The death of Kevin Conroy was a tragic loss. The iconic voice of Batman is cemented in the minds of fans. But there’s another voice often heard alongside Conroy’s deep tones. Mark Hamill‘s Joker is just as much of a favorite. Which is why Hamill says reprising the Joker without Conroy is highly unlikely. There’s no Joker without Batman.
“They would call and say, ‘They want you to do the Joker,’ and my only question was, ‘Is Kevin Batman?’ If they said yes, I would say, ‘I’m in.’ We were like partners,” Hamill said. “We were like Laurel and Hardy. Without Kevin there, there doesn’t seem to be a Batman for me.”
It’s heartbreaking. The duo spent so much time playing off one another, and had such a long run. You couldn’t not feel the lack of Conroy’s presence if Hamill were to voice Joker without him. While the Dark Knight and the Clown Prince of Crime will continue to appear in projects, it will be without Hamill and Conroy.
Gone, But Never Forgotten
Even though this might be an upsetting occurrence for many fans, we think it’s actually quite sweet. “Batman :The Animated Series” made the duo of Hamill and Conroy an inseparable team. The two continued their roles into the Arkham video games from Rocksteady. Any time Conroy was present as Batman, you expected Hamill to play Joker.
Fans were surprised and delighted to learn we will get one final Conroy as Batman performance. As revealed in the first trailer, we’ll hear him in the upcoming video game, “Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League.”
Hamill’s decision brings to mind a scene from “The Man Who Killed Batman.” Joker just doesn’t find crime fun without Batman to stop him, lamenting “without Batman, crime has no punchline.” And it’s true now more than ever. We’ll miss you in the role, Mark. But we understand. Your laugh and performance has been immortalized alongside Kevin’s.
