In one version of the multiverse, Batman and the Joker perished as Anti-Monitor destroyed their home dimension known as Earth-12. In the context of the 2024 animated film Crisis on Infinite Earths Part Three, the 1990s versions of Batman and the Joker from Batman: The Animated Series are not major characters in the film, but rather, part of a nice Easter egg scene toward the end of the movie. In the scene, Batman is once again voiced by the late great Kevin Conroy, who played the voice of Batman starting in 1992 for the iconic Batman: The Animated Series. As a kind of tribute to Conroy, Batman goes out swinging, fighting Mark Hamill’s iconic version of the Joker, who starred alongside Conroy throughout the same beloved series.
Except, it seems that in the initial release of Crisis on Infinite Earths Part Three, the Joker wasn’t originally voiced by Mark Hamill. But now, the digital files have been corrected, and he seemingly is. What’s going on here? While this does seem like a super-in-the-weeds Bat mystery, it turns out, fans were right. That wasn’t Hamill in the initial release, though now his voice is where it belongs.
As noticed by Redditors ZenaKeefe and AngryNoodlezzz, the July drop of Crisis on Infinite Earths Part Three included a Mark Hamill sound-alike as the Joker, rather than Hamill himself. But on digital copies of Crisis on Infinite Earths Part Three, the true voice of Mark Hamill has now been retroactively inserted, while the sound-alike has been deleted. Inverse was able to recreate the discrepancy independently, but in a side-by-side video uploaded to Reddit and Twitter, this difference is readily apparent.
Interestingly, Warner Bros and DC have now fully admitted that this indeed was a mistake and that all the digitally purchased versions of the movie have been fixed. In an official statement to io9, Warner Bros. said:
“Due to a manufacturing issue, a temporary voice over was inadvertently left in the final version of Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths Part Three, affecting the character of the Joke... Digital versions of the film have been proactively corrected and have replaced the incorrect version of the film in users’ accounts.”
However, this does mean that anyone who purchased the movie on DVD or Blu-ray has a copy of the movie with the incorrect “temporary voice.” If that’s the case, Warners is offering free replacement copies which can be requested by emailing WHV@wbd.com. Why this bizarre temporary voice made it into the final movie is unclear at this time, but luckily the real GOAT Joker is now back in his correct place in the multiverse.
