Mark Hamill Doubles Down on his Decision to Retire from Voicing Joker

Following the death of iconic Batman actor Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill’s initial reaction was that he doubted that he would ever be able to play the role of the Joker again without his on-screen partner. Now, during a recent appearance at Fan EXPO San Francisco, Hamill has doubled down on his comments, suggesting he is done playing the comic book villain.

Conroy passed away just over a year ago at the age of 66, and his loss sent shockwaves through the Batman fan base. As one of the most icon stars to ever voice the Dark Knight, Conroy appeared in series such as Batman: The Animated Series and the feature length The Killing Joke, as well as making a live-action appearance as Bruce Wayne in The CW’s Arrowverse Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event. Among the many tributes and reactions shared on social media by stars of the Batman franchise, Hamill’s comments spoke volumes of just how loved and admired Conroy was, not just to fans, but to his peers and colleagues.

As shared by Culture Crave, Hamill’s appearance at the Fan EXPO San Francisco saw him once again standing by his original statement on the matter of whether he would consider playing the Joker without having Conroy playing opposite him. Noting that he would only voice the Joker if Conroy was the voice of Batman, the Star Wars legend hammered home the statement with a quote from Gotham’s Clown Prince himself:

Related: Heartfelt Fan Art Shows Mark Hamill’s Joker Mourning the Loss of Batman Actor Kevin Conroy

Mark Hamill Only Returned to Play Joker Because of Kevin Conroy

While many fans were left mourning both the loss of Conroy, and the fact that Hamill would seemingly never take on one of his most iconic roles again, Hamill previously explained that his last appearances as Joker only happened because of Conroy’s involvement. In a previous interview with Empire, he revealed that he had been planning on stepping away from the part entirely before Conroy’s passing.

“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.’ We were like partners. We were like Laurel and Hardy. Without Kevin there, there doesn’t seem to be a Batman for me.”

Although there is one project still to be released featuring Conroy’s vocal performance as Batman, in the Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League game, it has not yet been revealed whether the Joker features in it, and if Hamill would be willing to voice him if he does.

However, Hamill will be back on screens in another of his iconic voice roles, playing Skeletor in Kevin Smith’s Masters of the Universe: Revolution on Netflix in January and is also part of the English voice cast that dubbed Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron. Recently, Hamill has also appeared in Mike Flanagan’s Netflix series The Fall of the House of Usher, and will star alongside Tom Hiddleston in the Stephen King adaptation, The Life of Chuck.