Disclaimer that all voices mentioned below are from animated shows and movies. I don't have strong opinions on video game specific Batman voices since I don't play them often or enough. That might change once I get my hands on a used version of Batman: The Telltale video game!
Kevin Conroy
I love voice director Andrea Romano and I think, overall, she does a great job of casting voice actors for the DCAU. It's tough to top Kevin Conroy, though. He's absolutely my favorite.
I'm sure most people who share my opinion would agree that it's partially nostalgia that keeps Kevin Conroy at the top of our lists. He was/is Batman for so many years, so consistently, that it's difficult to imagine any other voice behind the man.
On top of nostalgia, though, I do think he does a great job at differentiating Batman and Bruce Wayne's voice (and I don't mean in the way Christian Bale does it). It's very subtle, but very effective.
Here he is as Bruce Wayne. He sounds kind and much more innocent and naive than you might be used to Batman being. Start at 3:10.
In The New Adventures of Batman, they made Bruce a bit more rugged and "mean" in my opinion, but I still feel like Kevin Conroy's voice acting does it so much justice. It's different but it still works.
Let it be known that I was 100% NOT okay with Bruce moving in on Lois Lane, though. You knew Superman liked her! That is so uncool, Bats. Granted, as a feminist, I also say Lois is her own lady so she does what she wants and she doesn't belong to anybody.
Check out the below video starting at 5:56 (the last minute) to see how his voice acting changes in this iteration.
Then, of course, his Batman is perfectly intimidating and awesome. The animation and writing help.
Alright, you get it. I love Kevin Conroy.
Will Friedle
I also loved Will Friedle in Batman Beyond. People know him better as Eric Matthews from Boy Meets World, but fun fact, he also voiced Ron Stoppable in Kim Possible. That kind of blew my mind when I first found out because they're such different characters.
Here he is as Terry McGinnis, Batman's altar ego in Batman Beyond. I love his voice because it's equal parts dark and hilarious, a lighter counterpart to Kevin Conroy's Bruce.
His Batman has a good dark quality to it too (albeit younger).
Will Arnett
I know Will Arnett's role as Lego Batman is probably not as difficult to pull off as Kevin Conroy and Will Friedle's roles. Lego Batman is super silly so it seems easier to get away with doing everything over the top, but I LOVE IT. Will Arnett is so funny and the writing is perfect so that probably helps. I cannot wait for the movie to come out.
Looking at my favorites above, I realize it's probably unfair to compare Will Friedle and Will Arnett to Kevin Conroy since they technically aren't playing the same type of Batman. It's just so hard to love some one's Bat-voice as much I love Conroy's. I HAVE noticed some recurring voices as Bruce Wayne/Batman and they each have their good qualities.
Jason O'Mara
Lately, I've been hearing a lot more of Jason O'Mara in Justice League movies. My personal opinion is that he has SOME really great moments and I think he might be getting better with every Batman role he lands, but his Batman almost seems monotone and one dimensional. He really just changes the volume of his voice, there's nothing else that indicates feeling. All I get is that "I'm a dark person." You don't see a lot of Bruce Wayne in Justice League movies so opinions of Jason O'Mara are completely based on his ability to voice Batman. See some examples in the below video at 0:34 and 1:05.
Bruce Greenwood
Bruce Greenwood is pretty great. He did a good job in Young Justice and Batman: Under the Red Hood. I'm not sure if I'm biased because Batman: Under the Red Hood is my favorite Batman animated movie to date. It's got great voice acting, an amazing story, so many emotions!
With that said, I might like Bruce Greenwood because he had a lot of emotions to work with in the scenes he was provided, which I think gives him a leg up on Jason O'Mara. He knows how to play Batman passionately, but still staying true to the darkness. I think Kevin Conroy could still do it better, but not bad, Bruce Greenwood, not bad.
See my favorite scene from Under the Red Hood below. Check YouTube for more great scenes from this movie where Bruce Greenwood shines. If you haven't seen this movie, SPOILER ALERT!
Let me know what you all think! Comment below with any opinions you have on Batman voice actors that are or are not listed in my post above. I would love to get your thoughts and maybe look into a few others that you all think I should consider for my list. Maybe Roger Craig Smith? Troy Baker?
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