Kevin Conroy‘s legacy as Batman‘s most iconic voice actor has always carried a palpable weight to it, but comic book fans around the world are finding it just a tad heavier with the passing of the legendary talent, who died on Thursday at the age of 66 after a battle with cancer.
But, despite Conroy’s claim to fame being the voice of so many animated iterations of the Caped Crusaders, fewer may know him for Finding Batman, a DC Comics one-shot written by the voice actor in what just might be his most impactful contribution to the world of not only DC Comics, but also to the LGBTQIA+ community.
Conroy, a gay man, never shied away from shining a light on his experiences growing up queer through the 1960s and 70s and coming of age at the height of the AIDS crisis, and Finding Batman, a one-shot written by Conroy for DC Comics’ DC Pride 2022 anthology collection, is perhaps the most unabashed version of this story that we have today.
Touching on Conroy’s tumultuous family life and trauma, and the precarious balance he was forced to employ in his private and public life in the face of a festering, eggshell-esque society, all while loved ones were falling victim to the illness and societal fear, Finding Batman is an autobiographical story about the realities of the queer community’s plight during that time period, and how Conroy channeled his story and experiences into the character of Batman, who would go on to be his claim to fame in the world of voice acting, and the means by which he won the hearts of comic book fans all over the world.
Finding Batman was Conroy’s final contribution to the world of DC Comics, with his last appearance as the voice of Batman having been in 2019’s Arrowverse crossover episode “Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Two.” Indeed, it’s a touching and important capstone of Conroy’s legacy; one that will inspire and educate for generations to come.