Kevin Conroy just made his final voice appearance as Batman in a new video, but it has many fans deeply disappointed with the results.
Conroy's last time playing the Caped Crusader comes in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League (initially announced back in 2020 at DC FanDome), a game that has not been able to catch a break in its lead-up to launch.
Even on the day fans finally were able to get their hands on the title, developer Rocksteady Studios pulled early access to its Deluxe Edition one hour after it launched due to a bug that auto-completed players' games (per IGN).
Kevin Conroy's Last Batman Performance Disappoints Fans
Ahead of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League's February 2 release for all gamers, footage (via YouTuber Dan Allen Gaming) from the game made its way online featuring the Suicide Squad killing Batman.
The clip shows King Shark carrying a bloodied and beaten Batman to a park bench in the rain before the Caped Crusader looks up at Harley Quinn with a gun pointed at his face.
Sporting purple eyes after turning evil by way of Brainiac, Batman endures a long monologue from Harley before taking a bullet to the face, which instantly kills him before the Suicide Squad moves on.
This game features classic Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy portraying the Dark Knight, although Kill the Justice League lives up to its name by taking the hero out of the picture.
This also marks the final voiceover performance as Batman in a video game from Conroy, who passed away in November 2022 following a short battle with cancer.
Per IGN, this will not be Conroy's final performance overall, as he will play Batman in Bruce Timm's Batman: Caped Crusader series on Amazon Prime Video and in the Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Three movie.
Unfortunately, this video left some DC fans disappointed after hearing and seeing Conroy's work in this new clip as players voiced their opinions on the matter on X (formerly Twitter).
The full clip can be seen below:
X user @leomartzart called the clip "massive[ly] disrespect[ful]" to both Conroy himself and all Batman fans, urging fans not to support this new title:
"This is a massive disrespect for Kevin Conroy and any Batman fans. There is no reason to play or support this game."
@best_is_west offered the same sentiment, using the term "a waste of time" and calling the game "soulless:"
"That dev video really told me all I needed to know to make an informed decision about purchasing this game. God what a waste of time this game looks like, just a soulless title. 'Oh but you don’t know the CONTEXT' Yeah I know the result and it’s still shit."
Replying to @leomartzart's post, @meleedamageUK saw the clip as "a contradictory, disrespectful and poorly written end to the Arkham-Batman" from past games, looking at Batman's death as a disappointment considering his history:
"I would say this is a contradictory, disrespectful and poorly written end to the 'Arkham'-Batman, who overcame so many impossible scenarios and powerful foes, only to go out in this manner and to adversaries he’d wipe the floor with etc."
User @hzjoe03 simply stated that they are "not buying this game," blasting Rocksteady for knowing that this would feature Conroy's last appearance as Batman:
"I’m not buying this game and I hate the fact it’s in the Arkham Verse, but can we stop acting like Rocksteady knew that this would be Kevin Conroy’s last Batman performance? They haven’t intentionally made the game to be a tribute"
Will Suicide Squad Game Be Kevin Conroy's Last DC Appearance?
Conroy's inclusion in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is surely quite emotional for the development team at Rocksteady Games.
Game director Axel Rydby previously told Eurogamer he cannot "overstate how important [Conroy has] been to Batman as a character."
The game includes a plaque for both Conroy and late Harley Quinn voice star Arleen Sorkin as fans honor these iconic voice actors.
However, some believe Conroy may be in for one final performance in the cape and cowl courtesy of the upcoming Batman: Caped Crusader series, which was at one point lined up for release on Amazon Prime Video by the end of 2023.
While that show still is not out for public viewing yet, its animated nature could be an avenue for one last Conroy portrayal of Batman, which would certainly mark another emotional moment for longtime fans.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League will be available for all fans to play on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on Friday, February 2.
