By Brandon T. McClure
Kevin Conroy, the voice of Batman for generations, passed away this week after a short battle with cancer.
Diane Pershing, who voiced Poison Ivy in Batman: The Animated Series, was the first to announce his death. She posted on Facebook “our beloved voice of Batman, Kevin Conroy, died yesterday.” Shortly after this post, some of the lesser-known outlets began sharing the news to the disbelief of many fans around the world. Then the official word finally came from his representatives that yes, he had indeed passed away. The geek community mourns this passing and will continue to mourn it for days to come. A kind and gentle soul who touched the lives of actors and fans for more than 30 years has passed away. A bat-shaped hole is left in the hearts of those who loved him.
He attended Julliard where he studied alongside the likes of Christopher Reeve and his roommate Robin Williams. After leaving Julliard he pursued stage acting and received rave reviews for performances in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet, and others. He starred in films and had recurring roles on television like on Cheers and Murphey Brown. But still, he struggled to find the kind of success that he was hoping for. On a whim, he answered a casting call for the character of Batman, a character he admits to having little to no knowledge of previously. He related to the character's duality and double life and found the voice through that. The rest is history.
Batman: The Animated Series is going to go down as his most influential role. He defined that character in a way few actors ever have. He was one of the first actors to bring a duality to the voice of the character, something he would refine throughout the years and something that live-action and voice actors would continue to emulate. Becoming the definitive voice for the caped crusader, Conroy would go on to voice him in shows including Justice League: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Justice League Action, and many more to list. He guested on almost every Batman show, including Batman: Brave and the Bold where he appeared as the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh, the alien Batman from the planet Zur-En-Arrh. He would then gain a whole new popularity with the character when he stepped back into the role with the popular Arkham trilogy of video games from Rocksteady studios. The popularity of those games introducing a new generation of fans to Conroy’s voice can’t be overstated. His most recent turn as Batman was for Warner Bros. Games Multiversus, a game that puts together various Warner Bros. properties in a Super Smash Bros.-style fighting game.
Conroy would continue to reprise his Batman role in many animated features, notably Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, which many claim to be one of the best Batman movies ever made. He also starred in many direct-to-DVD animated features such as Justice League: Doom and most recently Justice League vs. The Fatal Five. Conroy would finally get to portray Bruce Wayne in live-action during the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event for the CW Arrowverse. During the second part of the five-part crossover, Kate Bishop (Ruby Rose) and Kara Danvers (Mellissa Benoist) travel to the alternate Earth-99 to look for the Batman there. They find an older Bruce Wayne with an exo-suit that he needs to move. Conroy got to play the role of a broken Bruce Wayne who’s murdered his rogue's gallery and the Superman of that Earth. It was exciting to see Conroy finally play the part in live-action and even though some fans weren’t happy with how it was portrayed, Conroy spoke fondly of the experience. He was excited to do something in front of the camera again after so long and “stretch his acting chops”, as he said to Michael Rosenbaum on his podcast. When asked if he would play that version again, he happily said he would
Before it was announced that DC Pride 2022 was going to include a story written by Kevin Conroy, many fans weren’t aware that he was gay. He had come out in 2016 during an interview with the New York Times, but it went largely unnoticed until recently. His story in DC Pride 2022, talks about his journey as a struggling gay actor and the hardships he went through with his family. He came from a devout catholic family and his father was an abusive alcoholic. The DC Pride 2022 issue details a life that many are unfamiliar with. It’s a touching story that hits even harder now. He kept his private life very personal for his entire life. It wasn’t until DC’s touching tribute to the man did fans learn that he had been married for many years to Vaughn C. Williams. Nothing is publicly known about their relationship, but it’s a comfort to know that he wasn’t alone in the end.
It’s unknown if there were any films or shows that he was working on before his death, but he was reunited with Batman: The Animated Series co-creator Bruce Timm when he was cast as Thomas Wayne in Batman: Caped Crusader. Since that show is currently looking for a new home after being removed from HBO Max, it’s unknown at this time if he recorded any dialogue. Since his passing, there has been an outpour of love for him from his friends and co-stars. The likes of Mark Hammil, Susan Eisenberg, Tim Daly, and many more have all expressed their sorrow for the loss of their friend. He was a unique talent, one that will never be seen again.
He was Batman.