RIP Kevin Conroy

[thecolorsblend]

https://gizmodo.com/kevin-conroy-dead-obituary-batman-dc-comics-rip-1849772917

Kevin Conroy—the actor who became Batman for generations of fans when he voiced the Dark Knight in the iconic Batman: The Animated Series and Justice League cartoons, as well as a plethora of video games, including the Batman Arkham franchise—has died. He was 66.

First reports of Conroy's passing, after a brief battle with cancer, came from Diane Pershing, who played Poison Ivy opposite Conroy in the legendary Batman: The Animated Series, before being confirmed by Warner Bros. Animation.

[Travesty]

Wait...what?!

Noooo!!! 

[BatmanFurst]

RIP indeed. He'll always be a legend within the DC Community.

[Silver Nemesis]

Horrible news. Rest in peace, Kevin.

[The Dark Knight]

Huge loss. It can't be overstated how central he has been to the Batman legacy. A voice that will live forever.

[GBglide]

What a shame, he was so young. 

[The Laughing Fish]

Terrible news to wake up to. His last post on Twitter was only a week ago, wishing everyone a happy Halloween. To think he was suffering behind closed doors while maintaining an upbeat appearance publicly must have been hard for him to do.

Kevin Conroy has played Batman so much over the years, in various animated media and video games. But BTAS was all he needed to cement his legacy to an entire generation. At the peak of his career, he was the first voice actor in the role to convey humanity to the role. Whether he distinguished his clumsy billionaire persona as Bruce Wayne from his grim nature as Batman (with some exceptional light-hearted moments), the emotional depth he brought to the character will forever be hard to top. A voice of a generation.

Rest in peace, Dark Knight.

[thecolorsblend]

When I read Batman comics, I have several voices to choose from. Peter Weller and Adam West come to mind. Even Jeremy Sisto, believe it or not.

But it should go without saying that for the vast majority of Batman comics, it's Conroy. For most Batman comics, I read his dialogue using Conroy's voice. It's just too perfect.

I've always been reluctant to say that Conroy (or any actor) was definitive when it comes to playing the character. Because Batman's versatility can easily work against that. For example, Conroy's voice isn't all that appropriate for virtually any Batman comic published in the Sixties.

But outliers like that aside, Conroy's interpretation of the character is so perfect that you have to go into a pretty specific comic book era before it stops working.

For someone who aspired to be a stage actor rather than a comic book icon, Conroy's contributions to this character could ultimately dwarf any live action performance. In fact, that's arguably already happened. He's not "Batman for a generation". At this point, he's Batman for multiple generations.

I met him once at a con. He was every bit as courteous and gracious as you would hope.

This is a truly exasperating loss. My heart is with his friends and family.

[The Dark Knight]

The news is completely unexpected and hurts. I didn't even want to tell my family or friends about it. But I knew they would see it anyway, so I reluctantly raised the subject. All I can say is that these performances exist and the character lives on. Kevin loved Batman as much as us, and that's something I always admired about him. He genuinely valued the fans and the legacy he will always be associated with. He really felt like an ambassador for the franchise as a whole.

Conroy sounds exactly like how Batman should and I don't think anybody will ever approach his level of greatness. His voice communicated the strength and wisdom of someone who has trained his mind and body to be the peak of human potential. And as stated by many, he had vulnerability that gave his performances depth. It's fitting that the definitive voice is attached to the most balanced and complete incarnation of the character we have ever received. I've always valued the fact we have a complete arc that starts with his childhood, depicts his adult prime and moves into the elderly years without depicting his death. Everything about that period was lightning in a bottle and none of it would have been the same without the vocal talent.

[Paul (ral)]

So unexpected and very sad. Such a genuine man and amazing actor. RIP Mr Conroy.