RIP Kevin Conroy

The actor who became the voice of Batman for decades has passed away at 66 years old. As someone who was a big fan of Batman: The Animated Series and his voice work in all the DC Animated Movies and the video games like the Arkham Series, this is a huge loss in the voice acting community. May he rest in peace.

Noooo! His work on BTAS was character-defining. I was so excited when I heard he was back for Arkham Asylum. His guest voice appearance in The Venture Bros was also great.

What the fuck

With the exception of maybe Mark Hamill, I struggle to think of another voice actor who has defined a character as much as Kevin Conroy on BTAS. Both his takes on Bruce Wayne and Batman were absolutely spot on and set the standard by which all others have been measured ever since. When he reprised his role in the Arkham games, he - together with the rest of the cast - elevated what would already have been great video games to another level. Rest in peace, Kevin.

Aw man :( His Batman is always my canonical Batman.

Also, something I had no idea about - He was a queer icon:

Man this one hurts. I watched so much Batman the Animated Series as a Kid. I still watch it to this day.

Part of me can't believe I'm actually crying over this. Literally only one other celebrity's passing has affected me this much and it was Phil Hartman.

"Beware The Gray Ghost" is going to be all the sadder now.

Today fucking sucks.

This news came out of nowhere and it's a huge bummer. My favorite Batman by far, and it was so cool to see him come back after the original series for so many projects because he was that damn good at it. He seemed to love doing it, always seemed grateful for the fans, and it sucks that he's gone.

RIP, use to watch the animated series every day after school 10 times over.

@bill_mcneal: I get it, duder. This came out of left field and really hit me hard. Then one of my friends sent me that clip of him from I Know That Voice and I got all sad again.

The man was a legend and defined the character of Batman for an entire generation including myself. This fucking sucks. RIP Mr. Conroy.

This is why its hitting people so hard, including myself. I used to love watching the animated series as a child growing up. One of the greatest after school cartoon shows ever made, and Conroy's excellent voice work helped made it so, along with so many other talented people like Mark Hamill as The Joker.

Kevin Conroy is the definite actor for Batman in my mind. Very sad to hear.

It's been a particularly bad year for comic and comic-adjacent deaths. Conroy never seemed to take his position for granted and really understood the character. No one is able to say a bad word about him either. It feels like there will always be something missing from any future Batman stuff, but his monumental library of performances will continue to inspire generations to come. RIP Dark Knight.

RIP to the one true Batman.

@bill_mcneal: fuuuuck the grey ghost one is gonna hurt so much now. Good pull, bad feels.

bah! what a legend. he IS the batman, and will be missed!

This was the first Batman I ever knew, and for me he will always be the "real" Batman. Many other actors came and went but that voice stayed around. Batman: TAS was great. RIP.

He'll be a tough act to follow.

Yep real crushing news. Kevin Conroy's Batman in all his iterations was an almost father-figure for me as a child without one. A real standup guy behind the cowl too.

An untouchable legacy he's left behind, much like the Dark Knight himself.

I got to meet him at a comic con in 2019 and he couldn’t have been nicer to us. Signed a little Batman figure for me and my wife, chatted with us for a couple minutes, did the Batman voice (which almost made me tear up) and thanked us for coming to see him. Glad I got to meet one of my childhood heroes. Shame he’s gone.

This is really sad to hear. Kevin Conroy was the definitive Batman / Bruce Wayne.

As far as I'm concerned, there were only ever two Batmen. Adam West and Kevin Conroy. (There is an excellent episode of the animated series where Adam West plays a sort of psudo-Batman, and works together with Kevin Conroy's Batman.)

Anyone else was a pretender. Much like how no one can ever measure up to Christopher Reeve as Superman, there is no Batman anymore.

@theodoricfriede: That episode is "Beware The Gray Ghost" which as been mentioned and is a classic.

Man... "Fuck Cancer!" straight up.

Really for generations of fans he is the voice of Batman even if you may not know his face but know his name and voice there.