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Bat-Fam: Bobby Moynihan Talks Man-Bat, Favorite Batman, SNL & More

Bat-Fam star Bobby Moynihan discussed his role as Man-Bat in the Prime Video animated series, his favorite Batman comic, SNL, and much more.

There are no shortages of adaptations of Batman from the traditional loner, the occasional reliance on help beyond Alfred Pennyworth with Robin, or, in the case of the animated superhero comedy, Bat-Fam, a full-on ensemble. Created by Mike Roth and Jase Ricci, the Prime Video series follows up the 2023 film Merry Little Batman that features Luke Wilson as the voice of the Caped Crusader; Yonas Kibreab as the voice of Damien Wayne, his adopted son who opts to become a little "Batman" than being "Robin"; and James Cromwell as the voice of Bruce's faithful butler, Alfred. As one of the newer additions, Bobby Moynihan voices Man-Bat, a humanoid bat creature who was once the scientist Kirk Langstrom, before he underwent a permanent transformation and now resides in Wayne Manor. The SNL alum spoke to Bleeding Cool about joining the animated series, working with Roth and Ricci, his favorite Batman artist and live-action actor to portray the Caped Crusader, and an SNL pitch sketch in his potential return as a host.

Bat-Fam: Moynihan on Joining the Bat Universe, Embracing Man-Bat

What intrigued you about Bat-Fam?

I enjoy Batman and the Bat Universe. I was very excited to get to play around in it. It's also a character, Man-Bat is one, people don't see a lot, so I was very excited to get to take my own little swing at that, my own little crack at Man-Bat.

What did you like playing Man-Bat in this non-conventional Batman series?

I enjoyed that the director let me figure out what we wanted to do with it together, and we started in a more villainous place, and then he became much more of a Big Lebowski-type character, a little bit of a mooch in the house, eating a lot of olives, and making a mess. He's the guy you don't want hanging around, or does he become useful? We'll see.

What do you like about working with Mike and Jase as creatives?

It's great. I love people who love the material, and they clearly love Batman, as do I. That alone, I felt it was in good hands, and I was very happy about that as a fan.

Did you record your Bat-Fam line by yourself, or did you share space with your co-stars?

Usually by myself for this one. I don't think I recorded with anybody together for this one. If I did, I apologize. It was not a fun day. No, I'm just kidding [laughs].

Did you ever interact with any of your co-stars at any point or outside of production?

We got to hang out the most at New York Comic Con, and it was a blast because we instantly hit it off. It was the first time we were all in the same room together. We spent most of the day pitching a live-action version of the series we hope we could do someday, where we could all be in the same room together on camera. which I don't think is a terrible idea. Maybe it's even a musical. I'm throwing it out there.

Was there anyone you had initial impressions of beforehand, and who shocked you when you met them?

No, everyone was really nice. I thought everyone was going to be really mean, and they turned out to be normal human beings who were kind and nice. It was very nice. No one really shocked me anyway.

What was it like interacting with Luke, James, and London [Hughes]?

I haven't gotten to meet them or work with them yet, but they're absolutely fantastic. I've been a fan of their work my entire life. The fact that I'm in an animated series with James Cromwell is a mad lib sentence [laughs], same with Luke Wilson. He's great, and I love bearded Batman, so I'm very excited for him, and I think he pulls it off well. Yeah, but they're legends, and I love their take on it. It's really beautiful.

Was there a particular Batman artist on the comic side you gravitated most towards?

Jim Lee, definitely. He was my favorite with Hush (2002). When I was growing up, Jim Lee was my idol. I wanted to be Jim Lee or J. Scott Campbell, but Jim Lee's Batman was the one I've always adored. That's my Batman.

Were there any like series or films that resonated with you the most?

Oh, sure. I grew up with Batman '66. Michael Keaton's Batman (1989), I had every poster in my room. I clearly still do. Yeah, Michael Keaton's Batman was, and then at SNL, we wrote a monologue where Michael Keaton came out as Batman, and Taran [Killam] just accosted him, and showed our true fandom to him. It was a glorious, glorious day! I'll never forget it. I was dressed as The Penguin; it was absolutely insane.

Was there a standout mode from the season for you? I know you don't have as many lines of dialogue as your co-stars. Was there a particular Man-Bat moment for you?

Man-Bat is better in small doses. I agree. He adds a bit of flavoring in the show, "Comes in like [Steve] Urkel," I like to say. As far as surprises, there are some things that I'm definitely excited for people to see, but I don't want to spoil them. Maybe, yeah, I was going to make up some crazy thing, but I shouldn't.

Bobby, I want to thank you for your time. You're great on the show, and I love your work on SNL. One of the most underrated moments on SNL was that Star Trek skit where you appeared as Spocko with Chris Pine's Shatner impression.

Thank you, man. What's really funny is that you said that. I said if I ever host, I want to do another one of those where instead of Spocko, I'm "Robbo" and I play it off like Robin on the old Batman series, so that we could do the thing where we're climbing up the side of the building and I'm playing "Spocko" again, but this time, Robbo.

Bat-Fam, which also features the voices of Haley Tju, Michael Benyaer, Reid Scott, Kevin Michael Richardson, Diedrich Bader, and Natasha Leggero, premieres November 10th on Prime Video.

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