RIP Kevin Conroy

I was heartbroken yesterday to see that Kevin Conroy, who voiced Batman in the 90s cartoon Batman: The Animated Series, has died at the age of 66. His Batman wasn't the first on-screen version I encountered: that would be Adam West, and then Michael Keaton. But I have to join the chorus of commentators who said he was the best, because he really was.

Of course, I didn't know anything about the actor for the longest time. At some point in the 90s, when watching the Animated Series, I caught on that the guy playing Batman was named Kevin Conroy. Later, when I came back to the Bruce Timm DCAU with Justice League, I was happy to see that they'd kept the same actor. About that time I discovered that he played Batman in the Arkham City video game (alongside none other than Mark Hamill as the Joker!), and even played an older, live-action, Bruce Wayne in the CW's Batwoman, for one of the Arrowverse's yearly crossovers.

I still didn't know anything about his personal life, at least until I saw that he'd written a story for DC's Pride 2022. That issue, by the way, is available for free on DC Universe Infinite (you have to create an account but you can navigate away from the subscription page, if all you want is the Pride issue). Conroy's story talks about how growing up as a gay man in the 1970s and 80s prepared him for the role of Batman. And honestly, it's a great story, taking in the horror and uncertainty of navigating his personal life and his acting career while watching AIDS decimate his circle of friends and colleagues.

The fact that he got the part of Batman, and made it his own the way he did, is also a testament to WB's legendary voice director Andrea Romano, who cast the DCAU shows and loads more besides. She's always shown a knack for finding actors who, on paper, you'd think have nothing to do with the role, but then have made it unthinkable that someone else could ever play that character. Mark Hamill as the Joker is probably her masterstroke, but Kevin Conroy as Batman is her major triumph in the DCAU, because he was the most important part of its very first show.

There are a lot of great Batman moments from the DCAU, both from Batman TAS and Justice League. But if I had to pick a favorite, it's from Justice League Unlimited, where Batman (and Kevin Conroy) showed off an impressive set of pipes:

Condolences to Kevin's family and friends. It's sad that we've lost him, but even if I knew nothing about the actor, he brought to life my favorite version of one of my favorite characters. And that means a part of him will get to live on, whenever we watch Heart of Ice, Mask of the Phantasm, or even just this JLU episode, This Little Piggy.