Will Friedle No Longer Voicing Terry McGinnis (Batman Beyond)

[wonderfly]

From the front page of AnimeSuperhero.com:

"Will Friedle Announces He Will No Longer Voice Terry McGinnis (Batman Beyond)"​

"Batman Beyond is often talked about as part of Batman’s history that deserves to be revisited. More recently, the success of the Spider-Verse movies has prompted fan demand for a Batman Beyond movie that pairs unique animation styles with a futuristic aesthetic. Whether or not we’ll ever see Batman Beyond again remains to be seen, but there is one thing that may disappoint fans: Will Friedle won’t come back to play him.

Batman The Animated Series dominated cartoons of the 1990’s. But when the decade came to a close, it was time for a new Batman cartoon for a new era. Batman Beyond took place decades in the future and revolved around an original character, Terry McGinnis, as the new, teenage Batman. Will Friedle voiced Terry/Batman beginning with “Rebirth”, which aired on January 10th, 1999. It was a risky premise, but people loved the show. Batman Beyond ran for three seasons and spawned the direct to video movie, Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker.

After the series ended, the world of Batman Beyond continued to be revisited from time to time. Terry McGinnis made one appearance on Static Shock, two appearances on Justice League Unlimited, had a short for Batman’s 75th anniversary, and, most recently, was in parts 2 and 3 of the animated movie, Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths. Will Friedle returned to voice him every time. However, just as Crisis on Infinite Earths was Kevin Conroy’s swan song as Batman due to the actor’s passing in November of 2022, it looks like it’ll also be Friedle’s final performance.

At GalaxyCon’s Animate! Columbus 2025, Will Friedle discussed playing Terry McGinnis again. He said that while he previously would have been eager to reprise the role, he now doesn’t want to play Terry without Kevin Conroy as Bruce Wayne. “Now that Kevin’s gone, I don’t know if I can do it again. I think they would need to recast both roles. Being Terry and not having him answer as Bruce, I don’t think I could do it,” Friedle said during the convention’s Q&A."

Read the full article here.

 

[PicardMan]

Kinda surprised DC hasn't done something similar to Wakanda Forever where the character dies with the actor and the new hero has to make it on their own. That could be an interesting Batman Beyond story. Still, I understand the reasoning and hope that if they ever do a new spin on Batman Beyond that the new voice is awesome.

 

[RoyalRubble]

Before Conroy's death I remember suggesting the Beyond era would be the easiest to revisit if they ever continued the DCAU, since it wouldn't mess up the established continuity too much. It would still potentially work - something post-Epilogue, with Terry all grown up and following Bruce's passing. But it's understandable Friedle (and possibly others) wouldn't want to pursue this. That said, I imagine a different crew will eventually work on something like this since I kind of doubt Batman Beyond will never be used again in a cartoon.

 

[ShadowStar]

I don't want to be disrespectful, but on the other hand, I have my suspicions -- despite having never spoken to Kevin Conroy myself -- that Mr. Conroy would not want potential revivals of JL/JLU (i.e. the long-rumored "JL Reunion" project) and/or Batman Beyond to be vetoed because of his own passing. I just can't shake the feeling that he wouldn't want the DCAU to die with him -- to be blunt -- and thereby deny other VA's like Eisenberg, Newbern, Rosenbaum, Lumbly, Friedle etc. the opportunity to revisit those roles in the context of DCAU stories. He was their colleague and friend, and while I absolutely cannot speak for him, I still think that one ought to consider the possibility that he might want his friends to have those opportunities. So while I respect Will Friedle's feelings -- and those of his peers who have made similar remarks -- I still contest the decision and I consider it unwise. Wading into this subject is hard because I know that my opinion will likely offend some individuals/groups, and I apologise if my opinion offends anyone, but my stance is my stance. I'm sure that one or more JL/JLU or Batman Beyond stories can still be told that do not require Batman/Bruce Wayne to be present.

 

[Yojimbo]

I could see Friedle respecting Conroy so much, he wouldn't want to reprise Terry without him but as RoyalRubble suggested, there is an era further down the Beyond timeline they could do. And as an actor, does Friedle really want the last time he voices Terry to be the Crisis on Infinite Earths DTVs? I mean, that was a wasted cameo, imo. But the real problem isn't really actors, it's that any effort to do another Batman Beyond project always seems to barely get off the ground behind-the-scenes. I'd say chances are better we'd see a continuation in comic form like Batman: The Adventures Continue or Justice League Infinity.

 

[PicardMan]

Still waiting on a $200 million budget live action Batman Beyond film.

 

[MatthewP]

Kinda surprised DC hasn't done something similar to Wakanda Forever where the character dies with the actor and the new hero has to make it on their own. That could be an interesting Batman Beyond story. Still, I understand the reasoning and hope that if they ever do a new spin on Batman Beyond that the new voice is awesome.

as much as kevin is considered a sacred bat-cow, ireally doubt DC’s gonna kill off Bruce Wayne on that alone

regardless, that is an interesting concept to go for, especially since the new batman beyond comics have provided the bones for such a story

 

[Vuxovich]

How about Anthony Turpel as the new voice of Terry McGinnis? Just listen to his voice! Will you?

 

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

I have been seeing numerous criticisms online regarding Will Friedle's comments and I have some thoughts, :

1.) You do not speak for the actors nor can you police their feelings. It is clear that some actors, such as Hamill and Friedle, feel their work as their respective characters is deeply linked to their companionship with a close, personal colleague. If continuing on for them would would be painful or lack a certain magic, it is their choice to make.

2.) Nothing good lasts forever. I loved the DCAU, we all loved the DCAU. That's why we are on this board in the first place, but at some point the penny needs to drop that it is over. It had its day in the sun. Fans need to stop twisting and contorting themselves figuring out ways to ''continue'' something that the studio is barely invested in anymore, expect as a nostalgic money making exercise. We didn't need more episodes of Superman: The Animated Series... we needed My Adventures with Superman. Could they do a Wonder Woman series with Susan Eisenberg? Yes! But why would they when they can get a new creative team, a new voice actress and a new approach that will connect more effectively with the audience of today.

3.) Fans seem to be worrying about a DCAU without Batman or recasting the role after the passing of Conroy. Again, why would WB even bother worrying about this. They have no need to consider this... why go back to the Justice League version of Batman when they can just do something new. Even the creators of the actual shows themselves do not appear one bit enthusiastic about a return. Batman is bigger than any one actor, and with a multitude of versions out there, we do not need to revisit the DCAU one.

So yeah, lets enjoy the soundtrack releases, the action figures, t-shirts, possible comics, home media releases and posters celebrating something this is clearly very special to us all. But lets not cling to the notion of more and worry about the chances of ''revivals'' and continuations in animated form. We have lost too many important people to ever really ''go home again''. Plus, Friedle is not ruling anything out completely... lets just be glad we had him in the role at all. And see what comes next...