The Arkham series could be the greatest run of comic book games ever. The action was groundbreaking and helped future games like PlaStation's Spider-Man. The storyline is so good that you could watch the cut scenes and it'll feel like an animated feature.
The story and gameplay are only part of what made this iconic. The voice actors who brought the characters to life helped more than you may realize. That’s why this article will put names behind the voices.
Before we get into some of the main characters, other voice actors like Kat Cressida, Chris Cox, James Horan, and Laura Bailey did additional voices without a name to go with them. Without them, this game wouldn't have been as good as it was. They provided audio for characters like random thugs, police officers, and who knows what else throughout the Arkham series. I recommend checking out the Arkham IMDb pages.
Kevin Conroy as Batman/Bruce Wayne
This article has to begin with the voice. Kevin Conroy has been Batman since the 90s (Batman: The Animated Series). If you ask fans, he’s the voice they hear while reading Batman and Bruce Wayne in comics. He may be the most influential voice in the Arkham series.
Mark Hamill as Joker
Like Conroy, Mark Hamill is the voice of Joker. Considering Heath Ledger, Jack Nicholson, and Cesar Romero are on the list of Jokers, it says a lot about how much Hamill is loved. It isn’t just the voice. His Joker laugh is easily the best.
Grey Griffin as Selina Kyle/Catwoman
When someone does a job right, they’ll keep getting hired. Grey Griffin was so good as Catwoman that she voiced her in the Injustice games. Grey lends her talents in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen as Arcee and Batman: Caped Crusader as various characters as well.
Troy Baker as Jason Todd, Harvey Dent, Joker (Arkham Origins)
Troy Baker has voiced some of your favorite video game characters. He was Joel in The Last of Us, Samuel Drake in Uncharted (A Thief's End and The Lost Legacy), and the Bitter Squirrel in God of War: Ragnarok. If you watched Max’s The Last of Us, you saw him in episode 8 “When We Are in Need”.
Corey Burton as Hugo Strange
An underrated part of the Arkham series is playing one of the main villains. During Batman: Arkham City, Corey Burton played Hugo Strange. Throughout the game, Strange gave updates over the PA system and tormented Batman. The wrong voice actor would make this annoying and lead to people cutting the game off.
Steve Blum as Killer Croc and various others
Voicing a monster or an animal-human hybrid seems like a hassle. You have to use a gruff voice for hours until you get it right. Steve Blum should be commended for doing this during Arkham as Killer Croc. He was Starscream in Transformers: Earthspark too. This is another example of significantly altering your voice.
Stana Katic as Talia al Ghu
Going into this, I was unaware that Stana Katic carved out a nice voice-acting career for DC. Besides Talia al Ghul, she’s been Wonder Woman in multiple projects like the Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths projects and Justice Society: World War II. There's no way this won't continue.
Fred Tatasciore as Bane and Solomon Grundy
Fred Tatasciore is a legend. A quick look at his IMDb will have you repeatedly saying, “Wait, he was in that?! " and "He voiced them?!” The amazing part is many of the voices aren’t the same. It's how he can voice Solomon Gruny and Bane in the same game.
Wally Wingert as Edward Nigma/Riddler
While doing a replay of Batman: Arkham Knight, I found myself getting annoyed by Riddler. The constant trash-talking while Batman couldn’t attack him was frustrating. It was perfect. Wally Wingert perfectly portrayed the annoying Edward Nigma.
Jonathan Banks: Commissioner Gordon
Jonathan Banks has been around for a while but may be known best for playing Mike in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. His gruff voice as Commissioner Gordon was the perfect addition to Batman: Arkham Knight. It also works in Kite Man: Hell Yeah! as Noonan.
Martin Jarvis as Alfred Pennyworth
The job of voicing the perfect English gentleman and Batman’s backup in the Batcave can’t be played by anyone with an English accent. It takes a certain speech pattern and calm tone especially when things get bad. Martin Jarvis was all of that and more. For example, when Barbara Gordon was assumed dead, Alfred had two seconds to mourn before getting Batman back on track. A scene that required a talent that every voice actor doesn't have.
Valenza as Pamela Isley/Poison Ivy
There were a lot of powerful moments throughout Batman: Arkham, but this may be at the top. The emotion that Tasia Valenza brought in this scene was flawless. Seeing Ivy die was intense, but Tasia Valenza had to bring Ivy’s pain out in a voice too.
Besides the death scene, Tasia Valenza brought the sexy and alluring out in Poison Ivy. When Ivy is eventually cast in a DC project, the actor should watch scenes from Batman: Arkham for examples of who Poison Ivy should be.
Nolan North as Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin
Nolan North is one of my favorite voice actors. You’ll know him as Deadpool in multiple Marvel shows and the Deadpool video game. He may be better known as Nathan Drake in the Uncharted franchise. He was also Superman and Hal Jordan in a couple of DC projects.
As great as the Penguins that came before him were, North has the best voice. He truly brought Oswald Cobblepot to life. Cobblepot had all of the confidence you’d expect when Batman wasn’t around and the cowardice when he was.
Tara Strong as Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn
Last, but certainly not least is Tara Strong. Arleen Sorkin was the first person to voice Harley Quinn (Batman: The Animated Series). Those aren't easy shoes to fill. Sorkin helped make Harley a pop culture icon. Eventually, Tara Strong became the premier Harley Quinn voice and one of the best comic book voices ever.
What makes Tara Strong so good is something viewers and gamers forget. To be Harley Quinn, sometimes you have to be Harleen Quinzel and it’s not a subtle difference. Harley Quinn’s voice is high-pitched. She also speaks so fast it's like she’s drunk eight cups of coffee. Harleen’s voice is slow, calm, and methodical. She’s “normal”. Tara Strong does a masterful job doing both and her greatness should be acknowledged.
What did you think of the voice actors during the Batman: Arkham series? Would you like to see more of these games and voice actors?