Mark Hamill is widely regarded as being one of the best Jokers of all time, as the actor has lent his voice to the Clown Prince of Crime for a variety of games, movies, and television shows. However, following the passing of Kevin Conroy, Hamill thinks his time as the Joker may be done.
Speaking in an interview with Empire Magazine (via Screen Rant), Hamill was asked about his portrayal of the Joker and said that he doesn’t think he’ll return to the role following Kevin Conroy’s death in 2022.
According to Hamill, Conroy — who often portrayed Batman opposite Hamill’s Joker — was a true partner, noting that he often wouldn’t work on a project as the Joker unless Conroy was playing Batman in it.
“They would call and say, ‘They want you to do the Joker,’ and my only question was, ‘Is Kevin Batman?’ If they said yes, I would say, ‘I’m in.’ We were like partners. We were like Laurel and Hardy. Without Kevin there, there doesn’t seem to be a Batman for me,” explained Hamill.
Hamill and Conroy have acted opposite one another as Batman and Joker in a ton of different projects, most notably in the iconic Batman: The Animated Series, as well as the 1993 animated film Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, 2016’s Batman: The Killing Joke, and in Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham series of video games.
Conroy’s last role as Batman will come in the upcoming Rocksteady game Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
