15/11/2022
The impact this icon had on so many lives including mine (since I could remember anything, really) will always be unrivaled. We know what his voice meant for the entire comic community, and we know how it will now carry an even heightened sense of royalty when going back to each and every scene he did throughout the Animated Series, Arkham games, DCAU, and so very much more.
What matters just as much is how he carried himself and was in fact the embodiment of the ideals he helped instill. What makes Batman so iconic, which is definitely in unison with the influence of Kevin’s work over the decades, is how he is a symbol for hope and justice, and converting negative impulses into positive ones not just for himself but for the people around him. I noticed over the last several years that despite being less involved with Batman projects and letting other voice actors begin to take on the animated mantle, he still would often do what he can do bring joy to everyone around him, whether it was online or in person. He knew it wasn’t who he just was, but what he did that defined him, and he routinely began to openly discuss this. He would talk about what made Batman so inspirational to us all - that no matter what tragedies happen, he doesn’t let it defeat him. What we should carry on the most from Kevin’s legacy right now is exactly what Batman’s SUPERPOWER is - the ability to take pain and misfortune and convert it into something positive out of sheer will and determination.
He wasn’t just Batman for his voice - he was Batman with all his being.
I was at quite a loss for words yesterday as… People have been leaving me more-so than usual as of late. But that’s for another post, perhaps best talked about under what Black Panther has been able to teach us in the same weekend.
Heroes come and go, but legends are forever.
Heroes De Leyenda