Hamish Linklater hailed as 'perfect' new Batman in Caped Crusader

What did you miss?

Hamish Linklater has made his debut as the voice of Bruce Wayne in Prime Video's new animated series Batman: Caped Crusader, picking up the torch from the late Kevin Conroy who was the voice for the character up until his death in 2022.

The Midnight Mass star portrays the Dark Knight in the new series, which reimagines the superhero's vigilante origin story for an all new generation. The series also stars Minnie Driver as a gender-bent version of the Penguin, aka Oswalda Cobblepot, as well as McKenna Grace as Natalia Knight and Cristina Ricci as Catwoman.

While Conroy will always be Batman for many, viewers of the new series were delighted by Linklater's performance and shared their thoughts on his work on social media.

What, how, and why?

Conroy portrayed Batman in his animated form for decades, voicing the character for the first time in 1992's Batman: The Animated Series. He voiced Bruce Wayne no fewer than 35 times across TV shows, films and games, and his pairing with Mark Hamill's Joker was equally as iconic, so after his death it was always going to be difficult to find the right voice for this new series.

Read more: What to watch on Prime Video in August 2024

Linklater was tapped to voice Batman, and the actor has often shared his admiration for Conroy's performance and spoken of how much he enjoyed his predecessor's performance in Batman: The Animated Series — which he has long been a fan of. He even admitted that, in some ways, he tried to honour Conroy's iconic performance with his own.

Viewers were delighted by Linklater's work in the series, with many sharing on social media platforms like X that he was the "perfect" successor to Conroy.

One person wrote: "I LOVED #BatmanCapedCrusader so much. It's inventive, queer as hell, and surprising in so many ways. Hamish Linklater is, unsurprisingly, perfect as Bruce and Batman. I can't wait for everyone else to see it, and I really can't wait for Season 2!"

Another said: "I’ve seen #BatmanCapedCrusader and it’s really dope. It really has something for everyone. Some really great episodes there and I love how certain characters have been reinvented. ESPECIALLY Harley Quinn. Hamish Linklater will be one of your new favourite Batmen."

Reflecting on the new series as a whole, one viewer thought: "#BatmanCapedCrusader is a worthy successor to the beloved animated series. An adult-oriented, slightly darker take on what we’ve come to expect. Hamish Linklater is a pleasant surprise as a meaner, more stoic version of Kevin Conroy’s iconic portrayal. I can’t wait to see more."

Another fan commended: "I actually really like how Hamish Linklater sounds as Batman as it’s very close to Conroys voice acting." While there was a person who admitted that Conroy would always be the perfect Batman, but they felt thtat "Hamish Linklater does a damn good job with his Batman voice."

One viewer said: "loving everything about this so far. [Hamish Linklater's] voice is inspired casting for the role of the as yet, (in this universe anyway) legendary crime fighter. [Minnie Driver] casting, tho very controversial as 'Oswalda' Cobblepot is both menacing and sinister, and everything you would want from the Penguin in any universe and story for that matter.

"Both the tone and animation is equally matched for this era of the dark knights story, with a dramatic theme added into the mix."

What else has been happening with Batman: Caped Crusader?

The animated series had a difficult journey to the small screen, as it was part of the purge on HBO Max of DC content following the controversial shelving of the complete Batgirl movie. In the end, Batman: Caped Crusader found a new home on Prime Video alongside Christmas special Merry Little Batman.

Speaking about the show at San Diego Comic Con, per The Hollywood Reporter, Linklater reflected on being Conroy's successor and said: "I loved Kevin’s Batman so much, I didn’t even know there was a Kevin I just knew there was a Batman and he sounded like that which it turns out was Kevin.

"So I just wanted to have there be more of this content in the world, I just love the show so much and as an audience member I wanted to have more of this and not bump on it. Sometimes there’s a new Kermit the Frog voice and I wonder, 'where are you Jim Henson?' I don’t want there to be a bump on Batman, and I want as an audience member to have this."

Driver also stepped in to say of his performance: "Batman’s a vibe and you were that vibe, in the way that Christian Bale was that vibe, Michael Keaton was that vibe, Val Kilmer was that vibe, Ben Affleck was that vibe. You catch it, the vibe, it’s Batman."

Batman: Caped Crusader is out now on Prime Video.