Kevin Smith is the latest in a long line of fans, costars and colleagues to pay tribute to the late Kevin Conroy, the preeminent voice of Batman for the last 30 years.
"Before Twitter crucifies me again for the high crime of crying, please remember this man who played my hero was also my friend," Smith tweeted about his tribute to Conroy. In his post, Smith shared a link to a live eulogy he gave in Conroy's honor during The Convenience Tour promoting Clerks III.
At the live event, Smith was asked by a fan if he could share some words on Conroy's recent passing. "That voice, the voice of Batman as portrayed by Kevin Conroy -- and, of course, Bruce Wayne, he does Bruce Wayne as well -- became the voice, very quickly, within a year, became the voice that I heard whenever I read a comic book," Smith said. The indie filmmaker also discussed his personal relationship with Conroy, having had the late voice actor on his Fatman on Batman podcast in 2012. At the time, Smith was struggling with the criticism lodged against his film Red State. To comfort him, Conroy offered Smith words of assurance in the voice of Batman. "You're doing the right thing, Kevin," Conroy told the director in his iconic baritone.
Smith said he saved the recording on his next three cellphones to comfort him whenever he felt low. He then got teary discussing his final exchange with Conroy, which took place two weeks before Conroy's death. "It sucks losing anybody that's exceptional at their job," said Smith. "It sucks when you lose the ones that are, like, beautiful human beings. That guy was such a good guy, man. Really good guy. So, yeah, I'll miss him forever."
Concluding his tribute with an uplifting message, Smith echoed many fans' sentiments. "I was lucky to have known him at all. And, more importantly, I was lucky to have had him as my Batman in my lifetime," he said. "I'll hear his voice from now until the end of time." Not only was Smith a friend and fan of Conroy's, but the two were also collaborators on Smith's 2021 Netflix show Masters of the Universe: Revelation, in which Conroy voiced Mer-Man. Conroy also lent his voice to Smith's 2013 animated effort Jay & Silent Bob's Super Groovy Cartoon Movie! and had a cameo in the director's 2016 feature Yoga Hosers.
A classically trained stage performer, Conroy passed away from cancer on Nov. 10 at 66 years old. His 30-year tenure as the Caped Crusader spreads across several animated series, films, video games and a live-action appearance as Bruce Wayne during the Arrowverse's "Crisis on Infinite Earths" crossover event. He holds the distinction of playing Batman longer than any other actor.
Source: YouTube, via Twitter