For all the debates held online between DC Comics fans regarding the best live-action take on the Batman, fans seem to universally agree that on the animated front, no one can top Kevin Conroy and his voice performance as the Caped Crusader since his run in Batman: The Animated Series. Conroy gave the character the right amount of gravitas in Bruce Wayne both in and out of the cowl.
While Conroy is close to unanimously praised for his voice work as the Dark Knight, he recently voiced his opinion on all the live-action portrayals of the beloved hero while promoting the new animated film Batman and Harley Quinn at San Diego Comic-Con. In particular, he had some high praise for our current Bruce Wayne:
“Are there other Batmen that I don’t do? I haven’t heard of one. Yeah, I see them. You know, I thought it was weird when Warner Bros. didn’t give the franchise to one actor when the first started doing the films. You just assumed they were going to cast a Batman and he was going to carry the whole franchise. But then when I saw the different ones — Michael Keaton and Val Kilmer, [George Clooney], and Christian Bale — all the different takes, this was really smart, because each actor does it so differently. And I love seeing all the different takes. I think some of them get Bruce Wayne more than they get Batman, and some of them get Batman more than they get Bruce Wayne. I think Ben Affleck has probably gotten the best balance of the two. He’s a really good Bruce Wayne and a really good Batman.”
You can mark Conroy alongside the long list of people who find Affleck’s portrayal as the most definitive on the live-action front. Although reactions to the films he has appeared in are mixed at best, Affleck has been praised by critics and fans alike with many deeming him as one of the most valuable assets of the DC Extended Universe.
Conroy’s endorsement of Affleck’s Batman is incredibly reassuring. For someone who also knows the character from the inside out, Conroy’s positive comments should leave Affleck feeling positively overwhelmed. Hopefully, Affleck continues his terrific run as the World’s Greatest Detective when he reappears in Justice League later this year.
How would you rank all of the live-action Batmen? Do you agree with Conroy’s sentiments regarding Affleck? Sound off in the comments below, and be sure to continue following Heroic Hollywood for all the latest news regarding Batman and the DC Extended Universe.
Justice League opens in theaters on November 17, 2017.
Source: CBR
