Before I start, I just have to say I love the 90s animated Batman series. It stands to me as one of the best animated series to ever hit TV, right up there with Futurama and The Simpsons. One of the things that made is so great was the voice acting, especially the work done by Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill. If I am not mistaken, Conroy was the first to use two voices for Wayne and Batman, showing that actual thought went into this cartoon. But the show stealer was definitely Mark Hamill. Who would have expected him to be so great as the Joker that comic book readers had his voice in their head while reading the comic books. Hamill reprised the role in last years video game Arkham Asylum and is returning to do the voice for Arkham Asylum 2. However, he stated that it will be his last performance as the Joker.

However, in the new animated movie Batman: Under the Red Hood, we have a new actor as the Joker and it is no other than the lovable rascal Bender. Yep, John Di Maggio (also known as the Scotsman from Samurai Jack) has decided to give a shot at it. The result?

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You can definitely hear some Hamill in there, but the voice is definitely more toned down. The laugh especially sounds weak, like a chain smoker did it. However, I believe in Maggio as a voice actor and I have no doubt he could improve. I'd rather have him do his thing with slight Hamill influences than a 100% perfect soulless impression.

What do you think?