Long Halloween: How Jensen Ackles’ Batman Compares To Previous Versions

With the official release of Batman: Long Halloween, Part One also comes the opportunity to see how Jensen Ackles’ Batman compares to previous versions of the caped crusader. The film comes as the first part of a two-part adaptation of Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale’s successful 13-issue comic book series of the same name. Other notable members of the voice cast include Troy Baker’s return as Joke and the late Naya Rivera’s final performance as Catwoman. Given Batman: Long Halloween is such a distinguished story, Ackles’ voice performance faces even higher expectations than your average.

Fortunately, Jensen Ackles is a long time Batman fan who has been very vocal in his love of the character and DC comics. To prove his devotion to the character, he even donned the cape and cowl for Halloween several years ago. Additionally, this isn’t Ackles’ first time in a Batman film. Over a decade ago, he voiced Jason Todd/Red Hood in the 2010 animated film Batman: Under the Red Hood which featured Bruce Greenwood as Batman. Ever since this film, the actor has been determined to return to Gotham City and take on the mantle of Batman, whether it be in animation or live-action.

Now, with his dream come true and Long Halloween, Part One available to audiences, it’s finally time to see how Ackles’ Batman stacks up against previous versions and the great performances delivered by their voice actors. Particularly in comparison to Kevin Conroy, who is the definitive voice of Batman, as well as other notable actors such as Jason O’Mara and Bruce Greenwood. It will always be tough for voice actors to play Batman because they’ll always be compared to past performances and also, the role isn’t as simple as it seems because it requires an actor to excel as both Batman and Bruce Wayne.

To begin with, Jensen Ackles’ Batman voice is great. Its deep gravelly tone is exactly what one would expect to hear from the Dark Knight. It’s also clear he isn’t attempting to mimic anyone else or create a voice that feels unnatural to what you would expect from him. Consequently, Ackles offers a very authentic performance and creates a Batman criminals have a right to fear. Though he won’t dethrone Conroy, Ackles’ fierce overtones when confronting criminals does give him an edge when compared to other actors such as Jason O’Mara who has been DC’s primary Batman in the DCAU.

Ironically, Ackles’ Batman voice may be most comparable to Bruce Greenwood’s who he appeared alongside in Under the Red Hood. They both seem to have a natural ferocity which comes across as more threatening than Jason O’Mara or Kevin Conroy’s performances. However, Ackles’ portrayal of Bruce Wayne falls short of what one might hope for after hearing him in the cowl. This is interesting because the difference between his Batman voice and Bruce Wayne voice is not incredibly significant. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, this difference causes his Bruce Wayne voice to feel forced and somewhat unnatural. A distracting feature when it comes to the character.

There is the possibility that Ackles was attempting to capture Bruce’s duality and confinement of his darker self as Batman, but this is certainly giving Ackles the benefit of the doubt. Nonetheless, an attempt at this would be reasonable. After all, perhaps Conroy’s greatest talent in the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman is the separation he provides each character through his voice; Batman being in a lower register and Bruce taking on an almost falsetto characteristic while still sounding genuine. No matter, Jensen Ackles’ performance in Batman: Long Halloween, Part One is still exceptional and holds up even when compared to previous versions of the character.

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