MovieChat Forums > Batman: Gotham Knight (2008) Discussion > Kevin Conroy! Love or Hate?

Kevin Conroy! Love or Hate?

posted 16 years ago by mqattack
71 replies | jump to latest

OK admittedly I was excited about the prospect of having Kevin Conroy return as Batman/Bruce Wayne. As a child who grew up watching the original run of Batman: The Animated Serious, I can't help but feel nostalgic over his return. For me (and for many others) Conroy is Batman and portrayed the best Batman from the 90s.

But after reading a handful of threads I have come to understand with the people who want something different. Kevin Conroy's Batman/Bruce Wayne really comes from a different universe than Christian Bale's Batman. Conroy's exists in the one created by Bruce Timm, where Superman and the rest of the Justice League can team up and help Batman. I just cant image the gritty realistic Christopher Nolan universe coexist with the man of steel or any other superhero with super powers. Also the interpretation of Bruce Wayne greatly contrasts with one another. Where Nolan has his Bruce Wayne as a pretentious playboy, Timm has a philanthropic one. So although Conroy now portrays a Batman in the Nolan universe, I cant help but associate him with the Timm universe.

But anybody else as the voice of Batman just doesnt feel right. Watching a few episodes of “The Batman” I cant help but feel how lame that Batman sounds (sorry, I mean THE Batman sounds). Then I thought maybe I'm just older now and cartoons dont grab my attention as much as they use to, but as soon as I heard Kevin Conroy's voice in the Gotham Knight trailer, it gave chills down my back.

So I guess in the end, i'm really torn on the decision with having Conroy, so I guess we'll have to wait until the movie comes out to really decide if it was the right choice

So what about you guys, love or hate Kevin Conroy?

and im sure there will be many more threads to come about this topic.

[–] KillingJoke207 16 years ago

Very happy to have him back. And, if the teaser is any indicator, his voice, while still distinctively the Conroy Batman voice, is a bit different. Toned down a bit, even. Which makes me think he's approaching this a little differently than his previous work as Batman, and that's quite cool.

[–] InsanityIsTrueSanity 16 years ago

I was kinda mad when I heard Bale wasn't voicing him. But when I heard Conroy was returning to voice Batman. I was like HELL YEAH! I grew up with the 90s Batman: The Animated Series as well.

"Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia." - E.L. Doctorow

[–] silentbob8201 16 years ago

Will Conroy be part of the Cast thats going to be at Wizard World Chicago for the Premier with Project Director Bruce Timm? ANYONE Bueller Bueller?

[–] gluvnast31 16 years ago

i can never picture any animated batman series without conroy as batman and hamill as the joker...period

[–] jorgito2001 16 years ago

Watched Batman: Gotham Knights last night. Loved him in B: TAS & Justice League...absoultey HATED his voice on Batman: Gotham Knights. His voice simply didn't match up with what was onscreen.

And didn't he sound GA.Y as all heck in Field Test as Bruce Wayne? Geez man, stick a flower in your hair Conroy.

I love how everyone ripped Romano a new one for his potrayal in The Batman as if Conroy is THEE Batman himself. He's OK, but when I read Batman comics, I DO NOT think of Conroy's voice as Batman's.

Some of you are obviously a victim of your time..."growing up" with Conroy as Batman in TAS...just as I grew up in the 80s & none other then Peter Cullen IS Optimus Prime. Things change with time & Conroy needs to be retired as Batman...seriously.

***
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[–] Batfan86 16 years ago

Watched Batman: Gotham Knights last night. Loved him in B: TAS & Justice League... His voice simply didn't match up with what was onscreen.

I reluctantly agree. I love him for the DCAU, but it didn't work for B:GK.

Mother, Father...soon the city you loved will again be clean.

[–] shane1979 16 years ago

I disagree.
Conroy changed his voice per story. The only time his voice was the same in all six stories was when he was batman. His bruce wayne voice was very different in stories 4 and 5.

But Conroy is AWESOME. And to be honest. all the DCAU Va's are perfect. Tim Daly is perfect for Superman, he sounds like a boyscout. Conroy cant be beat as Bruce or Batman period. This has been proven by other animated series where the VA SUCKS when compared to Conroy... and Hamil as the Joker is flawless another one that cant be beat..(well maybe Ledger but he has passed)

"Psychos do NOT, explode, when sunlight hits them I dont care how crazy they are!" - Seth, FDTD

[–] SilentJay32 16 years ago

I love Kevin Conroy's Batman, but this wasn't that Batman and the voice stood out like a sore thumb.

[–] kmflash 16 years ago

Im going to be honest. I prefer Conroy's voice to Bale's.

[–] comicstu 16 years ago

Conroy's still got it. He sounded odd at first, but now I love him in this movie. Interesting listening to him in the commentary too.

[–] greatwuta 16 years ago

Kevin Conroy, Love! Nuff Said.

[–] Herreken 15 years ago

MGAttack, "Also the interpretation of Bruce Wayne greatly contrasts with one another. Where Nolan has his Bruce Wayne as a pretentious playboy, Timm has a philanthropic one."

I've only just started reading the comics but I believe the persona that Bruce Wayne puts on for the public is that of both playboy & philanthropist. Bruce Wayne in the animated series definitely put on the act of a fop at times. I'm not even sure if Nolan meant to portray the public Bruce Wayne solely as a playboy.

CaptainOfIron, "Yea the anime Batman doesnt match the voice at all, Anime batman looks like freakin clay aiken but sounds like Conroy, but then again I didnt care for that mini episode."

Agreed. Japanese dudes don't look girly, so why do so many of these anime artists go for the "effeminate male" look. It's a strange contrast with the deep voice.

KMFlash, "Im going to be honest. I prefer Conroy's voice to Bale's."

Same here. I am a big fan of Christian Bale as an actor, but I thought his Batman voice was just silly at times, especially when he spoke for more than a few seconds.

[–] AllSunday 16 years ago

I love Kevin Conroy, when I visual Batman his voice will always be the first to match up with the image in my head.

But for Gotham Knights I actually wished they did find someone new. Don't get me wrong, I love Kevin, but the whole time I was watching it his voice never seemed right for Nolan's Batman. Maybe it's just me..

[–] mqattack 16 years ago

Finally got a chance to watch the movie and i have to say, its time for change. Conroy's batman just doesnt fit with most of the stories within Gotham Knight.

I think a better approach to the movie could have been to have different voice actors portray batman/bruce wayne to reflect the different interpretation of the Batman mythos within the DVD. The animation style varies, why cant Batman's voice change?

The short story "Field Test" greatly reflects the mismatch of Conroy's voice to a young, hip, and slim stlye batman/bruce wayne, it just felt awkward; however, some of the other shorts such as "Deadshots" matched Conroy's voice pretty well, a bit darker than Bruce Timm's but still pretty fitting.

Overall I think Gotham Knight disappointed many of us for various reasons, but its hard to argue the choice to elect Conroy as the voice isn't partially at fault.

So i'm in agreement that Conroy isn't THE voice when it comes to Batman anymore, and sometimes change can be important to reflect people's take on batman.

Let's hope The Dark Knight will kick ass, and earn more money than Begins and that crappy Superman Movie 2006.

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] Otaku-sempai 16 years ago

Jorgito2001 posted: "In fact, in the B: DK commentary, he tells he NEVER picked up a Bat comic or seen anything "Batman" in his life prior to being cast as the voice in the 90s for the Animated Series!!!! He approached the character like "Hamlet" (coming from a Shakespearean background). Batman is Hamlet to this mofo! Whatever!"

I guess you meant the Gotham Knight commentary track. So what? Conroy was a terrific Batman/Bruce Wayne even if he never did read a Batman comic beforehand. And comparing Batman as a character to Hamlet is perfectly legitimate. Ultimately, they are both tragic figures. What's your beef?

However, I do like your idea of listening to the Japanese dub, just because I'm curious to hear how it sounds, myself.

"I'm willing to put my life on the line to do what I have to. But it has to be mine, no one else's." - Batman: Gotham Knight

[–] jorgito2001 16 years ago

What's your beef?

Don't really have beef...but I love the way these "kids" who grew up on B: TAS love Conroy because he's THEIR Batman.

I've been reading comics since before Burton's film...Conroy is NOT what I pictured when I read Bat's lines. In fact, it might be closer to Michael Keaton's Bat voice (the whisper).

Conroy constantly sounds like he's trying to do the "big man's" voice. Especially when he shouts.

***
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[–] 16 years ago

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[–] comicstu 16 years ago

You're beef is clearly more with Conroy than the fans, given you're the one going on about how he sounds like a fag and making the retarded claim that he'd be cleaning tables if not for Bruce Timm. And again, Hamlet is a perfectly reasonable comparison to Batman; I don't get the problem. And why do you have to read something to know how something should sound? Sorry, but no comic book has ever given any indication on what Batman's voice sounds like.

[–] jorgito2001 16 years ago

and making the retarded claim that he'd be cleaning tables if not for Bruce Timm.

I might be burying myself deeper, but how is that a "retarded" claim??? I speak the TRUTH! Take a look at his resume here on IMDB. I repeat: If it wasn't for Batman, Conroy would be CLEANING TABLES at MICKEY D's!

Oh BTW, the great part about an opinion is that it is YOURS...I don't like & continue not to like Conroy's voice for Batman, it may make you moist but it doesn't do a thing for me...plain & simple. Only time I found him quite acceptable was in Justice League...because he wasn't hamming it up as often as he was during B: TAS. He was more toned down (the way The Bat SHOULD be).

***
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[–] comicstu 16 years ago

It is a retarded claim. He had tons of theater experience before he got picked up to do B:TAS. He'd still be acting, just not for Bruce Timm.

And I don't care if you don't like Conroy, but you're being a dick about it, stereotyping those who disagree as Conroy fanboys and making the dumb claims that he'd be cleaning tables. You seem less concerned with sharing your opinion than you do making yourself out to be different.

[–] jorgito2001 16 years ago

You really are taking my criticism of Conroy to heart. Who's acting "retarded" around here? I'm sure there is an actor or movie you LOVE that someone might HATE and vice versa...learn to take criticism like a MAN (or WO-man, whatever U are). The fact that U R taking such offense to my "cleaning tables at Micky D's" comment DEFINITELY spells F-A-N-B-O-Y!!!

I loved Peter Cullen at Optimus in the 80s Transformers...he was the DEFINITIVE Optimus without a doubt...but even I thought he was a little "over the hill" to do the voice again for Michael Bay's live action movie. Again, MY opinion...and I LOVE Cullen!

Don't obsess so much..oops, just one look at your username says it all.

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[–] tbwhitefang 16 years ago

Love, but within reason. It's been many years, and approaching him more critically than I did in my youth, I think his hard-bitten voice is fantastic for Batman, but has a hard time adjusting to a 'fake-casual womanizer' Bruce Wayne like the one Bale portrayed (though there WAS a noticable effort on his part in Field Test to sound lighter & younger). Even in TAS he always sounded deadly serious in both his roles. That might be a reason why Bruce only showed up in 3 of the 6, and only talked a lot in 2 of them.

It's hard enough for most people trying to sound responsible. Imagine how hard it is for a responsible person to sound/behave irresponsible!

[–] countess_D84 16 years ago

Oh, I too first heard him in the animated series and he sounded awesome in that series!

However, I think Christian Bale basically represents our generation of Batman, so I think it would've been awesome if he voiced Bstman/Bruce in this project, but that's just my opinion.

Well, to be fair, Conroy was perfect as Batman/Bruce in the last segment, "Deadshot."

[–] DarthBill 16 years ago

How can anyone ahte Kevin Conroy's Batman?

[–] greatwuta 16 years ago

I grew up with Adam West being Batman. Heck unfortunately I remember the Batman cartoon with Bat Mite, and I still think Kevin Conroy has the best Batman voice. Nuff Said!

[–] crazychurchill 16 years ago

Kevin Conroy is the voice of Batman, and I've lived through a few of them. He's the best. Nuff Said!

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] VincentVega89 16 years ago

To me not having Kevin Conroy do the voice of Batman is like having Mel Blanc not doing the voice of Bugs Bunny. It's like not having Peter Cullen do the voice of Optimus Prime. He should always be the voice of Batman in the cartoons. Every Batman should try to model their voices after Conroy.

[–] Otaku-sempai 16 years ago

We must be about the same age, greatwuta. I grew up on Adam West's Batman, too, and I've seen every animated version of the character. After watching Batman meet the Scooby Gang (and Wonder Woman guest on The Brady Kids), I can easily take the "Gatchaman-Batman" of "Field Test." I wouldn't have minded at all if the movie cast had been able to do this, but Conroy is still Batman to me. The only casting that I thought was disappointing was Jim Meskimen as James Gordon. It's not that he was bad, but neither was he distinctive. If Gary Oldman couldn't or wouldn't do the movie, I would have liked to see Bob Hastings reprise the role--or at least Mitch Pileggi (who voiced Gordon for Kids' WB!'s The Batman).

"I'm willing to put my life on the line to do what I have to. But it has to be mine, no one else's." - Batman: Gotham Knight

[–] worldsfinest10 16 years ago

"Shoot your mouth off now, Deadshot"

[–] SpaceOddity2 16 years ago

To everyone saying they wish Bale would've voiced Batman, the producers apparently tried to get him but he was unavailable. Here's what Bruce Timm said about eventually casting Conroy:

-----------

for the record, we tried really hard to get the movie cast (bale, oldman, caine, murphy, etc) for B:GK, but ultimately just couldn't make the schedules work....remember, these aren't just big-name movie stars, they're INCREDIBLY BUSY big-name movie stars...bale had like half a week of down-time after DARK KNIGHT wrapped and then flew off to hong kong or someplace to start another movie, and once we realised we weren't going to get HIM, we figured it didn't make any sense to use the rest of the movie cast WITHOUT him, so we went in another direction entirely....

andrea romano and i then spent about 30 seconds discussing other batman voice options -- like jeremy sisto, for instance, whom we both liked very much in NEW FRONTIER -- before we both decided to go back once again to the conroy well...it just made too much sense on a lot of levels....yes, we knew it would please (MOST of!) the fans, and yes, he's a wonderful guy and andrea and i both missed working with him, but most importantly, he's just the BEST. FRICKIN'. BATMAN. VOICE. EVER...i mean, bottom-line, that's all there is to it...

plus -- as if i need any other reasons after that -- we did all the B:GK voice-work in ADR (post-synched), which is really tricky, and a skill kevin excels at...you'd be surprised how many otherwise excellent actors suck at ADR (i could tell you stories, hoo-boy), so getting kevin would alleviate that concern as well (and even WITH kevin and other seasoned pros like corey burton and will friedle at the mike, B:GK was a total ***** to record, easily the toughest project i've ever recorded)...

all in all, i have zero regrets for casting kevin in B:GK...

[–] Villings 16 years ago

Kevin Conroy! Love or Hate?

Love!

I believe that what doesn't kill you, makes you.. Stranger

[–] agentmaxsmart 16 years ago

Conroy is the best Batman, period. And this include the film versions & other tv versions. He's just what Batman should sound like. I watched Gotham Knight last night, not knowing Kevin was doing the voice. As soon as I heard him speak, my lips formed into a big smile. :D

Nobody's better.
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If you only knew the power of the Dark Side!

[–] gothamcity_bats 16 years ago

In this particular movie, I didn't really think Kevin Conroy was the right choice. Keven Conroy is great in the animated Batman series.

In this one, however, I didn't like how he did not have that differentiation between Bruce Wayne and Batman (like established in Batman Begins). As Batman, Kevin Conroy is great in this. As Bruce Wayne (particularly with how young he is drawn in this), I found it a bit off.