Yes, Caped Crusader’s New Batman Voice Actor Struggled with Not Doing a Kevin Conroy Impression, But He Told Us the Sweet Way He Found His Own Way In

Kevin Conroy is regarded by many as the greatest Batman voice actor of all time when it comes to the roles that fans have heard throughout the years. (And that becomes much more evident when comparing his output to live-action Batman films). Now, Hamish Linklater is stepping into the job in the animation industry. The actor, who is providing the hero’s voice in Batman: Caped Crusader, recently discussed how Conroy’s legacy influenced his approach to the part with Cinema Blend.

I was among the few members of the press to have an interview with Hamish Linklater at last week’s San Diego Comic-Con. He gave me some very insightful insight into what it’s like to play Bruce Wayne/Batman during our talk about the forthcoming Caped Crusader series on Amazon Prime Video. In addition, Linklater discussed his audition, saying:

As a huge fan of Batman: The Animated Series growing up, Kevin Conroy was to me like the voice of a deity. However, when I received the audition, I hadn’t watched the series in a minute. And I battered my phone to death as I was sitting in this Minneapolis automobile. I simply kept listening to it again and again because I was hoping to hear that voice and locate Batman. After I got as close as I could, I realized that all I was really doing was following Kevin’s voice.

It’s not always simple for an actor to take a new approach to the 85-year-old legendary comic book character The Dark Knight, especially when so many other voice actors have already defined the role. In addition to his well-known part in Netflix’s Midnight Mass, Linklater has a lengthy history of working in theater. In the earlier this year film Manhunt, he also portrayed Abraham Lincoln. It’s cool to hear that he’s big fan of the late Kevin Conroy’s performance and interesting to know that Linklater initially found himself doing an impression of his predecessor.

Of course, compared to the esteemed Batman: The Animated Series, Caped Crusader is a different species. Because of the way the Bat and his well-known foes and allies are presented using ’40s noir aesthetics, it has been called a “re-conception” of the hero. Later in our talk, Linklater discussed how the historical context of the show’s setting enabled him to give the adored masked vigilante a unique voice. To quote him:

Regarding Bruce Wayne, Bruce Timm stated that Batman is a creation, but Bruce is the real guy. What would the voice of a forty-year-old rich lothario sound like? And Batman would have only needed to watch movies like Humphrey Bogart and Cary Grant—you’ll see a little bit of this in the second season, hint, hint—because that’s the sound he attempted to create, I suppose.

Bruce Wayne wears a mask when battling crime, and Batman is very much the same. Therefore, Hamish Linklater has opportunity to innovate with Caped Crusader’s hero by wondering who this version of the hero would be inspired by, given the hero’s era and tone. As someone who has had a chance to see all 10 episodes of the new show already, I can confirm that Linklater does something fresh and exciting with both Bruce Wayne and his costumed counterpart.

Given that Caped Crusader and BTAS have a lot in common, fans of the former should enjoy it. Together with J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves from The Batman, Bruce Timm, the head producer of the 1990s series and co-shepherd of DC Animated Universe, devised the project. It’s thrilling to consider what Hamish Linklater’s interpretation of Batman will bring to the show—which has already been renewed for a second season—as it ushers in an exciting new age for an animated Batman.

The trailer for Batman: Caped Crusader is up now, and when the new series premieres on Thursday, August 1st as part of the 2024 TV schedule, you may binge watch all ten episodes of it with a Prime Video subscription.

The 10 Best Batman Voice Actors, Ranked

Some people associate the Dark Knight with one of the many outstanding live-action Batman performers who have appeared over the years. Still, other Bat fans, including myself, believe that the definitive onscreen versions of one of DC Comics’ most iconic heroes can be found in some of the best animated Batman films and TV series, with voices provided by the late Kevin Conroy and Will Arnett.

Which of the top Batman voice actors, in your opinion, is the best of the best because they were able to capture, with just their voice, the greatest qualities and complexity of Gotham City’s Caped Crusader? Well, to be honest, we may have already revealed our answer, but we should still begin with our last (but not necessarily least) choice in the following ranked list of the many voices of Batman.

Jason O’Mara, Different Titles 
Alongside the New 52 reboot of DC Comics came the reboot of the DC Animated Universe, which starred Jason O’Mara as the voice of the Dark Knight in eleven features. These included a 2014 reimagining of the Justice League’s origin story in Justice League: War and a string of new Batman adventures, many of which would be fantastic for a live-action remake in the future.

The Irish actor, who is technically a part of the MCU after playing Jeffrey Mace on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., is a brooding and badass character, especially when he tells the Court of Owls to “get the hell out of [his] cave” in the 2015 film Batman. Personally, I don’t think he brought anything particularly noteworthy or unique to the role Batman vs. Robin. 

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Troy Baker—A Range of Titles 

Prolific voice actor Troy Baker, who has a ton of other DC characters under his resume, is one of the few actors who can claim to have performed both Batman and the Joker (even in the same film once, in 2019’s Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). He makes a fantastic Caped Crusader, though, even though his Clown Prince of Crime usually receives the most affection. This is especially true when it comes to how he portrays Bruce Wayne’s inner anguish in video games and motion pictures like Batman: The Telltale Series.

Batman: The Long Halloween’s Jensen Ackles

In the two-part 2021 adaptation of Jeph Loeb’s Batman: The Long Halloween, former Supernatural cast member Jensen Ackles gets to portray the big guy himself, years after he played an adult Jason Todd in 2010’s Batman: Under the Red Hood (more on that one later). Troy Baker became a fan of him after he gave a compelling portrayal as Bruce Wayne, troubled by his secret life, and a dedicated Caped Crusader. It is understandable, then, why he is reprising his role as Batman in the 2023 film Legion of Super Heroes.

Batman’s Rino Romano

The Batman, which debuted one year prior to Christopher Nolan’s reboot and starred a younger Bruce Wayne taking on new, more bizarre iterations of his rogues’ gallery, essentially functioned as an animated counterpart to 2005’s Batman Begins, despite having the same title.

But Rino Romano’s portrayal of the title character—who also starred in his own underappreciated film, The Batman vs. Dracula, in 2005—bears very little resemblance to Christian Bale’s, and in fact, may even come close to surpassing it, thanks to a voice that never goes overboard with the gravel and a demeanour that skilfully strikes the right balance between seriousness and humor when the situation calls for it.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns’ Peter Weller

The 1986 graphic novel Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, written by Frank Miller, is my personal all-time favorite representation of Batman in all media. It tells the story of Bruce Wayne, who comes out of retirement in his mid-50s and becomes a more fearless, vicious, and uncompromising warrior than ever.

RoboCop star Peter Weller, who is 65 years old, is the perfect choice to play this version of the brooding hero in the two-part adaptation that was released in 2012 and 2013. He makes the senior superhero concept believable and intimidating, especially when he delivers iconic, badass Batman quotes like “This isn’t a mud hole.” The table is for surgery, and I am the physician.

Adam West (Original Works) 

The late, great Adam West played Batman in a few animated shows, including Super Friends in the 1980s and The New Adventures of Batman in the late 1970s. He is best remembered for being one of the first and most cherished depictions of Bruce Wayne’s alter identity. One of his last roles was a reenactment of his “Bright Knight” in two animated movies that honoured the Batman TV series from the 1960s: Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders (2016) and Batman vs. Two-Face the following year. These movies were still alive and mysterious even after all these years.

Diedrich Bader (Harley Quinn, Batman: The Brave and the Bold)

Diedrich Bader is the first Batman actor to successfully pay respect to Adam West’s distinctively whimsical portrayal while still bringing in a lot of the character’s more serious, contemporary traits in a seamless fusion. In addition to starring in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, the former Drew Carey Show actor is a serious Batman who never turns down the opportunity to make you laugh. He also has a recurring role on HBO Max’s Harley Quinn.