The lateKevin Conroywas the voice of Batman for nearly three decades. He was the definitive voice for one of the most popular superheroes of all time for multiple generations of kids. To many, he is Batman, more so thanChristian Bale,Michael Keaton, or any other person that has donned the mantle.
RELATED:Where to Watch ‘Batman: The Animated Series’
He only has one live-action appearance as Batman, but he has been the voice of the animated Batman for several movies and shows. He has delivered many memorable lines, and he perfected the soul, the essence, and the identity of who Batman is and what he stands for.
Bruce Becomes Young Again in “Out of the Past”
‘Batman Beyond’ (Season 3, Episode 5)
Bruce’s longtime complicated love interest, Talia al Ghul, reemerges to offer him a birthday gift: a chance to be young again with the use of the Lazarus Pit. After some moments that leave Bruce feeling his age, he takes Talia up on her offer and travels to where the Pit is. Bruce takes his first dip in, and after a brief bout of wildness, emerges a man in his 50s, with slightly gray hair, but in top physical shape. He tells Terry it’s not his peak, but it feels great, before angrily shouting out about how it’s unnatural, and that he has made a mistake.
It shows a brief weakness in Bruce, and a desire to continue his crusade as Batman and be young again. There is also a great sequence where Bruce and Terry (Will Friedle) fight alongside one another.
Singing “Am I Blue?” in “This Little Piggy”
‘Justice League: Unlimited’ (Season 1, Episode 5)
This early episode of the acclaimed DCU showJustice League: Unlimitedrevolves around Batman and Wonder Woman. While on a stakeout, after some brief flirting by Princess Diana that was rebuffed by The Dark Knight, Wonder Woman is turned into a pig by Circe, a sorcerer that is a rival of her Mother, Hippolyta.
Batman enlists the help of Zatanna to help her change Wonder Woman back. After navigating through some obstacles, it’s found only Circe can change Wonder Woman back. She asks for something deeply personal from Batman, something he can never get back once revealed; one would think it’s his secret identity, but no, it’s his rendition of “Am I Blue?” and it moves the audience to tears.
Live Action CW Appearance in “Crisis on Infinite Earths”
‘Batwoman’ (Season 5, Episode 9)
After voicing the animated Batman for decades at this point, Conroy finally got a chance to be a live-action Bruce Wayne in the CW DC crossover event, “Crisis on Infinite Earths.” Batwoman (Ruby Rose) and Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) encounter a beaten and broken Batman.
He uses an exoskeleton to support himself up, he is cynical, and has long abandoned his no-killing policy. It’s not the Batman fans were expecting, but after so many years behind a mic voicing the character, Conroy stepping into the spotlight of TV for the first time was a special moment viewers won’t forget.
The Honorable Sacrifice in “The Savage Time: Part III”
‘Justice League’ (Season 1, Episode 26)
After Thanagarian Empire, Hawkgirl’s home world, takes over Earth, the Justice League must fight to win back their planet and also their base, the Watchtower. After Batman, Martian Manhunter, and Flash defeat the Thanagarians occupying the Watchtower, they load them all up into an escape pod.
Batman slips out and sends J’onzz and Flash with the unconscious Thanagarians, noting that he has to guide the Watchtower manually to destroy the Thanagarian generator. He drops this cold line, “Gentleman, it’s been an honor” and continues his kamikaze mission. He passes out from the heat, barely being saved by Superman before impact. Batman is always willing to make the sacrifice play.
Young and Old Batman in “The Once and Future Thing, Part Two: Time, Warped”
‘Justice League: Unlimited’ (Season 1, Episode 13)
In this crossover event with Static Shock, the Justice League are sent to the future while trying to stop a time-traveling villain named Chronos. Static, Batman and others meet Terry McGinnis and an elder Bruce Wayne.
Conroy does an unbelievable job treating both theJustice LeagueBatman and theBatman BeyondBruce Wayne as their own characters, even though he voices them both. They each feel unique. His best showcase is when they interrogate a Joker gang thug, where young Batman hangs him over an edge for information, old Bruce scoffs at how tame he is being.
Crisis of Faith in “I Am the Night”
‘Batman: The Animated Series’ (Season 1, Episode 34)
On the anniversary of his parents' murder, Batman wonders if he is actually doing any good for Gotham, if he is really making a difference. Then, while attending to a street crime, he is late to the scene of a police raid, where Jim Gordon is shot and injured.
Batman blames himself, with Gordon’s life now hanging on by a thread. He notes that Gordon is more than a friend, he is the same age his father would’ve been had he not been gunned down. It’s a heavy episode, and one that examines Batman’s soul and perseverance to continue his quest to make Gotham better.
Eulogy at Superman’s Grave in “Hereafter”
‘Justice League’ (Season 2, Episode 19)
After Superman is seemingly killed by one of Toyman’s machines in a fight, the Justice League is in utter shock. The world mourns his loss, but here Batman gets a moment to attend his memorial site alone and speak his thoughts out loud.
He laments how he should’ve expressed these things while Superman was alive, a notion plenty of people can relate with in real life. The sudden loss of someone close to you is never easy, and there are always things left unsaid. This moment does a great job of showing Batman in a mourning state and human light, although briefly, because then he has to spring into action on the street.
Sitting with Ace in Her Final Moments in “Epilogue”
‘Justice League: Unlimited’ (Season 2, Episode 13)
Ace was a powerful girl originally a part of the Royal Flush Gang and Cadmus who had strong psychic abilities that would warp reality and drive people mad. Amanda Waller takes her in to study her, but when things go wrong with Cadmus, Batman ventures into Ace’s warped fortress alone to stop her.
They are both aware that Ace’s life is nearing its end, and there is a beautiful moment of compassion and understanding that only Batman could exhibit. She spends her final moments with him, and he carries her body outside. Waller decides at this moment to create ‘Project Batman Beyond,’ and it could also be why Bruce name’s his dog Ace in theBatman Beyondseries.
At His Parents' Grave
‘Batman: Mask of the Phantasm’ (1993)
This is a movie, but it does also serve as a prolonged episode ofB:TAS.After fully falling for Andrea Beaumont, Bruce has a crisis. Can he continue to put on the cape and cowl every night when he knows he has a woman at home who loves him?
He pleads with his parents at their grave, asking them for forgiveness and permission to abandon his crusade for the sake of being happy, something he had never planned on. He searches for forgiveness from his parents because he wants to break that promise he made to them for someone he loves.
He is Vengeance in “Nothing to Fear”
‘Batman: The Animated Series’ (Season 1, Episode 10)
The most iconic line fromthe entire BatmanAnimated Seriescomes early in the show’s run. While battling Scarecrow and his fear toxin, Batman is exposed to the hallucinogen, causing him to see visions of his Father calling him a failure.
While hanging from a blimp, the hallucinations come at their worst, with a giant image of his father turning into a skeleton calling him a disgrace. It’s here that Batman is able to master his fear, proclaiming his famous line, “I am Vengeance… I am the Night… I am Batman.” It’s a hair-raising moment in a legendary episode fans will remember forever.
