Approximately 5,000 fans packed a conference hall in Toronto on Sunday, not so much to see the man who embodies Luke Skywalker, as to hear the man who lends his voice to the Joker.

Mark Hamill joined voice actor Kevin Conroy for the final panel of Fan Expo in Toronto on Sunday, to speak at length about their nearly 25-year careers as the voices of the Joker and Batman in various animated and video game properties. Conroy occasionally delighted fans by speaking in his Batman voice, but it was Hamill who held the audience's attention throughout, as he waxed poetic about voicing Batman's arch-nemesis for so many years.

"It's fun to play someone who is so detached from reality," said Hamill, who has built a long resume of voice-acting roles since his 1980s "Star Wars" heyday. Hamill first voiced the Joker in "Batman: The Animated Series" back in 1992, and has returned to the character dozens of times for various animation projects and, more recently, the "Arkham Asylum" series of Batman video games.

Hamill compared the Joker to a "vicious and malevolent ventriloquist dummy," through whom he can say all kinds of mean things and still delight other people. He added that, while he is always recognized as Luke Skywalker, a significant number of fans associate him more with the Joker than with Luke.

In addition to his voice-acting work as the Joker, Hamill has racked up more than 100 credits for voice work in cartoons and video games. The self-professed "comic book nerd" also returned to the television screen earlier this year, to reprise his role as the Trickster in the rebooted "Flash" TV show.

As is common at these panels, fans lined up to ask Hamill and Conroy questions. And while there were a few heartfelt tributes to Hamill's role in "Star Wars," there were just as many well-meaning nods to his voice work. "I was wondering if you would let me do an impression of you from the Wolverine: Logan's Revenge video game," one fan asked. Another asked about Hamill voicing a villain in a Japanese video game.

But most of the questions touched on Hamill's work as the Joker, with a few doing their own impressions of his maniacal laugh.

"Thank you," Hamill said after each impression. He added that he loves hearing fans mimicking his voice. "The idea of kids on the playground imitating me gives me joy to no end," he said.

Hamill and Conroy also acknowledged the controversy around their most recent animated work, as the Joker and Batman in DC's "Batman: The Killing Joke." The film, adapted from a 1988 graphic novel by Alan Moore, tells the story of the Joker kidnapping, crippling and torturing Batman's sidekick, Batgirl. However, a prequel section was written for the film, in which Batman and Batgirl have a sexual relationship.

Conroy said he was "shocked" by the development, while Hamill admitted he didn't see that section in the script when he recorded his lines.

However, the two actors also stood by the film's adult-only rating. "You couldn't tell that story in a PG way," Conroy said.

For years, Hamill had lobbied DC Comics to make an animated version of "The Killing Joke." With that project now finished, Hamill and Conroy say they're game to take on more adaptations of other classic Batman stories.

"There's a lot of mileage left in the characters," Hamill said.