RIP Kevin Conroy?

I grew up with Kevin Conroy as Batman. It wasn’t through Batman: The Animated Series, though what I watched of that was excellent, but rather Batman Beyond and Justice League/Justice League Unlimited. His deep voice was iconic, threatening without being throaty or obnoxious, and he cared about the character. When it was announced that he’d passed away at age 66 from cancer, I was crushed. I was delivering packages for my job when I found out, however, so I couldn’t properly take it in. I didn’t really comprehend that we’d lost a legend until that weekend, long after his death was made public.

So when I hopped online to read what people were saying, I was hoping to see nothing but love for a man who not only made a huge impact in animation, but also in queer advocacy. Kevin Conroy was openly gay, and the void there would be noticed for a while. Surely there was nothing worth criticizing…right? Well, leave it to the internet to ruin everything.

Within hours of his passing, Tweets circulated about Conroy that were nasty. He’d only been dead for a short time, but the opinions had to come out! And like a drunk, they had to be targeted! Except that whereas a drunk might not be entirely to blame, these comments were thought-out and malicious. The lack of shame was obvious.

Some of you are probably scratching your heads in confusion, so here’s some context. On Friday, November 11th, 2022, a Twitter user wrote the following:

“Alright, Mr. Conroy had his fun, but now it’s time for his roles to be entrusted to those who truly appreciate the craft of voice acting. Give the Dark Knight the honour of being voiced by a Japanese voice actor, not some bum of an English voice actor.”

If that sounds tone-deaf, not only do you have good instincts, you’re in for a treat with the response:

“Are you wack? Why should a Japanese dude voice a white man? Batman should be voiced by a conservative straight male, preferably married too to set a good example for children.”

I can’t even.

The latter poster also expressed relief over “another groomer” being gone, because life’s a parody. But outside of that, that two people would take this opportunity to roast Conroy after his death, especially given what he meant to people, is upsetting. Conroy wasn’t a politician. His influence and decisions haven’t left people dead or in a worse-off state, unlike many world leaders. He also wasn’t some celebrity who used his fame to sell snake oil or cause people undue hardship. He was a voice actor who made many people, kids especially, fall in love with Batman. Using his death to trash him as a person, therefore, isn’t warranted.

It also doesn’t reflect well on these posters to say such ignorant remarks. Yes, Batman would most-likely be a sociopathic, rich white guy who skirts laws if he were real. But he’s not. And even ignoring that, he’s a crime fighter with a moral code. That’s more important than being voiced by “a bum of an English voice actor”.

Speaking of which, let’s zone-in on that: bum of an English voice actor? Does this individual know how hard it is to voice act? English VAs don’t necessarily have the same training as their Japanese counterparts, since animation’s still unfairly judged as “children’s fodder”, but voice acting requires skill and patience. And unlike physical acting, it all goes into the voice. That’s not only draining, it can lead to burnout if you’re not careful. There’s a reason why only the best VAs stay in the industry, and Kevin Conroy was one of them.

Besides, Japanese voice actors aren’t inherently better. I’ve covered this before on a piece for Infinite Rainy Day, but Japanese VAs do more than shows and movies. They also perform radio dramas and pornography, the latter requiring little of them because acting isn’t the point. Even outside of that, Japanese VAs aren’t always great, as their jobs are treated like regular professions. You’re not expected to be the cream of the crop to stay in the industry long-term.

That’s why “Japan > The West” talking points bug me. Never mind that calling Kevin Conroy a “groomer”, meaning he took advantage of children, because he was gay is both homophobic and untrue, the mentality of “Japan is always superior” is cringey and racist. Japan has its share of problems too, and romanticizing that way of life does no one, especially the Japanese, favours. It also isn’t relevant to Conroy’s death. In other words, why bring it up?

The animation community is also mourning the loss of one of their greats. Yes, there were others who voiced Batman over the years, many still living. And yes, they deserve admiration. But that doesn’t mean Conroy’s contributions shouldn’t also be admired, especially since he was taken in his prime. Not doing that isn’t only disrespectful to him as a person, it’s demeaning to the impact he had on an entire generation of kids.

Ultimately, it’s in really poor-taste to dunk on someone who recently died on the grounds that he was gay or American. Kevin Conroy was both, but he was also a great VA and a kind soul. There’ll be time to discuss his legacy later, assuming the conversation’s genuine, but not now. Let his family and friends grieve over him. And let’s mourn him ourselves too. I promise we’ll be better off for it.