If you are a fan of Batman, in any medium, chances are extremely high that you recognize the name Kevin Conroy.  That's because he's voiced Batman / Bruce Wayne in no less than six animated series, seven animated films, and five video games.  As DC and Rocksteady Games presented the newest game to feature Conroy’s inimitable voice: Arkham City, I got the chance to sit down with Conroy for a candid interview at Comic-Con in which he discussed the differences between video games and animation, his respect for the fans, and how everyone knows the voice of Batman--even the homeless.  Check out the full video after the jump.

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Image via DC Entertainment

Kevin Conroy had plenty to say in this 8-minute interview.  Regarding video games he admits:

“It’s a grind.”

Regarding the show’s enduring popularity:

“We thought we were doing a couple of seasons of this animated show. Then it became this phenomenon.”

Finally about the joy of being Batman he says this:

“You have no idea how much fun it is.”

Here's the full interview:

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Kevin Conroy

  • :15 - First Conroy talks about his approach to Batman, in particular regarding Arkham City.
  • 1:10- Conroy seems to think everyone was surprised by the incredible success of Batman: Arkham Asylum, he muses about how videogames rival motion pictures.
  • 2:00 – Conroy speaks about his approach to voicing Batman and how fans would know if he wasn’t consistent.
  • 3:45 – Conroy talks about the differences inherent in voicing a video game character versus voicing for film and television series.
  • 4:15 – Conroy admits that the actors, he and Mark Hamill especially, have re-written lines on more than one occasion over the course of 20 years.
  • 6:00 – Conroy talks about the rewards of voicing a video game character.
  • 6:45 – Conroy states “how much fun it is” to be the voice of Batman for a generation.
  • 7:15 – Conroy tells a story about taking his car in for repairs and having the mechanics recognize his voice.
  • 7:45 – Conroy relates a story about a homeless man recognizing his voice when he asked Kevin for spare change.

I’ve written at length here and elsewhere about how integral Conroy’s contribution of the voice for Batman is.  I think I’m not at all far off in comparing him to Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime) of Transformers fame.  This interview made me look forward to all of Conroy’s upcoming work as the Dark Knight.  First up among them is Arkham City, due out in October.