Why Mark Hamill Doesn’t Think He’ll Voice Joker Ever Again

Mark Hamill’s days of voicing the Joker have come to an end. The Star Wars actor said he does not think he will voice the Clown Prince of Crime in any future animated Batman projects. Hamill, 71, began voicing the Joker in 1992 for Batman: The Animated Series.

In a new interview with Empire Magazine to mark the 30th anniversary of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, Hamill said he does not plan to voice the Joker since Kevin Conroy’s death. Conroy voiced Batman/Bruce Wayne in Batman: The Animated Series and is widely regarded as the best voice actor to play the character.

“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,’” Hamill said, via ScreenRant. “We were like partners. We were like Laurel and Hardy. Without Kevin there, there doesn’t seem to be a Batman for me.”

Conroy died on Nov. 10, 2022, at 66 following a private battle with colorectal cancer. Conroy voiced Batman in over 400 episodes and over 100 hours of television, across 15 animated series and 15 films. After his death, Warner Bros. Discovery included a heartbreaking statement from Hamill.

“Kevin was perfection,” Hamill said in November. “He was one of my favorite people on the planet, and I loved him like a brother. He truly cared for the people around him – his decency shone through everything he did. Every time I saw him or spoke with him, my spirits were elevated.”

Although Hamill is known around the world for playing Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars movies, he has been doing voice acting work since the 1970s. Hamill voiced the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, The New Batman Adventures, Justice League, Justice League Action, and Schooby-Doo and Guess Who?. He also voiced The Joker in several Batman video games (including the mainline Arkham games) and the movies Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, and Batman: The Killing Joke. The 2016 Killing Joke movie was the last project to feature both Hamill and Conroy.

Conroy was a “brilliant actor,” Hamill said in his tribute. “For several generations, he has been the definitive Batman. It was one of those perfect scenarios where they got the exact right guy for the exact right part, and the world was better for it. His rhythms and subtleties, tones, and delivery – that all also helped inform my performance. He was the ideal partner – it was such a complementary, creative experience. I couldn’t have done it without him. He will always be my Batman.”