Batman: Caped Crusader featured Diedrich Bader as Harvey Dent, Gotham’s DA who was in the running to be its mayor before he had a run-in with the wrong kind of crew. However, Dent’s transformation into Two-Face was rife with a different kind of anguish, one that extended beyond the bounds of the narrative.
Diedrich Bader talked about the time he was recording his part for Batman: Caped Crusader, and how the anguish he felt as the character was amplified by the news that the actor had received the day before. In fact, Bader alleges that he does not even remember the day he recorded the scene.
Diedrich Bader was recording Two-Face’s dialogues one day after Kevin Conroy passed away
Speaking with Inverse, Diedrich Bader talked about what fueled his anguish while playing the role of Two-Face, who was going through some similar anxieties given his recent deformity. However, the scene was made even more surreal by the fact that just the previous day, Bader had received the news of the passing of Kevin Conroy, who had played the character of Bruce Wayne for over three decades. He said:
That was the most intense scene that I’ve ever recorded, but for something almost outside of the story. The day before I recorded that, my dear, dear friend Kevin Conroy died, and the fact that I was talking to Bruce Wayne the day after was very intense.
So I don’t actually strictly remember that scene. It was like a dream state, and I was having trouble between takes because it was a very raw moment for me.
Conroy passed away on November 10, 2022, after having an acting career that saw him rise to popularity for his work with Bruce Wayne/ Batman in films, video games, and TV shows, along with his long-time collaborator, Mark Hamill as the Joker. After Conroy’s passing, Hamill retired his version of the characters as well.
Batman: The Caped Crusader was almost a continuation of Batman: The Animated Series
Bruce Timm revealed to The Wrap that Batman: Caped Crusader was initially conceived as a continuation of Batman: The Animated Series, before morphing into a pitch for a new Justice League animated series. Batman: Caped Crusader had a unique take on the world of DC, especially when it came to taking newer additions to the Batman mythos, and taking them back to its roots.
Batman: Caped Crusader has hinted at a bigger world, one that might consist of other members of the DC pantheon. There is at least a strong connection to Superman, who was teased in the form of an alleged Lois Lane cameo.
Given that Bruce Timm created Batman: The Animated Series, and then expanded into Superman, the Justice League, and Batman Beyond, this same treatment could work for the Caped Crusader universe, which could see the DC lore expand in the wake of the Second World War.
Batman: Caped Crusader is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
