Legendary comic book creator Denny O’Neil has passed away on June 11 at the age of 81, due to natural causes. He will be missed greatly and leaves behind an amazing legacy through his body of work in both the Marvel and DC Comics universes.

O’Neil was perhaps best known for his work on Batman, and is credited for guiding the Dark Knight back to his darker roots after a period of campiness brought on by the success of the 1960s Batman TV series. He was responsible for creating and co-creating characters like Ra’s al Ghul, Talia al Ghul, Leslie Thompkins, Azrael, and Richard Dragon; helped revitalize the Joker and Two-Face as modern DC villains; and oversaw the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin, in the iconic A Death In The Family storyline.

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His Green Lantern/Green Arrow run also saw the two heroes confront social and political issues of the day. This included another iconic story arc, “Snowbirds Don’t Fly” which explored the issue of drug addiction when Oliver Queen’s young sidekick Speedy was discovered to be a drug addict.

Rest in peace, sir. Thank you for your amazing legacy.