“I would be crucified on the internet”: Kevin Conroy Vowed to Never Betray DC Fans by Doing the One Thing Ben Affleck’s Dark Knight is Guilty of

Batman is a versatile character. He has worn the faces of saviors and destroyers, been the Dark Knight in caped armor, the financial support of the Justice League, and occasionally, even a father figure. Despite this, there is one thing that has stayed constant through most of his versions; the bat does not kill.

Kevin Conroy, who played the character for almost three decades, understood this fact about the character perfectly. He maintained a sort of consistency throughout all of the versions he played, and it seemed to be quite intentional. Specifically talking about the ‘no killing’ rule, it would seem that the voice actor upheld it almost as strictly as the Caped Crusader himself.

So much so, that he was upset with one of the most controversial decisions taken in the Snyderverse; Ben Affleck’s Batman killing people.

Kevin Conroy Enjoyed Consistency

Kevin Conroy played the role of Batman for most of his life. Considering how frequently he was in the mind of the character, it is safe to assume that he had an acute and deep understanding of the Dark Knight’s mind; better than most. The actor once gave an interview with IGN where he went into great detail about the character.

Here, he talked about how the character meant a great deal to fans, who saw a reflection of their own in him. Wanting to respect this, he revealed that many years ago, he understood the perfect voice for the Bat and has stuck to it since.

“There’s an ownership the audience feels about the character, and once I established that voice 25 years ago, the obligation I had was not to deviate and keep it consistent.” he went on, “If I ever lied, or if I ever phoned it in, they would be all over me. I would be crucified on the internet. They would hear it in a second. The challenge for me is how to keep him fresh.”

He talked about how he does not want to change it even a bit. He joked that he was afraid for his life if he made any changes to his signature. Despite this, he kept his versions unique in their own ways, switching things up every now and then. However, there are some lines that he wouldn’t have crossed.

Kevin Conroy, No-Kill Rules, and Bat Fights

Kevin Conroy then went on to talk about Batman’s infamous ‘no-killing’ rule. It would seem that the actor was very much in support of the philosophy, thinking that it added more complexity to his character. The clear, blaring line between him and those he hunts is represented through this line, and if it is not there, Bruce Wayne becomes a villain.

“Personally I love the fact that Batman – in the stories I’ve done, and the way he’s been rendered by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini, the people I’ve worked with most closely – he never kills anybody. He doesn’t cross that line. Batman is not a killer.”

The actor then went on to talk about the approach taken in the SnyderVerse by Zack Snyder and Ben Affleck. The fact that the Batman in this version kills has been heavily criticized by all.

“In the most recent live action movie, that seems to have been a line that was crossed and it’s not one I’m particularly comfortable with.”

The actor seemed to have agreed with the sentiment. It did not sit right with him that such a drastic change was made to such a fundamental part of the character.