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Over decades, Batman and Joker have continued to shine in all mediums, and to most fans of The Dark Knight, late actor Kevin Conroy remains the definitive voice for Batman and Mark Hamill for Joker. From voicing the characters in the iconicBatman: The Animated Series, none of the other voice artists and actors have been able to replicate the bond between the two characters as well as Conroy and Hamill did.
Apart from the animated series, theArkhamgames by Rocksteady also cemented Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill as the definitive Batman and Joker. And when they drop the job for the third entry in theArkhamSaga, there were a lot of challenges that Roger Craig Smith and Troy Baker had to overcome.
Also read:“I appreciated that a lot of people were disturbed”: Late Batman Actor Kevin Conroy Didn’t Regret The Killing Joke’s Controversial S-x Scene That Traumatized Young Fans
Troy Baker and Roger Craig Smith were overwhelmed by the fan response
At a time when superhero games were mostly underwhelming with a few exceptions, Rocksteady’sArkham Asylumwent on to redefine the genre and took the industry by storm withBatman: Arkham City. However, before Rocksteady would release the next installment in line,Batman: Arkham Knight, theArkhamseries would witness another installment led by WB Games Montréal.
However, forBatman Arkham: Origins,Kevin ConroyandMark Hamillwould not return to voice the characters, and the role of Batman was handed to Roger Craig Smith and Troy Baker went on to voice the Joker. Reflecting on this huge opportunity, the two explained that they were overwhelmed by the support of the community, especially Baker, who was met with great response after performing his monologue at Comic-Con. Baker explained,
“But when you’re face to face with 2000 people that are judging you and to hear that response, it was overwhelming”
However, Baker’s voice wasn’t just exclusive to Joker, as he also voiced Batman inLEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, making him the only artist to voice both iconic characters, a quite remarkable feat.
Also read:“You don’t have to do more”: Kevin Conroy Thanked Bruce Timm for Keeping Him in Check That Made Him the Definitive Batman While Everyone Kept Praising Legendary Voice Actor Without Criticism
Why didn’t Kevin Conroy return forBatman: Arkham Origins?
There are a lot of theories speculating the reason behind Kevin Conroy’s exit fromBatman: Arkham Origins. But one of the most plausible ones seems to be WB Games Montréal wanting some variation in the voice of a young Batman. Considering the game was set in Bruce Wayne’s early days as the crimefighting vigilante and Conroy was voicing the prime Arkham Batman, this might’ve shifted them to hire Roger Craig Smith to voice the younger Bruce Wayne.
Also read:“What the f—k do they want me to say?”: Kevin Conroy Hated Working as Batman for Arkham Games, Revealed Extremely Long Working Hours Despite His Legendary Status
AlthoughArkham Originswasn’t as successful as the previous Rocksteady games, it did decent numbers and involved some of the best boss battles in the entireArkhamseries. Craig Smith and Baker were also held high for delivering great voice performances as the iconic characters.
Source:PlayStation Access
Santanu Roy
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2539
Santanu Roy is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on movies, with over 2,000 articles under his belt. He has been pursuing a degree in Animation and possesses a deep love for the medium of animation. Having spent the better part of the last two years pumping out articles for FW, Santanu excels at covering movie analysis and news surrounding Pixar, DCU, DreamWorks, and Batman’s cinematic legacy.With psychological thrillers and intimate slice-of-life dramas ranking among his favorite genres, Santanu is a big admirer of Luca Guadagnino, Shane Black, Park Chan-wook, and Brad Bird.
