Kevin Conroy, the iconic voice of Batman in animation and video games, has been cast as Bruce Wayne in the upcoming CW Arrowverse crossover Crisis on Infinite Earths. Despite the best efforts of Christian Bale, Ben Affleck, and George Clooney, many fans continue to view Conroy as the greatest Batman of all time. To those unfamiliar with the voice actor, Conroy first played Bruce Wayne and his alter ego in 1992's Batman: The Animated Series. Conroy would reprise the role for many animated projects, as well as video games like Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe, Injustice, and - most importantly - the Batman: Arkham series by Rocksteady.
Although Conroy has never played the Caped Crusader in live-action, he's still universally acclaimed for his performance as the legendary nocturnal hero, and for good reason. Thanks to his confident mix of grim determination, righteous sense of justice, and a touch of psychotic terror, entire generations of fans view Conroy's performance as the definitive version of the Dark Knight.
As IGN reports, in a surprise announcement during the TCA summer press tour, it was announced that Conroy would be part of the crossover. His role will take the form of "a special guest appearance as Bruce Wayne from the future." The phrase "special guest appearance," combined with the very premise of Crisis on Infinite Earths, means Conroy's role could be anything. It's possible he'll be playing a live-action version of Bruce Wayne, though it may potentially be a voice-only role. Perhaps he's playing the older version of Earth-1's Batman, or any number of alternate universe equivalents. It's even possible he could be returning as the same version of Batman he helped create nearly thirty years ago.
The original comic book version of Crisis on Infinite Earths saw the combined multiverse of DC characters teaming up to battle the Anti-Monitor. In translating this story into live action, the CW network is taking a similar approach, featuring the stars of all of its superhero shows: Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, and Batwoman. Even the heroes from Black Lightning, who've yet to crossover with other CW shows, will take part in the epic event.
Brandon Routh, who starred in 2006's Superman Returns before appearing as Ray Palmer/The Atom in Legends of Tomorrow, will reprise his role as the Man of Steel in the crossover. Even Burt Ward has been cast in the five-part event, though it's unknown if he'll play the same version of Robin he originated in the 1960s TV series, or a different character altogether.
The appearance of Kevin Conroy as some version of Batman is reason enough to be excited, and it's obvious that Crisis on Infinite Earths is shaping up to be the most ambitious superhero crossover ever attempted on television. In fact, the combined running times of all five episodes equals about 200 minutes, or even longer than Avengers: Endgame. One thing's for sure: by the time the dust settles on this particular crisis, "worlds will live, worlds will die, and nothing will ever be the same."
Crisis on Infinite Earths will begin on The CW on December 8, 9, and 10, before concluding on January 14.
Source: IGN