Of all the superheroes to grace the pages of comic book history, none is more instantly recognizable than Batman. With more books consistently published than any other single character, and massive amounts of live-action, animated, and video game content released every year, The Dark Knight is by far the most popular superhero. Having been played by a variety of performers, out of all those who have portrayed the Caped Crusader throughout the years, no one is more synonymous with the character than Kevin Conroy.
With the news of Conroy’s tragic passing, it makes us wonder if anyone will be able to rise to the same iconic status as his Batman. Having played the character in more individual mediums than anyone else, Kevin Conroy’s vast legacy will no doubt be remembered for decades to come, and he will forever be immortalized by many as their Batman. To honor Conroy’s legacy, here are his nine best Batman performances across the various mediums in which he portrayed the character. Sure, just about every Kevin Conroy-as-Batman performance is flawless, but these are some of the absolute best.
9 Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995, 1997-1999)
The one that started it all, Conroy’s work on Batman: The Animated Series was groundbreaking as the series became the quintessential Batman work that reestablished the character for generations to come. More fans were introduced to Batman through Conroy’s work on The Animated Series than any other medium, and there’s a clear reason why. Between the show’s stylish animation, gothic world, and incredible vocal performers (Mark Hamill’s Joker came out of this series too), Batman: The Animated Series is probably the most notable Batman-related work outside the original DC comic books.
But the show didn’t just dive into Batman’s superheroics, it also delved into the personal life of Bruce Wayne, and Conroy’s clear change in cadence between the two is not unlike Christopher Reeve’s transformation from Clark Kent to Superman. The series was so immensely popular that it sparked a 24-episode revival dubbed The New Batman Adventures, a few feature films, and the entire DC Animated Universe. For a full look at Conroy’s range as the Dark Knight, check out the iconic episodes “Heart of Ice,” “Nothing to Fear,” “Perchance to Dream,” “I Am The Night,” and “Over the Edge.”
8 Batman Beyond (1999-2001) / Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000)
The immediate sequel to Batman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond was a trailblazer for Batman-related media as it featured a futuristic Batman that wasn’t actually Bruce Wayne. Following the adventures of the young Terry McGinnis (Will Friedle), this Batman is trained and mentored by an elderly Bruce Wayne, with Conroy reprising the role. Conroy’s Batman may not be the lead here, but he still brings his A-game, training his successor to avoid his mistakes and, eventually, be his own type of Batman.
Batman Beyond ended up tying in deeply to the rest of the DC Animated Universe and spawned the universally-loved feature film Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, which essentially ended the series. To this day, Return of the Joker — which does feature some Conroy-as-Batman in there — is still considered one of the best Batman animated movies, and it's obvious why. Both the Batman Beyond series and the Return of the Joker film prove that Kevin Conroy has the ability to not just make Batman interesting, but Bruce Wayne as well. An impressive feat indeed.
7 Justice League/Justice League Unlimited (2001-2006)
To tie Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series together, the animated Justice League series was born in 2001. The series united Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, and a host of other heroes together to stop some of the DC Universe’s worst threats, from alien invaders and ancient gods to supervillains and alternate universe counterparts. Naturally, Conroy returned to play the Dark Knight in a series that would develop the character in ways he never had the chance to on his own solo series.
Here, Batman is forced to work alongside other superheroes, namely those who are more powerful than he is. The series ran for two seasons before its sequel series, Justice League Unlimited was launched, expanding the Justice League far beyond the original seven members. This allowed Conroy’s Batman the opportunity to work alongside other unique heroes and even further challenged the character's own fears about metahuman dominance. Conroy fans should especially check out the JLU episode “This Little Piggy," which shows the full scope of the actor's vocal range (trust us, you have to see it).
6 The Arkham Trilogy (2009-2015)
Though Kevin Conroy was most well-known for his animated appearances as the Dark Knight Detective, he wasn’t necessarily limited by that medium. Beginning in 2009’s Batman: Arkham Asylum, Conroy portrayed Batman in the Arkham series of video games that featured the Caped Crusader as he infiltrated Arkham to stop the Joker from using Gotham’s greatest villains to eventually take over the entire city. As the series continued with Arkham City and the finale Arkham Knight, Conroy follows the Dark Knight to his final end.
With the exception of Batman: Arkham Origins, Conroy did the majority of the Dark Knight's vocal work throughout the Arkham series, including the mobile games and the spin-off animated film, Batman: Assault on Arkham, which is a pretty great standalone. As one complete story — with a “detective mode” feature to boot — the Batman: Arkham trilogy is one of the best Batman stories told in recent years, taking Conroy's Batman and Mark Hamill's Joker to new heights (and deeper lows). Though the Joker is the main adversary, the Scarecrow levels are the best parts of the game, reminding us that Conroy's Batman is at his best when he faces his fears.
5 Injustice: Gods Among Us/Injustice 2 (2013, 2017)
Another video game series, this one isn’t strictly about the Dark Knight. Rather, Injustice: Gods Among Us and its sequel Injustice 2 take place in a world where Superman lost his Lois Lane (and unborn child) to the Joker and decided to take his revenge. After killing the Clown Prince of Crime, Superman launches his own regime to crack down on crime and scare the world into submission. Opposing him stands Kevin Conroy’s Batman who leads his own Insurgency to take down the Man of Steel and reclaim the world for the powerless.
Not only is the Mortal Kombat-style gameplay fun and exciting, but this resistance-leader Batman is a compelling take on the character, complete with uneasy alliances and complex rivalries with former friends and family members. There’s plenty to love about these fighting games, which even spawned an amazing prequel comic book series and an animated adaptation, which oddly didn’t feature Conroy as Batman… Still, the Insurgency Batman is a fine addition to Conroy’s vast collection of Batman performances, and one that’s pretty unique in the grand scheme.
4 Justice League: Doom (2012)
Based on the Mark Waid story “JLA: Tower of Babel,” Justice League: Doom is an animated feature that shows what would happen if the Legion of Doom found and took Batman’s contingency plans against the Justice League, plans that included their greatest weaknesses. As Batman races to save the League, he’s forced to confront the consequences of his choices, and his allegiance to the JLA is even brought into question. Not only is this one of the better DC animated features, but it’s based on one of the best Justice League stories ever written.
Kevin Conroy’s Batman is incredible here as always and feels like a natural continuation of his role on Justice League Unlimited. The way Conroy coolly plays Batman here, who doesn’t seem as remorseful as he maybe should’ve been considering his plans almost helped end the world, is a signature of the character. A very Batman-centric Justice League story, this one is a must-see for fans of the greater DC Universe, especially those who loved the original Justice League animated series.
3 Crisis on Infinite Earths (2019)
The first and only live-action performance that Kevin Conroy gave as the Dark Knight, his role in the five-part “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover event is exceptional, and the only official appearance of Bruce Wayne in the Arrowverse to date. In the Batwoman hour of the crossover, Conroy played the Earth-99 version of Bruce, which was inspired by the version from the epic Kingdom Come comic book. Unlike his other performances as Batman, this older and defeated Bruce Wayne is one unafraid to kill.
While this isn’t the traditional Batman, Kevin Conroy sells it in live-action just as much as he does behind a microphone. His confrontation with his alternate universe cousin Kate Kane aka Batwoman (Ruby Rose) is direct and kind of terrifying. Though he isn’t on-screen for very long, Kevin Conroy’s live-action Batman demands your undivided attention — he even sucker punches Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) with a Kryptonite gauntlet! Admittedly, it was an odd choice to cast Kevin Conroy as an evil Batman in his only live-action turn as the Dark Knight, but it’s nevertheless pretty cool to see his iconic Batman voice actually match his physical lips.
2 Batman: The Killing Joke (2016)
Although this animated feature was based on one of the best Batman comics ever written, Batman: The Killing Joke is ironically one of the worst Batman animated features out there, but that doesn't mean Kevin Conroy doesn't deliver. The first half of the film is a strange Batgirl-centric prequel that doesn’t do much for the back half of the film, which thankfully follows the original comic book. Regardless of the critical reception to the overall plot, Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill shine brightest here as Batman and the Joker, reciting Alan Moore’s epic Killing Joke dialogue verbatim, which brings chills to any Batman fan watching.
After waiting years to see Moore’s Batman classic brought to life, many of us were a bit disappointed by the first half of the film, but once The Killing Joke story gets rolling, Conroy brings his A-game as the Caped Crusader. His monologue when confronting the false Joker at Arkham Asylum is Conroy at his best as Batman flirts with darkness. If you cut out most of the Batgirl stuff (and the bit where the Joker sings), there are some powerful moments here ripped straight from the comic book, moments that remind us just why Kevin Conroy is the definitive Batman.
1 Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
The best Batman film of them all (yes, including the live-action ones), Batman: Mask of the Phantasm was the first animated Batman feature to be released theatrically, and there's no question why. It's an epic tale that dives deep into Bruce Wayne's past, his reasoning for becoming Batman, and his ill-fated love affair that turned sour. Of course, Conroy's Batman goes up against Hamill's Joker in this one too, but the real treat is his confrontations with the titular Phantasm who has terrorized Gotham's criminal underbelly. Of all Kevin Conroy's Batman performances, there's something still very special about Mask of the Phantasm.
Yes, this one is a Batman: The Animated Series feature film, one that captures the very heart and soul of the classic series, but it's so much more than that. Though others like Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero are excellent additions, Mask of the Phantasm is what all truly great Batman stories should be. Though his Batman may have been solidified as the greatest in his work on The Animated Series, it's Batman: Mask of the Phantasm that explores Kevin Conroy's range the best. It's obvious here why he is the definitive Batman, and why he always will be.