Actor Kevin Conroy reprised his iconic role as the Dark Knight in 2016 for Batman: The Killing Joke, the animated adaptation of the acclaimed comic by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland. But like its source material, the R-rated movie drew criticism for its treatment of Barbara Gordon, aka Barbara Gordon, who in this animated version has sex with the Caped Crusader.
Speaking with Red Carpet News TV, Conroy acknowledged some of the controversy surrounding The Killing Joke, acknowledging its story is too mature for young Batman fans.
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“The issue I had was that it was a great mature story for Batman and Joker,” he said, “but I know that a lot of the audience is still under 12. That’s rough. That’s a rough story for people that young.”
Conroy was joined in the film by his Batman: The Animated Series co-star Mark Hamill, who reprised is equally iconic role as The Joker for the dark tale in which the Clown Prince of Crime sets out to prove that “one bad day can turn even the sanest man to lunacy.” The villain set his sights on driving Commissioner James Gordon mad.
In the 1988 comic, The Joker shoots Barbara Gordon, then retired as Batgirl, leaving her paralyzed, and laying the groundwork for the character to adopt the identity of Oracle. The filmmakers attempted to address long-held criticisms of Barbara’s depiction by giving her a Batgirl storyline in The Killing Joke. However, many fans didn’t respond well to the sexual relationship between Batgirl and Batman.
Conroy admitted he wasn’t aware of how controversial The Killing Joke was, saying, “I appreciated that a lot of people were disturbed. I wasn’t, but I just appreciated the fact that people were.”
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He also reflected on Batman: The Animated Series, pointing out that although it was never intended as a kids’ show, it did keep that audience in mind.
“The first Batman animated series was on primetime on Fox,” Conroy said. “It was never designed to be a kids’ show, but they knew that they were going to have a kids audience, too.” He praised the show’s storylines and artwork, but said they had to keep certain rules in mind.
“They could never show a child in danger,” he said. “They had to go by certain standards and practices in the states that you have to respect if you know you’re going to have audiences under 12. So you just have to do it.”