As Batman, Kevin Conroy's Humanity Was His Greatest Weapon

The superhero world was dealt a terrible blow with the news that actor Kevin Conroy has passed away at age 66. It’s no exaggeration to say Conroy defined the voice of Batman for several generations of fans, from his original work on groundbreaking Batman: The Animated Series to follow-up shows like Batman Beyond and Justice League to the critically acclaimed Arkham games.

Bat fans can and will debate on which actor best portrayed the character in live-action, but the simple truth is that Conroy was Batman. With only the power of his voice, Conroy gave us the most nuanced and fully realized version of the Caped Crusader ever to appear outside the comics. This is how Conroy’s made humanity the most important tool in Batman’s crimefighting arsenal.

One of the true hallmarks of Conroy’s Batman performance was his talent for drawing such a distinct line between his Bruce Wayne and Batman voices. Watching Batman: The Animated Series, it’s easy to see how even Bruce’s friends like Lucius Fox and Commissioner Gordon could remain blissfully unaware of his nighttime antics.

There’s a scene in the episode “Heart of Steel Part 1” that captures this perfectly. As Batman is doing his thing in the Batcave, Alfred fields a call from Lucius, and Conroy’s voice immediately shoots up an octave and loses all its gruff edge as he mentally puts on a different mask.

But the real beauty of Conroy’s performance is that it was never simply about playing Bruce Wayne or Batman. They weren’t two people occupying the same body, but merely different shades of a person still struggling to make sense of a senseless tragedy decades after the fact. There are many moments over the course of the series where echoes of Bruce bleed into Batman’s voice, especially when dealing with his enemies...

Watch the full video for more on how Kevin Conroy's gift as a voice actor was in finding the emotional man beneath the unstoppable Bat.

RIP Kevin Conroy, our Batman.