Actor Kevin Conroy has been synonymous with Batman ever since he rendered his voice to the character in Batman: The Animated Series. The actor has gone on to lend his voice to Batman and Bruce Wayne in other media such as the Arkham games as well as WB’s DC Animated Universe films such as Batman: The Killing Joke and Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.
While Conroy has been known for his particular brand of performing the iconic superhero, he reportedly had issues with the way Zack Snyder depicted him in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice in 2016. The voice actor reportedly had issues, particularly with Batman’s penchant for killing in the film as he is famously known for his ‘no-kill’ rule.
Kevin Conroy Was Uncomfortable With Ben Affleck’s Batman Killing
Zack Snyder’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice turned eight on March 25. Released in 2016, the second installment of WB’s ill-fated DCEU was one of the most polarizing movies as many fans were disappointed with the way their favorite characters from the universe were handled. Ben Affleck made his debut as Bruce Wayne a.k.a Batman, with his depiction also being a subject of contention from fans.
Actor Kevin Conroy, who has been known as the voice of Batman since the ‘90s, seems to be with the fans on this one. He mentioned that though there have been a variety of depictions of Batman over the years, he found the character’s ‘no-kill’ rule to be fascinating and to be the best part of Batman, thus making him uncomfortable with Zack Snyder’s depiction.
Conroy went on to mention that he loved the aspect of Batman, a vigilante who beats criminals to a pulp to have such a rule, and that it was a line he would not cross. However, Ben Affleck’s iteration was vastly different from his idea of a Batman. He said to IGN,
“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 said. “He doesn’t cross that line. Batman is not a killer…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.”
Conroy, however, praised Ben Affleck’s performance, saying that he liked what the Argo actor did with the character. While he also praised Michael Keaton’s performance, he reiterated how different both of their performances were.
Zack Snyder Defended Batman Killing People
Kevin Conroy is not the only person who is against Batman killing people as it has been largely considered canon for the Caped Crusader to not cross the line. Fans have heavily criticized Zack Snyder’s decision to make him kill in his 2016 film. Ben Affleck’s character is seen branding criminals with a Bat symbol and even mercilessly killing them in a fight.
Snyder, however, defended his decision saying that he usually likes to deconstruct superheroes and what they represent in the comics and mix it up. In an interview on The Joe Rogan Experience, Zack Snyder mentioned that though he understood the value fans had for the character, they were being too protective of their favorite superhero. He said,
“People are always like, ‘Batman can’t kill.’ So Batman can’t kill is canon. And I’m like, ‘Okay, well, the first thing I want to do when you say that is I want to see what happens’. And they go, ‘Well, don’t put him in a situation where he has to kill someone.’ I’m like, ‘Well, that’s just like you’re protecting your God in a weird way, right? You’re making your God irrelevant.’”
He also mentioned that he does not want to see the superhero in a situation where he will get out with his morality intact and victory assured, but would actually like to see him in a no-win situation and then see how he reacts to it. He cited Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns comics as an inspiration.
