing the Caped Crusader. The series' more comedic tone made it the perfect vehicle for Reubens to bring the eccentric character to life. In the final episode of the series, Bat-Mite goes completely meta and uses his powers to get the show to jump the shark so it will get canceled and replaced with a new adaptation more worthy of Batman.

While many fans will remember Paul Reubens for his more notable on-screen roles, his turn as Bat-Mite certainly wasn't a one-time deal. In fact, a large portion of his career was actually spent behind the microphone voicing characters in multiple animated TV shows, movies, and video games. His first voice acting credit was as Freaky Frankenstone in "The Flintstone Comedy Show," years before he voiced Bat-Mite on "Batman: The Brave and the Bold."

In the '80s, he voiced the sentient spaceship in "Flight of the Navigator" and provided the voice of Lock in "The Nightmare Before Christmas" in the '90s. Later in his career, he hit his stride voice acting for movies like "The Smurfs" and "Tom and Jerry's Giant Adventure," not to mention a long list of children's and adult animated shows including "Bob's Burgers," "Adventure Time," and "American Dad." Reubens would even branch out into video games, reprising his role as Bat-Mite in "Batman: The Brave and the Bold — The Videogame," and later providing voices for the "Minecraft" and "Call of Duty" franchises.

It was a career that was as diverse and eclectic as Reubens himself, something that was brought beautifully to life in the documentary "Pee-wee as Himself," one of the best HBO documentaries of all time. Whether you remember him as Pee-wee Herman, the Penguin's father, or Bat-Mite, his performances were memorable enough to stick with you for years to come.