Batman on top of a car in Batman The Aniamted Series
By
Ben Gibbons
Published 29 minutes ago
Ben is a Senior Writer on the New TV team at Screen Rant. He graduated from the University of Central Lancashire with a First Class B.A. Degree in English Literature and History.
Born and raised in Ireland, Ben has always had a love for storytelling in all forms of media and operates multiple projects under the name Benjamin Blogs. Ben is a comic book writer and podcast host, in addition to his work as an entertainment journalist. He has worked as both a writer and editor for Screen Rant, Collider, and other media outlets across various departments, including features, news, reviews, and interviews.
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Batman: The Animated Series officially concluded with the season 4 finale in 1995, but Bruce Wayne's story gets a very different ending in a 2024 feature film. Kevin Conroy debuted as the voice of Batman back in 1992, when Batman: TAS began. And immediately, his grit, and ability to deliver nuance in his voice performance cemented his legacy as The Dark Knight.
And despite that original series only running for three years, Conroy would go on to voice Batman for decades, right up until his death in 2022. With multiple generations of Batman fans growing up having Conroy's performance serve as their introduction to the hero, it makes sense that his last scene should hold significant weight.
Thankfully, Conroy was working on a project that was able to provide that moment after his death. And today, it stands out as one of the most memorable and enduring endings for any version of the Caped Crusader.
Crisis On Infinite Earths Part Three Killed The Batman: The Animated Series Universe
batman grits his teeth in a rooftop in crisis on infinite earths
In 1995, Batman: The Animated Series wrapped up its fourth and final season with the episode, "The Lion and the Unicorn." It's a fun episode, and it has its moments, but even in that season, it's not among the highest rated episodes.
Fortunately, Batman's story goes on beyond this moment in Justice League Unlimited, a show that came out nearly a decade later in 2004. But once again, this series does not mark the end of Batman's story with Kevin Conroy serving as the iconic voice of the World's Greatest Detective. That comes much later in a story that takes place in another universe all together.
Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Three was released in 2024, two years after the death of Conroy. Technically, this marks the end of the Tomorrowverse, an animated franchise of DC stories that served as a spiritual successor to the DC Animated Universe, or DCAU.
This is significant because the DCAU, actually began with Batman: TAS and Superman: The Animated Series, before moving on to the Justice League Unlimited show, and kicking off a series of incredible animated feature films.
The Tomorrowverse continued this legacy, with several new castings and shifting away from the original stories that started it all. Still, this final entry, Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Three gave Conroy's Batman the send-off he deserved, opposite his longtime collaborator and friend, Mark Hamill, who voiced the Joker during their shared run.
As the multiverse begins to break down, Batman and the Joker face off on a rooftop. While the Joker laughs, Batman fights his mortal foe to the end, even as reality breaks down, and Gotham disappears along with its greatest hero, and most terrifying villain.
Kevin Conroy's Final Batman Line Could Not Have Been More Perfect
Batman The Animated Series intro image of Batman standing on a rooftop with lightning behind him
Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Three sees several different realities being consumed, including the one that housed the original Gotham and its inhabitants from Batman: TAS. This is confirmed by the presence of Batman fighting the Joker, with both being voiced by the original actors, Conroy and Hamill.
The Joker maniacally laughs at his arch nemesis as he sees reality on the verge of collapse, and goads him about the futility of his actions. However, always the insightful detective, Batman responds with the following line: "I care Joker, about Gotham, about justice. And if it has to end, at least I go out like this, being Batman."
Not only is this a wonderful way for Batman to sign off, fighting for the things he believes in to the very end, but it also marks the last lines of dialogue between Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill as these iconic characters who they had come to embody so deeply.
Kevin Conroy wouldn't live to see the film released, but with these powerful pieces of dialogue, it served as the perfect goodbye to the man who made Batman a real hero for so many over his decades voicing the character.
Batman: The Animated Series' Fate During Crisis Didn't Really Mean Much
Batman looking sad in Batman the animated series
Now, the reality is that this scene in Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Three didn't actually amount to much. The heroes go on to save the day, and all is well. But, it did become something so much bigger for Batman: TAS and the fans of that series as a tribute to Kevin Conroy.
In that same crisis event, the worlds of the Superfriends, the Teen Titans, and even the Justice League Unlimited (despite being set in the same reality as Batman: TAS) were all destroyed.
Yes, it was more of a fun bit offered up as fan service, and the outcomes weren't necessarily permanent, but it is undeniably a more impactful and meaningful way to end Kevin Conroy's time as Batman than the previous entries that never set out to say goodbye to the hero.
And that means that Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Three stands up as the best send-off for a superhero character, potentially in popular modern media, providing a necessary secret ending for Batman: The Animated Series.
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Batman: The Animated Series
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