Kevin Conroy has long been the signature voice of Batman for many Americans, stemming from his perpetual presence on the iconic, authoritative Batman: The Animated Series. During an appearance at MCM Comic Con London this week, Conroy weighed in on why his beloved animated series met its eventual end.
It’s not just older millenials who grew up with Batman: TAS that might be familiar with Conroy’s turn as Batman’s voice actor either - gamers have also heard the veteran's work in Rocksteady’s well-known video game series. That's fitting, as the cartoon - originally developed by Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski for Warner Bros. - definitely had a major influence on those games, as well as contemporary animation in general. Conroy has also gone on to voice the Caped Crusader in multiple other DC animated films and TV shows.
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During the aforementioned MCM Comic Con London appearance (via Comic Book), Conroy mentioned that there are, sadly, no upcoming games featuring his recognizable voice on the horizon. While the actor has a few other roles brewing in the works - which are hush-hush at the moment - he eagerly reflected on the recent characterizations of DC’s beloved caped crusader on-screen, stating that he appreciates Ben Affleck’s performances in the new DC cinematic universe, but would also eagerly reprise the role if a full-on reboot of the classic animated series appeared. As to why the so-called “Timmverse” of DC’s animated shows met its eventual end, Conroy reveals that it was brought to an end simply because its creators “ran out of ideas for stories.”
While it's almost impossible to imagine hitting a creative endpoint when it comes to Batman stories - the character has existed since 1939 after all - at least this year will finally see the highly-anticipated Blu-Ray release of Batman: The Animated Series, following last year's successful Blu-Ray debut of the cinematic feature-length animated film Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. Phantasm served as a theatrical extension of Batman: TAS, so it makes perfect sense that Warner Bros. seemingly used the movie as a test run to see if interest existed. It might not be new episodes, but at least fans will now have their old favorites in the highest possible quality.
As for Conroy's ongoing journey with the Dark Knight, he's currently voicing his signature character on Cartoon Network's Justice League Action. He also played Batman in last year's animated film Batman and Harley Quinn, which - true to its title - saw Gotham's protector form an unlikely alliance with The Joker's longtime love interest. Conroy also recently voiced Batman in the popular DC fighting game Injustice 2. While fans may never get a proper continuation of Batman: TAS, at least Conroy's time as the character seems far from finished.
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Source: Comic Book