Kevin Conroy recently passed away. He died on November 10th, 2022 at the age of 66. He was an actor. You might have seen him on shows such as the Office, Another World, or Search for Tomorrow. I never saw him in any of his TV or film roles. It would probably be more apt to call Kevin Conroy a voice actor, because, well, let's be real; that's what he was most famous for. In particular, Kevin Conroy was known for his work vocing one of the most iconic ficonal characters of all time: Batman.
Batman: The Animated Series hit TV screens in 1992 and it was the first time I'd ever heard Kevin's voice and by extension his take on Batman/Bruce Wayne. The voice he gave Bruce was light hearted, sounding almost carefree. It was the complete opposite of his voice for Batman. This was done intentionally to distinguish the two identities. Kevin's voice for Batman was gruff, raspy and every bit as dark as Batman himself. It was the first time in any media that Batman and Bruce Wayan sounded like two completely different people. And this was something that Kevin himself came up with. I'd also like to add that he did that knowing very little about the character.
One of my favorite lines that Kevin has ever spoken is "I am vengeance! I am the night! I AM BATMAN!" from the episode BTAS "Nothing to Fear". The line was also used in promos for the show, which was the first time I'd heard it. It sounded like such a sick line and hyped me up even more to see the show. After the 9/11 attacks in 2001, Kevin was doing volunteer work, cooking for firefighters and police officers and would recite this very same line to some understanably downtrodden workers, which as it turned out, were big fans of BTAS. Kevin's recital of that line was met with huge applause. Kevin has told that story numerous times and I was never tired of hearing it.
BTAS ended in 1995 but Kevin's voice work for Batman was far from finished. BTAS was just the beginning in what would go on to be known as the DC Animated Universe. A world composed of numerous shows that included BTAS, Superman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyong, Static Shock, Justice League and Justice League Unilimted. DCAU Batman is often cited as being one of the best, if not definitive versions of the character and while a lot of that is owed to great writing, we also have to thank Kevin for breathing so much into this version of Batman.
Voice work is something not everyone truly understands. It isn't just reading lines from a script in a certain tone. There's a lot of nuance and subtlety that goes into the line delivery. I got the impression that Kevin really understood Batman and because of that, he was able to voice the character so well.
Kevin has voiced numerous versions of Batman for nearly 30 years. It's amazing to see how much he improved the role. His voice for Batman in BTAS, The New Batman Adventures, Justice League and the Arkham games all sound so different, if only by the slightest bit in some versions. For a lot of you that read Batman comics, Kevin's voice is what pops in your head. I'm the same way.
I never got to meet him, but from what I've seen in interviews and footage of him at cons, Kevin had this warmth to him. You couldn't help but smile whenever you saw him or heard him speak. When news reached me of his death, it stung. Still does. He was only 66. I had hoped we'd get to hear him voice Batman for years to come. I'm sure you've heard it from countless others, so you'll have to forgive me for repeating it but, for me, Kevin will always be Batman. No disrespect to anyone that has voiced the character in the past, but Kevin is THE VOICE for Batman.
Thank you, Kevin Conroy.
