Mark Hamill Once Again Confirms He Will No Longer Voice The Joker
Mark Hamill has once again confirmed that he is done playing The Joker in Batman projects. Following the passing of Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy, Hamill said he “doubts he'll ever take up the Joker mantle again without Conroy there to trade lines with.”
Now, during a panel at Fan Expo San Francisco, Hamill says that he no longer plans to continue voicing DC’s Clown Prince of Crime. According to CultureCrave, Hamill said, “Without Batman, crime has no punchline.”
Several years ago Hamill said he was retiring from voicing the Joker, but that didn’t really take. This is different, though, Conroy and Hamill were with each other voicing these characters over the course of 30 years.
Hamill previously explained: “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.”
It’s sad that we’ll never get to hear Hamill’s Joker again, but… it’s understandable. Hamill's portrayal of the Joker has become iconic and synonymous with the character's animated iterations over the years. Starting with Batman: The Animated Series in the 1990s, Hamill brought a unique and chilling energy to the Clown Prince of Crime, earning widespread acclaim for his manic laughter and sinister delivery.
His commitment to the role extended beyond the animated series, as he continued to voice the Joker in various Batman animated movies, video games, and other projects. Fans and critics alike have praised Hamill's ability to capture the essence of the Joker, creating a version that is both terrifying and darkly humorous.