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Every time I watch "The Graduate", I imagine Ward in the Benjamin Braddock role. He was offered the part, and was not allowed to accept it because the Batman producers were worried it would somehow distract from the Robin character. Excuse me, but"d-uh", that's why actors like to try other types of characters.
Burt was a good Robin - well, the way it was written, anyway. He seemed to take it seriously. I don't think he was goofing on it, like Adam West was.
I think he would have made a good Benjamin Braddock.
Strangely enough, I started picturing Ward having Dustin Hoffman's career - not so much Midnight Cowboy or Papillon, but perhaps he could have played Hoffman's comedic characters, like Tootsie or Meet the Fockers - I could really see him doing those films.
I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked.

The mentality goes back to George Reeves, the TV Superman and Clayton Moore, the Lone Ranger.
Reeves had a part in "From Here to Eternity".
Early screenings of the movie had viewers start talking about Superman every time Reeves was onscreen. So they cut his role completely.
Since then, Hollywood had been reticent about casting household names known for one role or the other. Clayton Moore is only known for the Lone Ranger, though he played dozens of roles before putting on the Mask. Afterwards, that was really all he could do.
Christopher Reeve and Michel Keaton have done a lot to break that mold though. and it is not as bad today as it was back in the 50's and 60's.

He didn't have any bridges to burn. Batman was his first gig.