Kevin Conroy Reveals Batman's Greatest Weapon

Kevin Conroy remains the definitive voice of Batman for many children of the 1990s and beyond. As someone who has been involved with the character and his world for over 25 years, he knows a thing or two about what's kept the Dark Knight so vibrant over the years.

Speaking to ComicBook.com, Conroy commented on the ever-present, ever-expanding Batman media empire and what he believes is the secret to its success.

"There's so many potential variables in the storylines because of the characters," Conroy says. "The great weapon in Batman is all the villains. They're crazy. They're great characters, Joker to Harley Quinn to Two-Face, Mr. Freeze, the villains are such great characters so it makes the storylines limitless, really."

Batman: The Animated Series even created one of Batman's most popular villains, Harley Quinn, who is now the cornerstone of her own multimedia empire. When asked about the character's breakout success, Conroy explained how he just appreciates having been at ground zero of that creative explosion.

"Well the wonderful thing about having done The Animated Series is that it was the first Batman animated incarnation, you know?" Conroy said. "So we created the standard for those characters, the voice, and Bruce Timm created the visuals, so it's wonderful to be on the ground in a creative process like that, setting the standard for it."

(Note: The New Adventures of Batman cartoon actually preceded Batman: The Animated Series by 15 years and Batman appeared in segments as part of Filmation's Superman cartoon and Super Friends before that. When Batman: The Animated debuted in 1992 it was Batman's first new animated appearance since 1986 and the show was the first Batman cartoon to be more inspired by the 1980s tonal redefinition of Batman that culminated with Tim Burton's movies, rather than the pop art 1960s vibe of Adam West's live-action series).

Those vital villains of the Batman universe are spreading far and wide in DC's film and television plans. Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn debuted in the Suicide Squad movie and is now set to return in Suicide Squad 2 and Birds of Prey, as well as several other rumored projects. The Joker, in addition to his DC Extended Universe appearances, will be the subject of a separate origin story movie starring Joaquin Phoenix. Mr. J and Harley are set to appear in the final season of FOX's Batman prequel series Gotham, along with Bane, and Harley is set to headline her own animated series on the new DC Universe streaming service.

Do you think Conroy is right about Batman's greatest weapon? Let us know in the comments!

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