Top 10 Kevin Conroy Batman Moments

After Supergirl is captured by Darkseid and brought to the planet Apokolips, Batman joins a rescue team to save her. But he’s nowhere close to a physical match for the big bad. So, Batman threatens to blow up Darkseid’s homeworld and everyone on it. Although we know the dark knight doesn’t typically take lives, Conroy’s intimidating performance sells the hero’s plan. Even we’re not fully convinced that Batman was just bluffing about terminating an entire society. Despite Darkseid’s attempts to stop the dark knight, the villain eventually yields to the hero. It was epic listening to Conroy’s very human character stop an incredibly powerful alien.

Every member of the Justice League was enjoying a regular day of hero work until each of them was incapacitated by separate and sinister plans. The only one who overcame a horrible scheme was Batman. Once he realizes what’s going on, his voice is instantly filled with fear. Batman becomes more panicked until he reveals he’s the person who devised all these terrible plans. The emotional journey that the dark knight goes on up until this fantastic twist is perfectly portrayed by Conroy. He expertly navigates the line between Batman's sense of control and newfound panic that he may have doomed his friends. Fortunately, the dark knight’s tone’s are filled with relief once he saves everyone in the league.

Fans are very used to Conroy’s sobering and serious take on the caped crusader. That’s why hearing him putting a silly spin on Batman was so fun. When Robin is explaining his origins on “Teen Titans”, he stands in the shadow of Conroy’s dark knight. Unfortunately for the young sidekick, this means that he’s basically invisible to Batman. Conroy beautifully plays into the funny tone of “Teen Titans Go!” while keeping the heavy feel of his other performances. Throughout the short scene, you can tell the actor is putting 1000 percent effort into each and every line. It’s a testament to Conroy’s talent that he fit into whatever Batman universe he found himself in.

Thanks to time travel shenanigans, a Batman in his prime is sent to the future to work with a much older version of himself. Although both heroes are played by Conroy, he manages to make each of them sound distinct from each other. The best demonstration of his flexible vocal range comes when the Batmen have to interrogate someone. While the young caped crusader goes from firm to gentle, the older Bruce only grows more intimidating by the minute. It’s such an incredible dual performance that you’d be forgiven for thinking it was two different actors. Conroy’s spectacular range made this meeting of the Batmen into one of the best superhero crossovers ever.

#6: Making the Joker Laugh “Batman: Arkham City” (2012)

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One of the reasons it felt like you were really Batman in three of the Arkham games is because Conroy provided the voice for the hero. In one of his best scenes, the dark knight is faced with a difficult choice. Should Batman cure the Joker of a fast-acting disease or let the clown die? Hearing the hero debate his next move was extremely compelling. However, everything changes when Joker accidentally destroys the vial holding the cure. Despite being full of resentment towards the clown a few moments earlier, the quiet rage leaves Conroy’s voice. He ends the tremendous scene with regret that his foe is dying. It’s such a powerful performance that inspires a strong and fitting reaction from the Joker.

When a powerful psychic named Ace is on the verge of death, she starts to warp reality around her. Although Amanda Waller wants to dispatch her instantly with a specialized device, Batman has a different idea. He decides to just have a conversation with the young Ace in hopes that his words will convince her to reign her powers in. Conroy layers Batman’s voice with compassion and empathy. And after they bond over lost childhoods and past tragedies, the dark knight agrees to sit with Ace as her life comes to an end. This simple and moving scene likely became a “Justice League: Unlimited” fan favorite because we could really hear the pain in Conroy’s voice.

During this bleak Batman tale, The Joker slays several innocent people, tries to drive Commissioner Gordon insane and takes away Batgirl’s ability to walk. But despite having every reason to break the clown in the finale, the dark knight offers an olive branch instead. Batman’s tones manage to sound composed and desperate at the same time. Conroy truly makes us believe that the dark knight will finally reach a point of understanding with his rival. Unfortunately, the Joker rejects the offer for help. While the clown may not have loved Batman’s speech, we adored Conroy for bringing this iconic comic moment to life. The laugh he shares with Mark Hamill’s Joker at the end was just icing on the cake.

A surprising plotline in “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm” saw Bruce Wayne fall in love with a woman named Andrea. He quickly becomes torn between his desire to be with her and the promise he made to his parents to protect Gotham. Eventually, Bruce goes to his parent’s graves to ask if he can abandon his crime-fighting mission. In this emotional scene, Conroy allows the hero to be completely vulnerable. It’s a raw performance that gives us the rare opportunity to see Batman’s tough facade crumble away and reveal the damaged and scared person underneath. In the end, it’s left ambiguous as to whether his parents approve of Bruce giving up his crusade. But we definitely endorse this extraordinary Conroy scene.

Kevin Conroy spent over two decades voicing Batman for animated projects before he got a chance to play the hero in live-action. Fortunately for legions of excited fans, he far exceeded our greatest expectations. Conroy portrays a broken dark knight who had long abandoned his no-killing policy and any sense of hope. In his greatest scene, he shows how far the character has fallen by lashing out at Supergirl and Batwoman. The way Conroy fills every sharp word with venom and hatred nearly makes him come off like a villain instead of an extremely dark anti-hero. While it wasn’t the Batman performance we thought we deserved, it was a portrayal we needed more of as soon as we saw it.

Although Conroy gave a masterclass in voice acting in every single episode of this classic animated show, his most tremendous display arguably came when he fought Scarecrow. After being hit with fear toxin, Batman’s fear that he’s ruining his family legacy comes to the surface. He starts seeing terrifying visions and hearing that he’s a failure. But when Batman’s at his lowest point, he overcomes his fear with an incredibly badass speech. The way Conroy conveys Bruce’s emotion and strength with just his voice alone is simply sublime. His speech serves as a perfect summary of everything the hero stands for. When looking back on Conroy’s long and decorated resume, this speech shows without question that he was always meant to be Batman.