Yesterday’s second installment of “Crisis on Infinite Earths” finally introduced Batman into the Arrowverse. What’s more, he was played by voice acting legend Kevin Conroy, known for portraying the Dark Knight across various media for decades. And in his live-action debut he got to play a very, very dark Dark Knight.
The storyline saw Batwoman and Supergirl travel to Earth-99 to recruit this world’s Bruce Wayne to their cause: saving all reality from the Anti-Monitor. The Bruce they encountered, though, was far different from what they were expecting. He initially appeared to be the victim of some attack, but we later learned his paralysis was caused during a battle with Superman, in which he succeeded in ending the Man of Steel’s life. This is a Batman who kills. And likes it.
Understandably, this has created a lot of conversation online, with fans freaking out over Conroy playing such a twisted version of the hero, who echoes Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns and Batman V Superman. Maybe whoever pitched that idea in the first place needs to lighten up a little…
"We have Kevin Conroy for #Batman!"
Cool!
"We'll do a mashup of Kingdom Come, Dark Knight Returns, and BvS."
…Wow
"And he kills people!"
Like the Joker?
"Joker, Riddler… the lot!"
Dude.
"He killed #Superman, too!"
…Are you okay?#CrisisOnInfiniteEarths pic.twitter.com/uHFOzJeIrz
— Greg Anderson (@grelan) December 10, 2019
Some found the characterization ironic, considering Conroy’s previous comments about BvS being too dark for his tastes.
https://twitter.com/benbattinson/status/1204265123050713089
He gave us the darkest Batman ever and he wasn’t even wearing black.
https://twitter.com/MiamiMagus/status/1204217290356666368
Some were wondering if Earth-99’s Superman is one we’ve met before. What if… what if he was Dean Cain’s version from Lois & Clark?!
So did Kevin Conroy 's batman kill Dean Cain's superman?????#CrisisOnInfiniteEarths
— njct (@NJCT) December 10, 2019
Conroy is many people’s favorite Batman + live-action Conroy Batman kills = It’s OK for Batman to kill. Does this equation seem right to you?
https://twitter.com/LuminaOrchis/status/1204248149516341248
A lot of BvS fans, who prefer a more violent Bruce, are feeling vindicated by the depiction of Earth-99’s Bats.
Lol in CW's #Crisis, the Kevin Conroy version of Batman kills people and went on a murder spree and actually explains why his "code" is unrealistic to sustain forever.
that's definitely gonna piss off the bAtMaN DoEsN'T KiLl crowd. THANK YOU CW! I LOVE IT! LMAOO 😭😂😂
— せいじ Seiji (@HarukoHitomi) December 10, 2019
On the other hand, others are viewing it as a criticism of BvS, proving why a Batman who kills goes against what the character stands for.
The point of this entire bit was showing how much of a monster Batman is once he crosses the line.
It’s scary and not what Batman stands for. ✌️👍 https://t.co/B4igjPIXkI— HiTop Alex (@HiTopFilms) December 10, 2019
Whatever your view on whether Batman should kill, we have “Crisis, Part 2” to thank for finally making this argument invalid.
"But Kevin Conroy can't be the best Batman because he's never played him in live action." is an argument that can no longer be made. pic.twitter.com/O6oaJ78F01
— Charlie Stolz (@Charliestolz) December 8, 2019
“Crisis on Infinite Earths” continues tonight with its third episode on The CW.