He's the man in black, the caped crusader, the dark knight, he is Batman! The character we all know so well was first introduced by DC Comics 80 years ago, and today Mairead spoke to the man who has been providing the voice of Batman for 27 years - Kevin Conroy.
When Kevin auditioned for the part, about 500 people had already tried but he captured the essence of Batman so well, he was offered the part on the spot. He voices Batman in the animated series as well as in the video games and direct to video movies.
Mairead spoke to Kevin why he thinks Batman is so beloved and what it is that makes it the largest franchise in Hollywood. Kevin puts it down to the fact that Batman is mortal, and is the only superhero with no superpowers. He has been so damaged by life but instead of letting it crush him, he turns it around and uses that vengeance for good. Kevin shared a story of a woman he met at Chicago Comic Con who grew up in the projects in Chicago, and she told him that virtually everyone she grew up with was either in prison or dead - but she got out. The reason she attributed to this was watching the Batman animated series and finding a role model. “You were my safe place every afternoon. You helped me out, you taught me right from wrong.”
With a name like Kevin Conroy, you probably guessed that Kevin has some Irish family. Not only are both sets of his grandparents from Ireland, but Kevin also has dual citizenship and even spent a semester in UCD!
You can see Kevin at his very own evening as part of Dublin Comic Con on Friday 18th October in the Liberty Hall Theatre in Dublin. Tickets are available on Eventbrite.
You can hear the chat in full by pressing the play button on screen.
