Batman has been around for decades, appeared in dozens of projects, and been played by many different people. You would be hard-pressed to find a fan who doesn't have an actor they call "my Batman." Kevin Conroy, the man who will always be "my Batman, " passed away today.

As a child of the 90s, I can point to two tv shows that made me the nerd I am today; "X-Men: The Animated Series" and "Batman: The Animated Series." Kevin Conroy was and is, for me, the definitive Batman. To know that I will never again get a new DC animated movie with his voice behind the cowl is hard to reckon with. When scrolling through HBOMax's DC animated movie offering, seeing his name in the cast was enough to get me to watch whatever it was

He perfectly balanced Bruce Wayne and Batman. This is what has set him apart from other portrayals. One of the criticisms of Christian Bale's Batman is that his Batman's voice was so deep and gravelly it was hard to understand. The trick with Conroy's performance is that he goes slightly higher as Bruce and slightly lower as Batman. Doing this meant Conroy could do two different voices, but neither was unintelligible.

On top of being the best Batman, he was also one of the best people. There are hundreds of stories of his excellent interactions with fans; no one had a negative word to say about him. He made his name as Batman and embraced that. He went to conventions, did meet-and-greets, and kept coming back as Batman for dozens of projects even long after "Batman: The Animated Series" went off the air.

In the world of voice-over acting, very few people are best known for one character. Kevin Conroy will always be known for his work as Batman. His voice will live on between TV shows, movies, and video games forever. The legacy he leaves behind is immeasurable.