Following the news of Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy’s death, fans and celebrities shared their feelings on social media. One of those sharing their memories of the star was his fellow Batman: The Animated Series co-star Mark Hamill, who voiced the Joker in the show, as well as on many other occasions. One Instagram post by visual artist M.J. Hiblen struck a particular chord with the feelings of many fans of Conroy’s work, as it included a piece of art showing Hamill’s Joker mourning the loss of his enemy with the iconic villain saying, “Goodbye, old friend,” while Hiblen himself wrote, “Final fitting tribute to [Kevin Conroy] RIP Batman.”
Kevin Conroy’s death came after the actor battled intestinal cancer, and led to a massive outpouring of sorrow across all social media platforms. Having been one of the most-loved iterations of Batman to ever grace the screen, Conroy voiced the character for three decades, in other animated shows and movies, as well as a number of video games, cementing his place as one of the legendary Batman actors of a generation. Although new Batman animated projects are currently in development at Warner Bros. Discovery, it is unlikely that anyone who grew up with Conroy as “their Batman” will look at another actor in the role in quite the same way.
Mark Hamill Paid Tribute to Kevin Conroy.
Among the many tributes paid to Conroy as news of his death broke, Mark Hamill was one of the first, along with fellow Batman: The Animated Series co-stars Tara Strong and Diane Pershing, to offer words of how much of an honor it had been to know and work with Conroy, and like many, Hamill iterated that the star would “always be my Batman.” Hamill wrote:
“Kevin’s warm heart, delightfully deep laugh and pure love of life will be with me forever. 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.”
In addition to his work on Batman: The Animated Series, Conroy also voiced Batman in a number of video games such as the Rocksteady Arkham series of games. He also played a live action version of Bruce Wayne in the Batwoman episode of The CW’s Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event. His most recent roles were voicing Mer-Man in Masters of the Universe: Revelation and Hordak in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe for Netflix. His passing was a sad loss to the industry, as well as his fans, friends and family.