Kevin Conroy's Batman And Mark Hamill's Joker Will Share The Animated Screen One More Time
Arguably the best Batman and Joker combo in history is getting back together one last time, and the reunion comes as a pretty sizable surprise. Mark Hamill will once again reprise his role as The Joker alongside the late Kevin Conroy's Batman. Conroy voiced the Caped Crusader for decades, from "Batman: The Animated Series" in the early '90s through Conroy's much-too-early death in 2022. We knew Conroy's voice would be used as Batman once again, and now it has been confirmed that Hamill will be reuniting with his former co-star in one of Conroy's final posthumous performances.
According to IGN, Hamill's Joker and Conroy's Batman are both set to appear in the upcoming "Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths — Part Three." The first part of the adaptation of the classic DC Comics storyline has already been released, with part two arriving in April. It's a big multiverse story, which is allowing Warner Bros. to revisit many performances from past DC animation projects. That storyline is also allowing for this welcome reunion to take place. The film will conclude what has been dubbed the Tomorrowverse, which kicked off with 2020's "Superman: Man of Tomorrow." (We've previously written about the correct order to watch the DC Universe animated original movies, so check that out if you ever want to dive into the entire experience.)
The rest of the cast for the third installment includes Corey Stoll (Lex Luthor), Brian Bloom (Adam Strange and Sidewinder), Elysia Rotaru (Black Canary), Armen Taylor (Jay Garrick), Cynthia Kaye McWilliams (Dr. Beth Chapel/Cheetah), Dean Winters (Captain Storm), Jason Spisak (Blue Lantern Razer, Hayseed), Brett Halton (Batlash and Captain Atom), Ashly Burch (Nightshade and Queen Mera), and Katee Sackhoff (Poison Ivy).
The Clown Prince of Crime and the Caped Crusader reunited
Conroy has provided his voice for Batman in several projects that have been released since his passing, most notably the video game "Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League." Hamill, meanwhile, has not voiced Joker in several years in no small part due to Conroy's passing. The actor, best known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the "Star Wars" saga, has indicated several times that he intended to retire as the character in the wake of Conroy's death. "Without Batman, crime has no punchline," he said at Fan Expo San Francisco in November 2023.
The last time Conroy and Hamill's voices were heard in a project together as Batman and Joker was in "Justice League Action," which aired between 2016 and 2018. Some of their other collaborations over the years include "Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker," the "Batman: Arkham" video games, and 2016's R-rated animated adaptation of "Batman: The Killing Joke," which featured a final scene that Conroy said made him "really proud" as an actor.
"Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths — Part Three" does not currently have a release date, but it is expected to arrive sometime this year. In the meantime, look for "Part Two" on shelves or through a digital retailer of your choosing on April 23, 2024.