Joe Einsig SFIII Research Paper

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

I think we may have killed the franchise.-George Clooney on Batman & Robin1. Joel Schumachers 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, Ill 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

Daniel. Batman and Robin 2005.

questions, I want to take a look at the effects of Fredric Werthams 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 Robins 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 dont 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 Batmans 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 psychiatrists 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

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Les Daniels. Batman: The Complete History, pg. 28. 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 the psychopathology of sex can fail to realize a subtle atmosphere of homoeroticism which 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 werent 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 didnt do much to prevent the imminent fall out from Werthams 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 5

Seduction of the Innocent. pg. 293 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 Werthams work in the documentary Starz Inside: Comic Books Unbound.

between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, they couldnt return to the violent, murderous tales that accompanied Batman at his inception. On the other, they couldnt 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 hypermasculinized to make him appear tougher and grittier, and Robin was slowly deemphasized 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, Id like to provide a base for us to work from. Consider image #1 (refer to rear of packet for images): Batmans positioning and choice & delivery of words, along with Robins 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, doesnt 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 isnt nearly as menacing as the black coloring we see later on. Lets 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. Batmans musculature has increased slightly from the last picture, but he is still nowhere near as large as hell 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 Werthers remarks and after the Adam West era. Its important to note the date, because shortly after the Adam West TV shows run, two men came on board with the intentions of returning to a darker Batman. Writer Dennis ONeil and artist Neal Adams wanted to go back to a style similar to the Batman of the 1940s. 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 Batmans more complex villains, Ras Al Ghul, who is introduced in this comic (image #4) in June 1971.9 But for as great a villain as Ras is, lets take a look instead at Batman, and interestingly enough, Talia. Again, Batmans musculature is becoming more definitive and superhuman in comparison to the last image. Also, note that his cowl and cape, while still maintaing

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Pearson. The Many Lives of the Batman. pg. 18. ONeil. 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 Crusaders 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 nonattachment 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 Millers Batman: Year One10, and is considered the definitive origin story for the Dark Knight. In Year One, Batman is displayed as an incredibly strongwilled 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, lets look at two images.

10

Published in 1986.

Image #5 shows off the new coloring of the suit, and also shows that Batman isnt 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 herohe is now a newfound terror that strikes fear into the criminals of Gotham. While discussing Frank Millers 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 dont 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 hes 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 doesnt actually maim the man of steel. This version of Batman, perhaps more than any either, can be seen as some sort of super-

11

Published in 1985.

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 Id 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 Millers, isnt 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 weve been conditioned to desire in our culture. This Batman (image #11) also satisfies present day societys fascination with sex in terms of masculinity. Jezebel, Batmans dangerous lover pictured here, is essentially a caricature of what men are supposed to desire in women. Shes slim yet voluptuous, exotic, rich, and wanting to please. Essentially, shes everything that a masculine man is supposed to desire, and Batman has her. In fact, he has everything that a mans man is supposed to want: money, power, muscles, mystery, and women. Hes much more than a comic book detective/hero; hes come to represent all of the things that men are supposed to desire in this masculinity driven culture we live in.

12

Published in 2008.

The hyper-masculinization of Batman may have been the biggest consequence to come out of Werthers criticisms and general homophobia towards Batman and Robins relationship, but it wasnt the only one. The role of Robin, who was once constantly at Batmans 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 Werthams criticism. Werthams 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 wasnt always a he. In The Dark Knight Returns, the Robin

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Daniels. pg 37. Daniels.

mantle is taken up by a young teenage girl. When the male Robin did appear in comics, he wasnt 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 didnt 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 didnt 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 wasnt included until Batman Forever (Schumacher 1995), which means that he didnt 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 wont 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 films chances of garnering a positive response. The gradual hypermasculinization of Batman over the last 50-plus years simply wouldnt allow fans of Batman to see and believe the campy version that Schumacher put out a half-century too late. As for Robin, its possible that fans could accept him as Batmans sidekick, but he isnt integral to our understanding of Batman as he may have once been. Hes there, but he doesnt have to be, and sometimes if something isnt needed, it shouldnt be included. I highly doubt hell 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

the apparent homoerotic nature of Batman and Robin. These criticisms led to vast changes in writing philosophy that resulted in the hyper-masculinization of Batman and the reduced importance of Robin. Whether or not you favor these changes, you cannot deny the importance of Werthams criticism ,and the attached feelings of homophobia from parents, in shaping the image and culture of Batman that we know today.