Voice actor Kevin Conroy is considered by many to be the definitive Dark Knight through his work on Batman: The Animated Series and numerous DC animated series and movies. But who does he consider to be the best Batman? Well, in an interview with Comic Book Resources to promote the new animated feature Batman and Harley Quinn, Conroy shared his thoughts on the various live action incarnations of the Caped Crusader.
“Are there other Batmen that I don’t do? I haven’t heard of one,” joked Conroy. “Yeah, I see them. You know, I thought it was weird when Warner Bros. didn’t give the franchise to one actor when the first started doing the films. You just assumed they were going to cast a Batman and he was going to carry the whole franchise. But then when I saw the different ones — Michael Keaton and Val Kilmer, George Clooney, and Christian Bale — all the different takes, this was really smart, because each actor does it so differently. And I love seeing all the different takes. I think some of them get Bruce Wayne more than they get Batman, and some of them get Batman more than they get Bruce Wayne. I think Ben Affleck has probably gotten the best balance of the two. He’s a really good Bruce Wayne and a really good Batman.”
SEE ALSO: Exclusive Interview: Nightwing voice actor Loren Lester talks Batman and Harley Quinn
Conroy also spoke about the Dark Knight’s arch-nemesis The Joker, stating that: “It’s like when Mark Hamill did the Joker. I thought, ‘Oh, my God! This guy is crazy, and brilliant. I just fell in love with him because he’s the best. And then, I saw Heath Ledger’s Joker, and my God, it was a whole other kind of crazy. It wasn’t better than Mark’s. But he was just another kind of crazy that was great. And then Troy Baker has been doing one that’s great. So I really mean it when I say I like to see different actors do the same role. It’s just fun. And I don’t think you can really judge on being better than the other. They’re different!”
SEE ALSO: Watch the trailer for Batman and Harley Quinn here
In Batman and Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy and Jason Woodrue (a.k.a. The Floronic Man) embark on an ecological quest to save the planet – and, unfortunately, eliminate most of humankind along the way. To save humanity, Batman and Nightwing are forced to enlist Harley Quinn to catch Poison Ivy, Harley’s BFF and frequent partner-in-crime. But Batman’s patience is put to the test by the unpredictable and untrustworthy Harley during the twists and turns the reluctant companions face during their bumpy road trip. The result is a thrill ride of action, adventure and comedy no Batman fan has seen before.
Batman and Harley Quinn is based on an original story by Bruce Timm and sees Kevin Conroy and Loren Lester reprising their Batman: The Animated Series roles as Batman and Nightwing respectively. The Big Bang Theory’s Melissa Rauch lends her voice to Harley Quinn, while the voice cast also includes Paget Brewster as Poison Ivy, John DiMaggio as Swamp Thing, Jevin Michael Richardson as Jason Woodrue and Eric Bauza, Rob Paulsen, Mindy Sterling, Robin Atkin Downes and Trevor Devall.
Batman and Harley Quinn is set for release on August 15th on Digital and on August 29th on Blu-ray and DVD.
Originally published July 27, 2017. Updated November 30, 2022.
