It’s Batman Day! And that means fans of the Dark Knight have been pouring out their love for the Caped Crusader onto social media. But on this day of celebration for Gotham’s greatest hero, even the Joker can’t resist paying his respects to the iconic character. Although, in true Clown Prince of Crime style, he’s made it all about himself.
We’re talking, of course, about Mark Hamill, the premier voice actor of Mr. J since 1992’s Batman: The Animated Series. The fan favorite took to Twitter today to explain what the Batman franchise, and in particular, B:TAS, meant to him. He also took the opportunity to give a shout-out to his Batman, Kevin Conroy, who he’s appeared opposite countless times over the past quarter-century and counting.
“For years, I dreamed of finding a part as far from Luke as possible…” Hamill wrote. “Thanks to everyone at
#BatmanTheAnimatedSeries for making my dreams come true! On this special day a SHOUT OUT to my one & only#DarkKnight:@RealKevinConroy#HappyBatmanDay2018.”
Hamill’s portrayal of the Harlequin of Hate is beloved by fans, and clearly a career highlight for the man himself, but things could’ve been very different for him. Tim Curry was originally hired to voice the Joker on Batman: TAS but was ultimately deemed too scary for a family audience. Hamill turned out to be the right mix of hilarious and sinister though and animated history was made.
Mark’s celebration of the classic series is also a timely reminder that fans can enjoy the show all over again in a couple of different ways. Batman: The Animated Series – now in glorious HD – is available on the DC Universe, which launches today (September 15). Furthermore, come October 30th, the long-awaited Blu-Ray release will be available as well, giving viewers plenty of choices for when it comes to revisiting the iconic show.
