Mark Hamill Retiring as Joker After Arkham Asylum 2

Batman: Arkham Asylum was probably the sleeper hit of 2009. Rocksteady Studios was really the first game studio to completely realize what made Batman tick. Hell, they were even so successful with the game that Arkham Asylum really felt like another character that Batman was up against, in addition to the rogues that populated its halls.

The success of the game wasn't entirely owed to Rocksteady though. Paul Dini wrote the script, while fan favorites Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprised their roles as Batman and The Joker respectively. According to an interview with IGN UK, Hamill may be hanging up his purple suit as the voice of the Clown Prince of Crime after Batman: Arkham Asylum 2.

"This will be my last, there's no question about that. But it's the last hurrah."

So yeah, not much left to interpret in those comments.

This isn't really a vague "I may or may not come back" type thing, and with someone like Hamill if he says he's done then chances are he's really done. Hamill is obviously hesitant to continue his role as the Joker because he's worried that the sequel won't live up to the lofty expectations that the first game set.

"My answer to [developers Rocksteady] for the sequel was, 'Guys, we're never going to be able to top the original.' It was so claustrophobic. There were so many abilities like the stealth mode, and all those things you can do with the new technology. I wanted to be able to say I'd gone out on a high note."

Hamill is as big a comic book nut as any of us, so it's not like he won't be busy. He plans on adapting his comic The Black Pearl to the big screen and has other voice roles in video games (such as Wing Commander) to keep him busy. Hopefully, Batman: Arkham Asylum 2 will be at least as good as the first, but I think I may be siding with Hamill on this one and say that I have my doubts. Still though, Hamill was excited to get back into the role that was the definitive version of the Joker until Heath Ledger's turn in The Dark Knight. A comparison that he knew would be made at some point.

"I was flattered they came back to me, especially after being blown away by Heath Ledger's incredible and novel take," he says. "He was the most joyless Joker. Not a hint of theatricality; he was almost like a heroin addict. It never would have occurred to me, and that's why it was so delightful and surprising. I was glad I got on and got off before that happened."

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