an essay on Batman I wrote at 13 on paper about Queerness in Batman
Trigger Warnings: media censorship, homophobia, if things like the Hays Code are triggering this will be too
Batman has been around since May of 1939, and has gone through many changes since then. Two big changes reasons for this change have been, the introduction of the Joker in 1940, and the book âSeduction of the Innocentâ written by a German Psychologist, Fredric Wertham in the year 1954. The Crown Prince of Crime, created a worthy opponent for Batman, and Werthamâs book created censorship for how this opposition would be portrayed. âSeduction of the Innocentâ also brought about the Comics Code Authority. The Comics Code Authority created a seal of approval that let parents know if the comic was up to Werthamâs standards. This censorship created a large shift in comicsâ content from mature to childish.
âSeduction of the Innocentâ linked violence, sexual perversion, disrespect, and general rudeness to comic books. âThe Batman type story may stimulate children to homosexual fantasies, of the nature of which they be unconscious,â Wertham wrote on Sexual perversion in the Batman comics. In that quote, Wertham is referring to the relationship between Robin (Dick Grayson,) and Batman (Bruce Wayne,) in which they share a bed, and get tans, among other coupleâs activities. Wertham believed that seeing relationships like Batman and Robin would create homosexual fantasies. When âSeduction of the Innocentâ was published, many concerned parents started thinking that as well.
Enough parents were so concerned with comic books that there became a need to know how mature a comic was just by looking at the cover. This need created the Comics Code Authority. The Comics Code Authority, or CCA, had 41 provisions in what was allowed for children to read in comics, if a comic got the CCA seal of approval, it would be sold, if it did not get the seal, it would more than likely not be sold. This created a brand new age of comic books. Under the âMarriage and sexâ article seven states, âSec perversion or any inference to same is strictly forbidden.â The âsameâ being referred to is homosexuality. This rule created a similar result to the Hayâs Code, which made many monsters written as queer. These rules, made the villains more flamboyant if they were men and more butch if they were women. It also resulted in men, such as the Joker, wearing make-up.
The Joker is a man who originally got his clown like appearance entirely from a chemical mishap, but it was later changed to him simply wearing make-up. This change also had Joker occasionally wearing womenâs clothing. He also started a pattern of flirting with men. This flirting even went as far as him kissing Bane. Joker also confesses that heâs in love with Batman, twice, to Catwoman. Harley Quinn also makes the realization that Joker loves Batman, not her, in her self entitled HBO show. A great example of this dynamic is when Joker is crying on his knees at his shrine to Batman while Harley is show on a bed in under-garments waiting for him, with a yellow box reads, âIt just wasnât with me.â Batman: Curse of the White Knight has been regarded as non-canon, but this is not the only time Joker has been described as in love with Batman by Dr.Harleen Quinzel, it also occurs in âHarley Quinn (The Animated Series.)â Joker is given a choice by the Riddler, to save Harley or Batman. Joker immediately chooses Batman. This causes Harley to have the realization mentioned earlier, that Joker cares more about Batman than her. She recalls a past event in which Joker had said ââTil death do us partâ and realizes that he had meant Batman, not Harley.
Batman is someone who never maintains a singular love interest for long, he is a perpetual bachelor. Batman much like the Joker, never seizes the opportunity to kill the other. Most people claim that this is because of Batmanâs moral code, which says nothing about not letting his enemy starve, fall to their death and many of the other deaths that Batman saves Joker from. Batman even mourns Jokerâs death in universes where he dies. In the words of Joker in âBatman the Dark Knight, âYou complete meâ which is actually quoted from the romance movie âJerry Maguire.â âYou complete meâ is arguably the best quote to describe the famous pair, Joker is as quintessential to Batman as Robin. Many people argue that heroes and villains can not/would not date but thatâs also false, Batman dates Catwoman, has a fling with poison Ivy, and Talia Al Ghul. Also in an alternate reality in which Bruce dies instead of his parents, his parents become Batman and Joker, and continue to pursue a romantic relationship.
In the end Joker and Batman need each other. Years of censorship created these circumstances, and now that the censorship is ended, it has only been made more explicit. In newer adaptations like âThe LEGO Batmanâ made in 2017 it is made clear that hate is a substitute for love. Their âhateâ for each other is the driving force of the movie.
holy shit did i have no friends in 8th grade or something mein gott