A Batman: Arkham YouTuber has paid tribute to Kevin Conroy following the legendary Batman actor's death in November. Conroy voiced the Dark Knight for over 30 years across a variety of media, first appearing in Batman: The Animated Series in 1992. Conroy also voiced the Caped Crusader in numerous DC games such as Rocksteady's Batman: Arkham series, and was more recently featured in MultiVersus. His passing has come as a huge shock to fellow DC Animated Universe creatives and also Batman fans, who have been sharing their own personal tributes in the days since.
YouTuber Batman Arkham Videos has shared a fitting tribute to Conroy's time voicing the Dark Knight in Rocksteady's influential Batman games. The video shows some of the best Batman lines across the titles, including the iconic "I am vengeance, I am the night, I am Batman" line recycled from BTAS in Batman: Arkham Knight that has become synonymous with Conroy's delivery of the character, as well as behind-the-scenes footage of Conroy in recording sessions before simply ending with a “thank you” message to the late actor. The video, set to the iconic score from Batman: Arkham Asylum, has been viewed over 300,000 times since it was uploaded on November 12.
Kevin Conroy Enjoyed Stories That Explored Batman's Psychology
When Rocksteady announced Batman: Arkham Asylum, fans were overjoyed to hear that many of the actors such as Kevin Conroy and Joker actor Mark Hamill from Batman: The Animated Series were reprising their roles. The Batman: Arkham series was filled with BTAS actors, and had a strong focus on Batman and his arch-nemesis, with the second entry Batman: Arkham City providing one of the most shocking twists in superhero games, as Batman is unable to save Joker from his Titan poisoning. This led to the dynamic continuing differently in the 2015 follow-up Batman: Arkham Knight, as Batman sees and interacts with hallucinations of his deceased foe, allowing for a dive into the psychology of the Dark Knight, with the imaginary Joker voicing Batman's concerns, fears, and guilt throughout.
Conroy mentioned in several interviews that his favorite Batman tales were ones that delved into the psychology of the character, and the main stories of the Batman: Arkham games largely did that. Conroy had previously cited Batman: The Animated Series episode "Perchance To Dream" as one of his favorites for this reason, with the episode showing Bruce Wayne trapped in one of Mad Hatter's illusions that showed a perfect world in which his parents were never murdered, and he never had to become Batman, giving the character everything he wanted, and showing him at his most vulnerable. Ultimately, he breaks free of the illusion, unable to live a lie despite it being a perfect one, and returns to his duties as Batman. The episode typified the tragic nature of the character, with Conroy's expert delivery selling Bruce Wayne's inner turmoil and ultimate defiance.
Kevin Conroy was the ultimate Batman voice actor, so it would likely surprise many to find that he had never read about Batman prior to his audition for the 1992 animated series. Conroy went on to explain in a short DC Pride one-shot called Finding Batman (which DC has since made free following Conroy's passing) that the character resonated with him on a deeper level due to his own past from his tragic childhood and experience as a gay actor, and the idea of forming dual personalities and wearing masks to cope. As a result, Conroy received high praise for bringing a previously unseen nuance to his portrayal of both the Caped Crusader and his billionaire playboy alter ego Bruce Wayne throughout the DCAU and the Batman: Arkham games. Conroy's passing is a huge loss, and Batman Arkham Videos' touching tribute illustrates just one way he left an indelible mark on the World's Greatest Detective.
Source: Batman Arkham Videos/YouTube