KEVIN CONROY 1955-2022
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This man has left an immeasurable footprint on the Batman brand, and by proxy, on pop culture as a whole.
For many people, he was their introduction to Batman, and I'm not just talking about early 90's kids. His work with the DCAU and Arkham Games has cemented his voice as being THE voice of Batman for multiple generations. |
Now I'm not going to pretend that Conroy was my first Batman, Keaton and West can have that fight in the recesses of my memory, but Conroy was the first constant Batman in my life, so much so that, as a kid, I'm fairly certain BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES was what I considered Batman to be, and the films were adaptations of THAT.
And why wouldn't I of? I was a complete telly addict but there wasn't much to watch. 4 channels and I'm a kid. News at 10 wasn't really aimed at me. So when something caught my eye, it would stick with me and nothing caught my eye more than those opening credits to BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES. I was instantly hooked, right? Wrong. Because I thought this show was scary, none more so than Batman himself. This Dark Knight was actually intimidating, broody and menacing, and whilst the animation and score certainly lent a hand to that, nothing more so than Kevin Conroy's voice was the catalyst of my fear.
But why did I fear Conroy over previous depictions of Batman? What made Conroy different? He saw Batman for what he was, 3 different people. Bruce Wayne the celebrity, Batman, and actual Bruce Wayne. Similar to Keaton, he changed his voice depending on who he was trying to portray. But unlike Keaton, Conroy had the chance to evolve past the two different voices for Bruce and Batman. Here is a classic Conroy performance of Batman and Bruce in the same conversation from the very first episode of BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES, and Conroy explaining the original idea for having different voices.
And why wouldn't I of? I was a complete telly addict but there wasn't much to watch. 4 channels and I'm a kid. News at 10 wasn't really aimed at me. So when something caught my eye, it would stick with me and nothing caught my eye more than those opening credits to BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES. I was instantly hooked, right? Wrong. Because I thought this show was scary, none more so than Batman himself. This Dark Knight was actually intimidating, broody and menacing, and whilst the animation and score certainly lent a hand to that, nothing more so than Kevin Conroy's voice was the catalyst of my fear.
But why did I fear Conroy over previous depictions of Batman? What made Conroy different? He saw Batman for what he was, 3 different people. Bruce Wayne the celebrity, Batman, and actual Bruce Wayne. Similar to Keaton, he changed his voice depending on who he was trying to portray. But unlike Keaton, Conroy had the chance to evolve past the two different voices for Bruce and Batman. Here is a classic Conroy performance of Batman and Bruce in the same conversation from the very first episode of BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES, and Conroy explaining the original idea for having different voices.
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But all that changed as the series went on. If you want to really get inside his head there is a podcast called BATMAN: THE ANIMATED PODCAST that is worth a listen. On Episode 20, Kevin features and explains that he began realising that as the series went on, Bruce was more than just 2 personas, and that Bruce wouldn't be all chirpy and upbeat sounding just because he's out the suit (a voice he use much more in BATMAN BEYOND). He understood Batman and because he pushed that envelope with him, so did we all begin to understand Batman more. Maybe that's one of the many (MANY) reasons George Clooney as Batman just didn't work. Because he was just George Clooney as Batman in every scene. But then again that DID work for Adam West...
In fact Conroy did it so well that he holds the record. He has portrayed Batman longer than any other actor, and not just as a voice actor, in 2019 he finally got to play him on the screen in CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS:
And he wasn't just doing it for the money. This man not only jumped at any chance to voice the Dark Knight but he showed such enthusiasm and willingness to don the metaphorical cowl that his dancing partner, Mark Hamill (The voice of the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series) said, "When they offer me roles now, I say, 'Is Kevin doing it?' ... I don't even have to read the script, if Kevin's doing it, I'll do it."
And you will be happy to know that the fear of Conroy subsided. I stopped watching from behind my nan's sofa and instead got excited whenever he showed up on my screen, there was a slight danger with Batman compared to anything else that was on. And that has traversed it's way into my adult life too, and I don't just mean when I revisit the original series. I find it extremely hard to picture Batman's voice as anyone's OTHER than Conroy's. Only Ryan Reynolds is the other to hold that moniker with his work as DEADPOOL. But when I read a Batman comic book, it is extremely hard to not hear Conroy in the speech bubbles. And I think a lot of people would agree with me there, so it was a welcome surprise when, over lock-down in 2020, he live-streamed himself reading the brand new BATMAN: THE ADVENTURES CONTINUE comics on Instagram.
And you will be happy to know that the fear of Conroy subsided. I stopped watching from behind my nan's sofa and instead got excited whenever he showed up on my screen, there was a slight danger with Batman compared to anything else that was on. And that has traversed it's way into my adult life too, and I don't just mean when I revisit the original series. I find it extremely hard to picture Batman's voice as anyone's OTHER than Conroy's. Only Ryan Reynolds is the other to hold that moniker with his work as DEADPOOL. But when I read a Batman comic book, it is extremely hard to not hear Conroy in the speech bubbles. And I think a lot of people would agree with me there, so it was a welcome surprise when, over lock-down in 2020, he live-streamed himself reading the brand new BATMAN: THE ADVENTURES CONTINUE comics on Instagram.
Kevin's work through the years is just constant, just take a look at his resumé on his Wikipedia page. It's daunting to look at! But it just shows that no matter where you started with Batman over the last 30 years, you probably haven't been able to do it without him talking in your ear at some point. And that's a testament to how great a voice actor he was and how well he encapsulated this character. I think only Mark Hamill comes close to being as synonymous and he's probably standing slightly on the shoulders of Kevin to achieve that (and perhaps it's also vice versa), something I am sure Mark won't mind me saying considering he wrote this:
"Kevin was perfection. He was one of my favorite people on the planet, and I loved him like a brother. He truly cared for the people around him — his decency shone through everything he did. Every time I saw him or spoke with him my spirits were elevated. Kevin was a brilliant actor. For several generations, he has been the definitive Batman. It was one of those perfect scenarios where they got the exact right guy for the exact right part, and the world was better for it. His rhythms and subtleties, tones and delivery — that all also helped inform my performance. He was the ideal partner — it was such a complementary creative experience. I couldn't have done it without him. He will always be my Batman."
Whilst writing this I learned 2 things.
Number 1? Kevin liked to make people happy. From what I've read from his colleagues and friends, he wouldn't want the world to be mourning him right now, instead he'd love us all to celebrate and enjoy his work, which leads me to...
Number 2: I discovered footage I wasn't aware of and revisited some cool Conroy moments. Here are just some of the many (MANY) moments you can watch out there.
"Kevin was perfection. He was one of my favorite people on the planet, and I loved him like a brother. He truly cared for the people around him — his decency shone through everything he did. Every time I saw him or spoke with him my spirits were elevated. Kevin was a brilliant actor. For several generations, he has been the definitive Batman. It was one of those perfect scenarios where they got the exact right guy for the exact right part, and the world was better for it. His rhythms and subtleties, tones and delivery — that all also helped inform my performance. He was the ideal partner — it was such a complementary creative experience. I couldn't have done it without him. He will always be my Batman."
Whilst writing this I learned 2 things.
Number 1? Kevin liked to make people happy. From what I've read from his colleagues and friends, he wouldn't want the world to be mourning him right now, instead he'd love us all to celebrate and enjoy his work, which leads me to...
Number 2: I discovered footage I wasn't aware of and revisited some cool Conroy moments. Here are just some of the many (MANY) moments you can watch out there.
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Here, Kevin reads the final passages of THE DARK KNIGHT with Talkin' Toons host Rob Paulsen (The Mask, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, to name a few). The reading goes so well that it causes people in the studio to get goosebumps.
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Here, Kevin recounts a lovely moment that happened whilst he was volunteering during 9/11.
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He didn't just do brooding, he could make Batman funny. The Justice League cartoons had a much lighter tone, and whilst I've never personally watched them, I'm aware they are actually entertaining and funny. Here is one clip I found that made me laugh and shows the versatility of Kevin.
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In another funny moment, Kevin made a cameo on TEEN TITANS and his comic timing would make Adam West beam. Perhaps he took pointers from Adam when he worked with him in an episode of BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES. There are some true 'Bright Knight' moments in this.
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After BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES ended, Kevin voiced Bruce in BATMAN BEYOND. This not only helped keep Bruce alive in our eyes but acted as a stamp of approval for someone else to don the suit, knowing that the OG was just in the wings. That didn't stop Kevin being a total badass in this highly underrated series.
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Conroy's voice has gone from inciting fear into this nerd's childish core to a voice that makes me feel as safe as I felt sitting on my nan's sofa on a Saturday afternoon, eating marshmallows, watching cartoons.
Go rewatch an old BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES episode. Or maybe delve into one of the many other projects he has been in. Fancy a movie? Why not MASK OF THE PHANTASM or one of the many DCAU projects he was on. Either way, let's remember him for what he was.
Go rewatch an old BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES episode. Or maybe delve into one of the many other projects he has been in. Fancy a movie? Why not MASK OF THE PHANTASM or one of the many DCAU projects he was on. Either way, let's remember him for what he was.
Let us know your favourite moments from Kevin Conroy.
Email [email protected] or tweet at us @talknerdyuk
By Jay Burdett @ProJub on Twitter
Email [email protected] or tweet at us @talknerdyuk
By Jay Burdett @ProJub on Twitter