RealTalkAJ

I’m sharing with you all that Phil Lamarr is my favorite CN Voice Actor—arguably my favorite of all time!

The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy

When we talk about some of the most iconic voice actors in The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Phil LaMarr absolutely has to be in the discussion.

He’s not playing the most popular characters, per se, but when he’s in the show, his characters definitely make the episode way funnier than it has to be. I’m even checking this out on the IMDb app for reference, and he voices Irwin’s dad, Dracula, Hector Con Carne, and Irwin’s grandma. I’m just gonna keep it at those four.

That, in itself, should show you how much of an impact he has. There are so many other examples, but one of the funniest episodes that comes to mind involves at least two of those characters. I want to say it’s the one with the wishing skull, where there’s an invisible duck that only Irwin can see.

There’s this one scene where the duck keeps making fart noises with his mouth, sticking his tongue out. Irwin is riding in the car with his dad and grandma, and he’s trying to convince everybody that this duck is there. But he’s the only one who can see it, while everyone else can hear the fart noises.

So it looks like Irwin is actually passing gas in the car. His grandmama keeps telling him that it’s rude and nasty, while his dad is also getting on him. Meanwhile, this duck keeps making the noises and getting him into further trouble.

The entire situation was funny because Irwin was ultimately expected to accept ownership of a noise he wasn’t even making. Watching someone have to give in and take the blame when they know they didn’t do what they’re being accused of was hilarious. And having Phil LaMarr voice both family members getting on him just shows his versatility again.

That’s what he brought through those characters in just that episode alone. Hector Con Carne is another one who didn’t really grow on me too much, but he complemented the show when needed.

We’re talking about the brain mixed in with the circus bear. He was cool, but not all that. If anything he was more fun in the video games.

It’s all just to say that you might want to pay attention whenever one of LaMarr’s characters makes an appearance.

And Dracula is another one. There’s an episode with him that I can’t exactly remember, but he reminds me of a cool, older Black family member. If you have someone like that in your family, you can relate to how Dracula carries himself. You can see a little of your own family member in this character.

It makes me supremely grateful for Phil LaMarr’s talents being added to the show, especially through these characters. It didn’t take much watching to appreciate what he brought to them—or his voice acting in general.

Static Shock

Another iconic role that Phil LaMarr plays in the Cartoon Network universe is Virgil Hawkins in Static Shock. This is probably some of the most serious and fun voice acting work I got to witness from him growing up.

I actually watched that show much more than I give it credit for, and probably more than I realize other people watched it too. It’s one of the more solid DC animated shows that I appreciated, and I’m looking forward to the possibility of a live-action adaptation at some point.

I’m not saying who should play Virgil if they end up doing this, but I’ll start throwing some pictures in for reference. If you think it could work, maybe let me know.

LaMarr plays the main character here—someone who gets his superpowers through a mutation introduced right in the first episode. Again, this was a more layered role that I could appreciate him in, especially since the show had plenty of moments people could relate to. DC often explores darker themes in its shows and comics, and Static Shock is no exception.

But keeping the focus on Phil LaMarr, I think this role captures the youthfulness he was able to maintain throughout the show’s run. He made Virgil very likable. You would always root for him, and even when he was wrong, you hoped he would get back on the right track. A good amount of that falls on the voice actor’s performance.

This is another example of how much variety Phil LaMarr brought to his work. As a kid watching, his voice felt pretty normal to me. But the further I get into adulthood, the more I appreciate the work and consistency it takes to keep that performance going for as long as he did.

If anything, I would argue that Static is a top character who could match up with the likes of Spider-Man. I would almost call him DC’s Spider-Man because of how likable he is, the circumstances that introduce us to him, and the way his adventures play out.

I mean, look at Peter Parker. I’m drifting specifically into MCU territory here, but he gets mentored by Tony Stark. Static also gets opportunities to connect with established DC heroes, including one of the greatest: Batman. That experience of watching a young hero find his way while interacting with bigger names is part of what makes those characters so interesting to me.

But yeah, Phil LaMarr’s work here adds to his GOAT status too. This is another show I would definitely tell people to watch if they wanted to get an idea of what he can do as a voice actor.