Bates is best known for his work for DC Comics on such titles as "Action Comics", "Captain Atom", "The Flash", "Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes", and "Superman". He began working for the publisher in 1963 and continued to do so until the early 1990s. Among his contributions to the Superman mythos, he and artist Curt Swan co-created the supervillains Terra-Man and the 1970s version of the Toyman as well as the superhero Vartox. In November 1972, Bates and artist Art Saaf launched the first "Supergirl" series. Bates wrote two stories which featured a superhero wedding. In "Superboy Starring the Legion of Super-Heroes" #200 (Feb. 1974), the characters Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel were married and "Justice League of America" #121 (Aug. 1975) featured the marriage of Adam Strange and the character's longstanding love interest Alanna. "Superman" #300 (June 1976) featured an out-of-continuity story by Bates and Elliot S. Maggin which imagined the infant Superman landing on Earth in 1976 and becoming a superhero in 2001. The tale was an inspiration for Mark Millar's "" limited series published in 2003. Bates would end the marriage of another character when he wrote "The Flash" #275 (July 1979) wherein the title character's wife, Iris West Allen was killed.