R.I.P. Kevin Conroy
Remembering the Voice Of Batman
I am extremely saddened to hear about the death of beloved actor Kevin Conroy. Conroy, 66, was a soap opera and stage actor, with a number of bit television parts, when he was cast as the lead in 1992’s Batman: The Animated Series, thus becoming for many fans, especially younger Gen-Xers and millennials, the voice of Batman. There have been many onscreen iterations of Batman, over the years, many of them beloved and iconic, but, while Adam West, Michael Keaton, and Christian Bale all gave us great interpretations of the character, Conroy simply was Batman.
The DC Animated Universe, begun with 1992’s B:TAS, continued through 2004’s Justice League Unlimited, and overseen by Bruce Timm, gave DC comic fans what they consider the definitive onscreen versions of many characters, but Conroy’s was always first. Even as the character’s look and personality evolved over those 14 years and different series (the Batman who easily falls into some obvious traps and nearly quits being Batman to be with his first love in the early ‘90s is a far cry from the one who’s the smartest hero in the Justice League and turns down Wonder Woman’s repeated advances in the early 2000s), Conroy brought the goods and always seemed to get at the heart of the character. Even in some of the post-DCAU direct-to-video animated movies, or the Arkham video game trilogy, featuring a Batman in different situations, in different worlds, in different styles, Conroy brought the same Juilliard trained grit, gravitas, and determination that fitted the character so well no matter who was animating him, or for what story.
Sometimes you’ll hear songwriters or musicians describe certain songs as seeming to have always existed and they just needed someone to bring them into the world. From his creation in 1939 until 1992, Batman existed on page and screen in many different versions, played by many different men, but once Kevin took over it seemed like this was the voice Batman was waiting for. We all would read Batman comics and have an idea in our heads as to what he sounded like, but it wasn’t until Kevin came along that we finally heard it out loud.
A little over ten years ago I became friends with a cousin of Kevin’s who was also doing stand-up at the time, and it was through her I found out that he was gay. I don’t think it was known throughout the fandom, if at all, and it honestly came as a surprise to me. There was something perfect, though, that really speaks to the art of animation, voice acting, and their limitless possibilities to explore the imagination and let actors portray almost anyone or anything, that this icon of tough guy masculine virility was played by a gay man with a husband.
This past June, as DC comics celebrated Pride Month, their special annual pride issue ended with a story called “Finding Batman”, penned by Kevin, about his experiences growing up gay in the ‘60s and ‘70s, his struggles as an actor who had to hide his sexuality, seeing so many of his friends die during the AIDS crisis of the ‘80s, and how all that sadness, the bottled up rage, having to present a different self to the public than the one you are in private, the brave face you put on, the mask you wear to conceal the pain inside, how all of that came out in his Batman audition and led to one of the most iconic portrayals of one of the most iconic characters in the history of fiction.
It’s an incredible story that I know meant a lot to gay and queer fans, and also resonated with many of us other various weirdos and outcasts who make up the hardcore portion of comic book readers. I don’t think his sexuality was widely known before that story was published. I don’t think he hid it either. It just never came up. I think that story was in many ways his coming out to the broader public, and his final gift to fans. Maybe he knew he didn’t have much time left and wanted to make sure this story was told while he could still tell it. I don’t know. I’m only speculating.
It’s a powerful tale, though, that capped off a great career and decades-long relationship with Batman, comic book, and animation fans. He was a regular at conventions and had many kind, warm, and giving interactions with fans over the years, either in person or online. That story was the culmination of it. After years of playing a hero, of giving so many of us this idealized, fictional hero of our dreams, Kevin Conroy ended his life a real one. Thank you, Kevin. RIP.