"I Am Vengeance, I Am The Night, I Am Batman": 6 Reasons Why Kevin Conroy Is The Definitive Batman in Animation and Other Media

Kevin Conroy voiced Bruce Wayne/Batman in the DC Animated Universe, Several DC Universe animated projects and The Batman: Arkham and Injustice series.

 

November 10th 2022, we lost a talented actor and a great human being to cancer, Kevin Conroy. For those of you who may not know him: he was the voice of Batman from the critically acclaimed 90s animated series, Batman: The Animated Series developed by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini which began the famed DC Animated Universe continuity of connected shows and direct-to-video/theatrical films. He later reprised the role in subsequent projects that include The New Batman Adventures, Batman Beyond, Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. Due to his popular gravelly voice and the unique touch he gives to the character, he reprised the role again in the mainline Batman: Arkham series as well as Injustice. We cannot deny that he made a lot of people's childhoods great and that no matter who has a favorite live-action Batman, that he is and can be everyone's favorite. Whenever most of us picked up comics, we read the lines on bubbles in his voice, mentally.

Conroy's take on the character was as confirmed by Kevin in several interviews was originally inspired by the portrayal of the lead character in the film, The Scarlet Pimpernel.  

Here are Six Reasons Why He is The Definitive Batman.

1) HIS UNIQUE DUAL-VOICE TONE

Bruce Wayne/Batman

For keen-eared fans of the animated series, you will notice that Kevin added a unique trait to his version of the character, a dual voice tone: an upbeat one for his Bruce Wayne persona and a normal, gravelly one for his Batman self. This signified how Wayne was the mask due to the effort put into that voice tone and how Batman was the real self, over time in his subsequent appearances, this trait vanished and he spoke in one tone for both personas, barring one episode. While Michael Keaton originally brought this unique aspect from his take on the character, Conroy did it so well that he made it his own and later attempts by Bat actors: Christian Bale and Ben Affleck failed to capture this magic.

2) HIS EXPERIENCE IN THEATRE ALLOWED FOR A SHAKESPEAREAN DEPICTION

 

Bruce Wayne dons the mantle of Batman in Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)

Prior to his work on the animated series, Conroy was a theatre artist, he worked on plays such as Hamlet and A Midsummer's Night Dream. Due to his theatre experience he lent an authenticity to the character that is as awe-inspiring as is unique. His take can be compared to the eponymous character of Hamlet. An inner conflict and promise or desire to avenge a dead parent or parents in Batman's case. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm depicts this conflict brilliantly particularly in that one scene where he tells his parents about how he feels troubled by his promise as he found happiness with a woman, Andrea. How throughout the flashbacks he vacillates between his promise to declare war on the criminal element and his growing happiness with Andrea all through his voice that has layers of human emotion entrenched in it. 

3) CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

Evolution of Batman in the DC Animated Universe

 

In most modern Batman media, we see an already jaded cynical version of the character, who while we love cannot seem to relate to due to not getting to know what made them so edgy apart from their parents' murder. For Conroy's Batman we see how he starts off as an altruistic, hopeful, sunny and optimistic individual who through time's course and constantly seeing the worst of criminals and good turned bad people changes into an obsessive, cold and blunt person. This is best demonstrated in his changing relationship with Dick Grayson which reaches murky waters in "Robin's Reckoning" and enters its apex in the flashback of The New Batman Adventures (TNBA) episode "Old Wounds" where Dick abandons his Robin mantle. While this obsessiveness stays predominant in TNBA, we start to see his softer side come back slowly in Justice League and Justice League Unlimited through the help of his teammates Superman and Wonder Woman. We also see how he became bitter overtime following the tragedy depicted in flashbacks of Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker in an iconic fashion up until his retirement and isolation in Batman Beyond, only for Terry to show up and soften his heart a little bit.

4) THE "AM I BLUE" MOMENT

 

Batman singing "Am I Blue" in the Justice League Unlimited episode "This Little Piggy"

What do you all think of the idea of Batman singing? out of place? out of character? love it? yes we all have varying degrees of opinion. However to deny that special moment in the Justice League Unlimited episode "This Little Piggy" would be a sin as not only did it capture Conroy's Batman in the unique sense but also showed Conroy's range and capabilities as an artist.  

5) RELATIONSHIP AND CHEMISTRY WITH WONDER WOMAN

Batman and Wonder Woman

What comes to mind when you think of Batman and Wonder Woman having a relationship? that's right the depiction shown in both Justice League shows where Bruce Timm and co. decided to switch things up a bit and rather than the popular obvious pairing of Superman and Wonder Woman, went with this. While this notion was only hinted at in the DC Extended Universe and sparingly shown in comics and other media, it is captured here pitch-perfectly. Both of them having a serious attitude, expertise in combat and strong-wills make for an excellent chemistry between the pair. Here Batman's feelings for Wonder Woman are much more stronger and if "Am I Blue" is not any indication of this, I don't know what is. 

6) HIS VOCAL PERFORMANCE IN THE ANIMATED SERIES TRANSLATED INTO THE ARKHAM AND INJUSTICE GAMES AND MADE BOTH MASSIVE SUCCESSES

 

LEFT - Batman in Batman: Arkham Knight, RIGHT - Batman in Injustice 2

Kevin's popularity with his work in the DCAU and other animated projects as Batman led to him being sought out for the critically acclaimed Batman: Arkham series and later the Injustice series. He brought the same gravelly-voice, theatre-esque portrayal into the Batman of both versions.

If you have ever felt weirded out or off when playing as Batman in the overlooked prequel Batman: Arkham Origins or saw Batman delivering dialogue in the recent critically panned animated adaptation of Injustice, you are not alone. Kevin was not the voice behind the Caped Crusader in these projects and those voices did not resonate well with audiences, even if they were not bad. This goes to show that his talent is yet to be unmatched.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you have your own reasons for why he is the best? Let me know.