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Joe EinsigSFIIIResearch Paper

Holy Homophobia, Batman?!: The Hyper-Masculinization of the Caped Crusader and

the Boy Wonder’s Vanishing Act

“I think we may have killed the franchise.”-George Clooney on Batman & Robin1.

Joel Schumacher’s portrayal of Batman in Batman & Robin is considered by

many bat-fans and critics alike to be one of the more bizarre and ultimately failed

portrayals of Batman. Some of its many cited faults include cheesy one-liners, the

campy atmosphere, and the inclusion of blown up cod pieces and bat-nipples. Now, I’ll

be blunt here: one would be very hard-pressed to make a positive argument for the

quality of this film. However, I believe that Batman & Robin failed primarily not because

of poor dialogue, an undeveloped plot, and a general lack of quality dramatic tension,

but because of the initial faults listed above. The bat-fans and general public of 1997

were never going to accept a Batman that had bat-nipples or a film that was as campy

as the Adam West TV show, especially one that was perceived to contain several

sexual innuendos developed by an openly homosexual filmmaker. But why?

In a sense, the purpose of this paper is to answer that question, namely Why

was this campy, comic depiction of Batman harshly rejected in 1997 when it was

accepted during the Silver Age of Comics and for the Adam West run? Or to generalize

the question, How has the depiction of Batman transformed over time, and what roles

did homophobia and “social norms” play in that transformation? To answer these

1 Daniel. “Batman and Robin” 2005.



questions, I want to take a look at the effects of Fredric Wertham’s The Seduction of the

Innocent on the comic book industry, and then dive into the world of Batman, dividing

my time there looking at two different aspects of this transformation. Firstly, I want to

address the hyper-masculinization of Batman himself, using actual images and

scenarios from the comics to address how the caped crusader has evolved into a

muscular, dark, and tough figure that oozes prototypical manliness. After that, I want to

chronicle Robin’s increasingly decreasing roles and importance in the comics and other

media outlets throughout time, and come to some conclusions as to why that occurred.

Hopefully, all this will allow us to see a little more clearly why the dynamic duo are who

they are today.

Batman was created by Bob Kane (art) and Bill Finger (writing), and made his

first appearance in May of 1939 in Detective Comics #27 .2 What many people don’t

know about the original Batman was the dark, murder-filled tones of the stories and his

usage of guns. In fact, he even shot and killed a vampiric villain known as the Monk with

silver bullets in an early issue.3 The editors of Detective Comics decided that these kind

of depictions could be portrayed as bad examples for children, so they decided to cut off

Batman’s usage of lethal weapons shortly afterwards. This would prove to be

considerable foresight, as these types of actions and depictions in comics would be

blasted by a particular psychiatrist’s book fifteen years later.

In 1954, psychiatrist Fredric Wertham had his book, Seduction of the Innocent,

published with the intention of making known to society the negative influence of comic

books on children as he saw it. Wertham argued that “crime comics,” which included

2 Les Daniels. Batman: The Complete History, pg. 28.3 Daniels, pg. 31.



superhero comics as well as gangster/murder comics, contained images of violence,

drugs, and sex which corrupted the youth. In terms of superhero comics, he made

claims that Superman was an un-American fascist and that Wonder Woman was a

lesbian.4 In terms of Batman and Robin, Wertham had some particular criticism for their

relationship, stating:

“The Batman type of story may stimulate children to homosexual fantasies, of the nature of which they may be unconscious,” and...“Only someone ignorant of the fundamentals of psychiatry and of thepsychopathology of sex can fail to realize a subtle atmosphere of homoeroticismwhich pervades the adventures of the mature ‘Batman’ and his young friend‘Robin’.”5

Wertham came right out and stated what some conservative parents may have

been thinking upon viewing the comics. And those parents who weren’t considering this

possibility before were certainly made aware of it now. His piercing criticisms of Batman

and other comics affected the comic book industry on several levels. Soon after the

publishing of Seduction, comic book publishers rushed to set up the Comics Code

Authority (CCA), a sort of self censorship seal that appeared on all comics that adhered

to the rules laid down, which essentially meant the exclusion of explicit gore and blood,

overt sexual references, and foul language6. However, the code didn’t do much to

prevent the imminent fall out from Wertham’s claims, as comic book sales dropped

drastically after the publication of Seduction.7

The introduction of this code put the creators and writers of Batman somewhere

4 Seduction of the Innocent. pg. 2935 Found on pages 189-190.6 Amy Kiste Niberg. Seal of Approval. pg vii.7 Stan Lee and other comic book writers attributed the huge dips in comic books’ popularity directly to

Wertham’s work in the documentary Starz Inside: Comic Books Unbound .



between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, they couldn’t return to the violent,

murderous tales that accompanied Batman at his inception. On the other, they couldn’t

continue to produce comics that had perceived traces of homoeroticism, lest they be

blasted by Wertham and parents again. So what were they to do? Well, they did

precisely what I stated earlier- the image of Batman was progressively hyper-

masculinized to make him appear tougher and grittier, and Robin was slowly de-

emphasized and for a time fazed out.

The hyper-masculinizing of Batman did not occur all at once. It was a gradual

and not necessarily concerted transformation. The next portion of this paper will be

dedicated to taking a glance at the aspects of this transformation. But to start, I’d like to

provide a base for us to work from.

Consider image #1 (refer to rear of packet for images): Batman’s positioning and

choice & delivery of words, along with Robin’s undressing and perceived excitedness,

all point to the hinted homoeroticism that Werther was addressing. But also note that

Batman, for a man dressed up like a bat, doesn’t look all that menacing. His hand

placement and posture is mother or lover-like, depending on your interpretation. His

words are caring and considerate. Lastly, his cowl and cape are that silver age blue,

which isn’t nearly as menacing as the black coloring we see later on.

Let’s look at the next image, #2. This image is the cover of Detective Comics

Vol. No. 241, titled “The Rainbow Batman.” It was released in March of 1957, and as

you can see in the upper right hand corner, has the Comic Code of Approval. Batman’s

musculature has increased slightly from the last picture, but he is still nowhere near as

large as he’ll be in later reincarnations. From a masculinity standpoint, this kind of color



coded wardrobe seems odd and somewhat effeminate compared to the modern

representation of Batman. Would a scene that involved Batman choosing between his

pink and teal batsuits ever make the final cut of a Nolan film? More importantly, would

the scene ever even cross the writers’ minds as anything more than a laughable joke to

scare the producers?

As the legend of Batman ages and grows, his size and musculature also seems

to increase. For example, in image #3, he cover image from The Brave and the Bold

#79 (“Batman and Deadman”), Batman appears much more muscular and ripped. Note

that his outfit is actually torn, indirectly showing off his stature. We should also note that

Batman appears to be in a much more treacherous position than he was in the previous

two images. This comic was published in 1968, over a decade after Werther’s remarks

and after the Adam West era. It’s important to note the date, because shortly after the

Adam West TV show’s run, two men came on board with the intentions of returning to a

darker Batman. Writer Dennis O’Neil and artist Neal Adams wanted to go back to a

style similar to the Batman of the 1940’s. Neil said he wanted to “simply take it back to

where it started. I went to the DC library and read some of the early stories. I tried to get

a sense of what Kane and Finger were after.”8

Neil and Adams are also responsible for one of Batman’s more complex villains,

Ra’s Al Ghul, who is introduced in this comic (image #4) in June 1971. 9 But for as great

a villain as Ra’s is, let’s take a look instead at Batman, and interestingly enough, Talia.

Again, Batman’s musculature is becoming more definitive and superhuman in

comparison to the last image. Also, note that his cowl and cape, while still maintaing

8 Pearson. The Many Lives of the Batman. pg. 18.9 O’Neil. Batman #232 “Daughter of the Demon”



their blue coloring, are adapting more shades of black to make him appear darker and

more intimidating. When we look at the Caped Crusader’s possible love interest, we see

a very curvaceous and sexualized Talia. Batman has had love interests before, but

none that have been drawn as seductively as this portrayal of Talia. Starting in the

1970s and right up to today, Batman has had a history of romancing sexualized and

often dangerous women, using his mask as a way of creating distance and not allowing

himself to fall too hard for one woman. Those who are well versed in their history know

that this is quite different from the original Batman, who was actually engaged, and the

Batman of the 1950s and 1960s, who largely steered clear of romantic relationships.

This distancing and refusal to fall head over heels for a particular woman plays right into

this more masculinized Batman, since the concepts of bachelorhood and non-

attachment are crucial archetypes in the stereotypical definition of strong masculinity.

No study of Batman would be complete without looking at what is considered by

many to be one of, if not the finest work in the Batman collection. The graphic novel in

question is Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One10, and is considered the definitive origin

story for the Dark Knight. In Year One, Batman is displayed as an incredibly strong-

willed vigilante who takes on numerous bullet wounds and constant hounding from the

police in his attempt to start cleaning up the streets of Gotham. Compared to some

previous works, this graphic novel is very gritty and proudly shows the dark and tough

side of Bruce/Batman. Year One is also iconic for depicting Batman in his grey and

black suit, which comes off as more menacing than the blue in previous suits. For an

example of this gritty and menacing Batman, let’s look at two images.

10 Published in 1986.



Image #5 shows off the new coloring of the suit, and also shows that Batman

isn’t afraid to hurt a criminal in order to get what he wants. He is confrontational and

direct, willing to choke a victim into submission. His ability to perform increasingly

violent acts fits in with his hyper-masculinized identity.

This image (#6) is designed to cast Batman in a very menacing (and low-lit) light.

It illustrates how this version of Batman has become more than a vigilante and a hero-

he is now a newfound terror that strikes fear into the criminals of Gotham.

While discussing Frank Miller’s impact on Batman, we should look at his other

definitive work, The Dark Knight Returns11

. To understand how integral this story is to

the Batman legend, consider that for the most part, those who don’t view Year One as

the greatest Batman story largely do so because they believe that title belongs to this

piece. In this work, Batman has been retired for several decades before recognizing

that Gotham once again needs him. The Dark Knight is over seventy years old in this

piece, and look at how he is depicted(images #7) and #8)!

The Batman we see in TDKR is easily the thickest and most muscular Batman

depiction ever for its time. Even though he’s a senior citizen and admits to being

affected by his age, this ripped, gargantuan version of Batman tackles an entire army of

young, super-strong mutants for the most part single-handedly. He also beats

Superman to a bloody pulp.

Yes, the white-haired Bat pounds on the seemingly invincible Superman, and lets

up so that he only sends a message and doesn’t actually maim the man of steel. This

version of Batman, perhaps more than any either, can be seen as some sort of super-




human fountain of youth and masculinity for its readers to confide in.

The number of examples of hyper-masculinization that could be found in the

1980s and 1990s is numerous, but I’d like to jump ahead to a more recent comic for

some final examples that show just how much the image of Batman has changed.

Image #9 is from the Grant Morrison graphic novel Batman R.I.P.12 Note how

Batman blends with his cape into one all-black mass of imposing darkness. The

muscles in his arms are still distinguishable so that we know that he is the perfect

physical specimen that we have come to now expect him to be. His demeanor is dark,

his expression is tense. This Batman is so incredibly different than the one who was

deciding what color batsuit to wear 51 years ago.

(Image #10) This Batman, like Frank Miller’s, isn’t afraid to break the bones of a

few criminals to stop crime. At times, he is savage and primal, but seemingly under

control. He represents a sort of primal masculinity that is associated with power and

dominance, which are qualities we’ve been conditioned to desire in our culture.

This Batman (image #11) also satisfies present day society’s fascination with sex

in terms of masculinity. Jezebel, Batman’s dangerous lover pictured here, is essentially

a caricature of what men are supposed to desire in women. She’s slim yet voluptuous,

exotic, rich, and wanting to please. Essentially, she’s everything that a “masculine man”

is supposed to desire, and Batman has her. In fact, he has everything that a man’s man

is supposed to want: money, power, muscles, mystery, and women. He’s much more

than a comic book detective/hero; he’s come to represent all of the things that men are

supposed to desire in this masculinity driven culture we live in.




The hyper-masculinization of Batman may have been the biggest consequence

to come out of Werther’s criticisms and general homophobia towards Batman and

Robin’s relationship, but it wasn’t the only one. The role of Robin, who was once

constantly at Batman’s side and always ready to help, has been significantly reduced

and was for a time largely fazed out of the Batman world.

Robin was introduced in 1940 as a means to attract younger readers to the

Detective Comics series. He first appeared in issue #38, and the plan worked-including

Robin essentially doubled the sales for Detective Comics shortly after being

introduced.13

However, the speculation about his possibly homoerotic relationship with

Batman would severely hurt the sales of the comics after Wertham’s criticism.

Wertham’s words affected Robin in several ways. First, as a way to combat these

claims of possible homoeroticism, the characters Batgirl and Batwoman were

introduced in 1956 in order to alleviate the constant one-to-one relationship shared by

Batman and Robin14. The fact that these characters were also female obviously also

played into the attempt to “straighten out” Batman. For Robin, this meant less time and

importance in the comics, as he now had to share sidekick duties with two other

characters.

This de-centralizing of Robin proved to have a snowballing effect, as Robin

became less and less prevalent compared to his Golden Age days. For a large part of

the 1970s and 1980s, Robin appeared in only a limited role in comics. Batman was off

teaming up with other superheroes in team-up series like The Brave and the Bold .

When Robin did appear, he wasn’t always a he. In The Dark Knight Returns, the Robin

13 Daniels. pg 37.14 Daniels.



mantle is taken up by a young teenage girl. When the male Robin did appear in comics,

he wasn’t always met with positive fanfare. Jason Todd was so disliked by fans that he

was actually voted to be killed off in 1988 in Batman: A Death In the Family.

Robin didn’t fare very well onscreen either. He did have a role in the TV show

Batman:TAS, but it was very limited as the show focused much more exclusively on

Batman. He also didn’t make the cut for the one animated Batman film that saw a

theatrical release, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. As for live action movies, he wasn’t

included until Batman Forever (Schumacher 1995), which means that he didn’t appear

in Batman (Burton 1989) and Batman Returns (Burton 1992), as well as Batman Begins

(Nolan 2005) and The Dark Knight (Nolan 2008). It is yet to be seen whether Robin will

appear in The Dark Knight Rises, but many reports and speculation feel that he won’t

be involved in the final installment of the trilogy.

If we return to our original question regarding the failure of Batman & Robin, we

can see how the changes in what we expect from the concept of Batman essentially

buried the film’s chances of garnering a positive response. The gradual hyper-

masculinization of Batman over the last 50-plus years simply wouldn’t allow fans of

Batman to see and believe the campy version that Schumacher put out a half-century

too late. As for Robin, it’s possible that fans could accept him as Batman’s sidekick, but

he isn’t integral to our understanding of Batman as he may have once been. He’s there,

but he doesn’t have to be, and sometimes if something isn’t needed, it shouldn’t be

included. I highly doubt he’ll make an appearance in The Dark Knight Rises, and I

believe that Christopher Nolan understood what fans wanted by not including him.

It was 58 years ago when Dr. Fredric Wertham criticized Detective Comics for

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