Mark Hamill doesn’t plan to play the Joker again following the passing of Kevin Conroy (via Empire), which evokes a sad Batman: The Animated Series parallel. Despite the Joker’s many live-action appearances, two of which won an Oscar, Mark Hamill’s Joker performance throughout the years has done something that no live-action Batman production has, it perfectly translated the Joker from the comic book pages to the screen. The same can be said about Conroy’s multiple versions of Batman.

Hamill revealed that, whenever he was asked to play the Joker in a DC project, the only question he ever had was “Is Kevin Batman?” From Batman: The Animated Series to Multiversus, Hamill was the Joker to Conroy’s Batman in several projects. Be it in more serious stories like the DC Animated Universe or light-hearted shows like Justice League Action, Conroy’s Batman and Hamill’s Joker were a “DC multiverse constant.”

Related: Kevin Conroy Was The Ultimate Batman Actor

Hamill's Joker Exit Mirrors His "Crime Has No Punchline" Quote (& Makes It Sadder)

Joker crying in Batman The Animated Series

Mark Hamill explained that “Without Kevin there, there doesn't seem to be a Batman for me” when answering if he would ever play the Joker again. Although a very sad parallel, it is difficult not to think of Joker’s “without Batman, crime has no punchline” line from Batman: The Animated Series. In “The Man Who Killed Batman,” the Joker confronts the criminal who claims to have killed Batman and refuses to believe at first that The Dark Knight died. After realizing that Batman would not show up to stop a robbery, Joker asked Harley Quinn to put all the money back as “crime has no punchline” if Batman isn’t there.

Joker’s line in “The Man Who Killed Batman” perfectly encapsulates Batman and Joker’s relationship, as there is no Joker without Batman. Such a dynamic is now sadly mirrored in Mark Hamill’s Joker exit, with the legendary Joker actor feeling like there is no place for his Joker following the passing of Kevin Conroy. The parallels between the Joker’s line and Hamill’s response are even sadder considering that Batman: The Animated Series was where Conroy’s Batman and Hamill’s Joker, arguably the definitive versions of the characters, debuted. Mark Hamill was the Joker to Kevin Conroy’s Batman for three decades, which is why Hamill’s decision is understandable.

Why Mark Hamill's Joker & Kevin Conroy's Batman Were So Perfect Together

Batman vs Joker in Batman Return to Arkham

Batman: The Animated Series came to be as a product of the Tim Burton Batman movie's success. As such, it was easy for any Batman or Joker actor to make the mistake of trying to copy Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson. Fortunately, as Hamill revealed in the Heart of Batman documentary, there was a note in the recording booth saying “don’t think Jack.” Instead of limiting themselves to the movie versions, Conroy and Hamill both found who Batman and Joker are at the core of the characters. The result was the most “comic accurate voices,” if such a thing exists, for the Dark Knight and the Joker.

The brilliance of Conroy’s Batman and Hamill’s Joker is that they were not limited to a specific vision. The Animated Series' Batman and Joker were perfect, from visuals to the acting, yet Conroy and Hamill would then deliver equally great performances in many other Batman-related projects. The rest of the DCAU, for example, which includes instant classics like Batman: Mask of the Phantom and Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker. The Batman Arkham trilogy also reunited the iconic Batman: The Animated Series duo, with Conroy and Hamill’s performances elevating the games and once again redefining Batman and Joker for a new generation.

More: Why Batman: The Animated Series Perfectly Nailed The Dark Knight

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