Kevin Conroy's Tour Of The Petersen Auto Museum Yielded This Epic Photo
As confirmed by Looper, Kevin Conroy — the voice behind Batman in the absolutely iconic "Batman: The Animated Series" — unfortunately passed away on November 10, 2022, at the age of 66. While Conroy was a gifted and classically trained actor, he was best known as "Batman," and likely served as an intro to the character for an entire generation of superhero fans in the 1990s. Not only did the voice actor perform as Batman on TV, but he also lent his talents to just about anywhere the Caped Crusader was featured, including numerous TV, movies, and video games, including the critically acclaimed "Batman: Arkham" series of games.
Conroy was one of many actors to give a voice to the Dark Knight in media, but he was undoubtedly one of the best to ever do it. Kevin Conroy was always present at fan conventions and was, unsurprisingly, a huge Batman fan himself. Two years ago, the late actor took a tour of the Peterson Automotive Museum and posed for a photo that featured another Batman icon: the Batmobile.
Two Batman icons
With its big jet turbine in the middle and sleek aerodynamic lines, the Batmobile featured in 1989's "Batman" is arguably one of the best Batmobiles to see the big screen. A few years ago, Kevin Conroy was taking a tour of the museum and stopped to take a picture with the Batmobile. On Twitter, the world first saw the photo in 2020 after he tweeted it to a fan in need, who was asking for Batman media.
The featured Batmobile, according to the Petersen Automotive Museum, borrows a platform from the 1967 Chevy Impala. The vehicle utilized a 327 cubic-inch Chevy V8 as the powerplant, not unlike the motor found in sportscars like the Corvette and Chevelle from the 1960s. Conroy himself notes that the Batmobile's styling was inspired by a Bugatti design — namely the Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic from the 1930s, perfect for Batman's film-noir roots.
I just found this Ashton. A few years I was touring the Peterson Auto Museum in LA and I found the Batmobile from Tim Burton movie and they have the original Bugatti that inspired it! pic.twitter.com/vFtpwToce4
— Kevin Conroy (@RealKevinConroy) June 14, 2020
Conroy's photo depicts two icons from the movie and TV world, and after his untimely death, serves as a memento for fans to reminisce about their favorite Batman moments in the actor's absence. For many, Conroy voiced their absolute favorite version of Batman, and he will be dearly missed and mourned by not only his family and fellow Batman actors, but thousands of Batman fans as well. Although it won't replace the huge whole left by Kevin Conroy himself, photos like the one of him admiring the Batmobile will allow fans to remember him fondly for years to come.