The Heartbreaking Reason Why Mark Hamill Won't Voice The Joker Again

One of the most iconic voices of The Joker, Mark Hamill, may never voice the character again. While Hamill has an extensive acting career, including his role as Luke Skywalker in the "Star Wars" films, his voice acting career has been just as notable. He's voiced The Joker in many of the "Batman" IPs since "Batman: The Animated Series" in 1992, and many consider him one among the best Jokers in gaming – if not one of the best Jokers of all time.

However, in an interview with Empire Magazine (via ScreenRant), Hamill explained that he doesn't see how he could return to the role after Kevin Conroy's passing last year. Kevin Conroy had starred as the voice of Batman for years, also working on "Batman: The Animated Series" alongside Hamill. 

The two have worked as the hero and villain for years together, and Hamill was already a bit tired of the role. According to the interview excerpt, he only accepted roles as The Joker if Conroy was voicing Batman:

"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,'" Hamill said. "We were like partners. We were like Laurel and Hardy. Without Kevin there, there doesn't seem to be a Batman for me."

Why do fans feel so strongly about Hamill's performances as the Joker? To many, he is the most familiar, most respected voice actor to ever take on the role — and with good reason. One Redditor described Hamill's qualifications as the clown prince of crime, saying, "He embodied the sadistic madness and outright failure" of the character. Others argued that a generation of Batman fans grew up hearing Hamill voice the Joker in "Batman: The Animated Series" and now feel that the actor is the blueprint for the character. They speculated that people like Hamill for "the same reason people like gen 1 of pokemon, reddit grew up with him. The coming generations will have their Joker too." 

Some gamers elaborated on Hamill's qualifications, saying that those who played the "Arkham" games saw a new side of his Joker, one that wasn't afraid to embrace darkness or violence. While "Batman: The Animated Series" still included references to Joker's misdeeds, the show was still directed partially at children. However, the "Arkham" games have an older audience and take on an overall grittier tone, allowing Hamill to explore a new side of the Joker. Because of Hamill's versatility, many fans see him as the most capable actor to play the Joker, and mourn that he will likely no longer take on the role. That said, no one seemed to begrudge the actor for his decision to retire the role after Conroy's passing, and many had only well wishes for Hamill.

Mark Hamill's loved by the "Batman" community, and many expressed these emotions when the star broke the news of his probable departure from the franchise. Twitter user DCEUcivilian pointed out that The Joker would probably also stop his crime-ridden schemes if Batman passed away too, so Hamill's decision made sense. Others commented that they'd seen this coming and things wouldn't be the same with only one of the two beloved voice actors.

In response to the news, many quoted the iconic line "Without Batman, crime has no punchline," from the "Batman: The Animated Series." There was also a picture of the two actors circulating around fans, showing them as the friends they were instead of the duo at odds they portrayed in the world of "Batman."

Hamill posted his own farewell to Conroy, tweeting several photos of the two of them working over the years. Hamill said, "Though we're all sad, I know he wouldn't want that. I'm finding great solace in all the memories I have of him...the thrill of our earliest recording sessions, discovering the unique bond our characters shared, how we complemented one another & bonded immediately." For Hamill, part of the fun of playing the Joker was his dynamic with Conroy's Batman. Without his fellow actor, Hamill doesn't see himself returning to the role.

Fans may yet get to hear Hamill and Conroy voice the hero-villain duo once more in "MultiVersus," as leaks before the game's release showed that there are voice lines from The Joker — seemingly voiced by Hamill — that have yet to make it into the game. Twitter user ManInTrenchc0at pointed out that this may be Hamill's last performance as The Joker if the villain is ever actually added to the roster.