10 Reasons Batman Animated Is The Definitive Dark Knight
9. It Gave Us Two Definitive Voices
Everyone has their favourite Batman and Joker; fans of the 60s show are likely to cite the magnificent Adam West as being the true embodiment of Batman, whereas fans that grew up on the Burton and Nolan films will be predisposed to the Keeton and Bale takes on the character, but let's face it - none of them can top Kevin Conroy. In his many years voicing the character, Conroy's gruff yet distinguishable Bat voice has remained a clear favourite amongst many die hard Bat-fans. Indeed, it's easy to see why considering WB's determination to see him return to the role so often, with his most recent presence of course being in this year's Arkham Knight. Conroy's performance would never be complete without his notorious counterpart however, with Mark Hamill's flamboyant Joker playing off of his stern detective flawlessly. Actors have attempted to place their stamp on the character since, but it's a near impossible feat to top the performances given by these two acting heavyweights. This isn't to say they're the show's only highlight of voice acting talent however, as memorable performances from the likes of Arleen Sorkin, Robert Costanzo and Michael Ansara are all remembered for nailing their respective characters' personalities.
WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well.
In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.
