Mark Hamill, who has voiced the character of the Joker for over 30 years, is set to retire from the role for a heartbreaking reason.
Mark Hamill may be best known for the role of Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars franchise, but he’s also known for voicing Batman‘s arch nemesis the Joker.
Hamill first voiced the animated villain in the 1992 series Batman: The Animated Series and has continued to reprise the role for various movies, spin-offs, and video games.
However, after over 30 years as the Clown Prince of Crime, it seems like Hamill will be hanging up his hat on the role as he revealed the heartbreaking reason behind his decision.
Hamill steps back from The Joker as his Batman passed away
During FAN EXPO San Francisco, Hamill revealed that he would be stepping back from the role of The Joker after 30 years.
His reason for not wanting to return to the role is because the original voice of animated Batman, Kevin Conroy, passed away from intestinal cancer on November 10, 2022, at age 66.
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After this announcement, Hamill cited his Joker’s famous line “With Batman, crime has no punchline,” which is from Batman: The Animated Series Season 1, Episode 49: “The Man Who Killed Batman.”
Mark Hamill says he will no longer play The Joker.He adds he doesn’t want to voice the role without Kevin Conroy — “Without Batman, crime has no punchline.” pic.twitter.com/ih9Wc9eLQc
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) November 25, 2023
In the episode, a lower mob lackey named Sidney Debris keeps up the idea that he killed Batman after letting the Caped Crusader fall off a building and on top of a leaking propane tank which then explodes.
Though it turns out that Batman survived the explosion, the person who takes Batman’s “death” the hardest is Joker, who waxes poetically about what Batman meant for Gotham and how his death was ultimately heartbreaking as Batman made Joker “a happy soul.”
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