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Batman & Robin: “Crime Fighting
Duo” or “Ambiguously Gay Duo?” Until
recently, many academic intellectuals have not viewed popular or mass
culture in a serious manner. The absence of popular culture studies was
often justified by claims that mass consumer culture is not
“authentic” or comparable in value to “real” culture. Mass culture
is produced in such bulk that authenticity is impossible. However, more
and more significance is being placed in these texts of mass culture that
are vastly distributed to the public with potential to make or created
ideological impressions. Current capabilities in mass production,
distribution, and media make forms of popular culture available to nearly
all facets of American culture. Consequently, the impact and influence of
popular culture texts is great. It is crucial to determine what meanings
are inferred through the text itself and how these meanings have been
interpreted. The vast potential for interpretation is incredibly
significant because it is here that masses are allowed to make their own
meaning and create possibilities for resistance and subversion. However,
despite the potential for subversive power, popular culture texts are
highly influenced by the hegemonic nature of society. Consequently, the
dominant class is able to lead and rule society through moral and
intellectual leadership, allowing a process of negotiation or compromise
equilibrium between incorporation and resistance. This allows culture to
exist as a form of both resistance and incorporation simultaneously, while
ultimately allowing social control to work more effectively. Batman
is a prominent example of hegemonic tendencies in popular culture. This
analysis will demonstrate how meaning and value springing from the Batman
story has been in negotiation since its inception. Since the creation of
the comic book hero Bruce Wayne and his alter ego, Batman, rumors and
scholarly articles have circulated terming the crime fighting hero and his
sidekick Robin a queer couple. However, these interpretations have
continually faced the opposition of corporate sponsors and the emergence
of camp productions such as the most recent movies and the Saturday Night
Live cartoon production called the “Ambiguously Gay Duo.” Due to this
opposition and blatant jesting of queer rumors, the value of the
subversive messages of homosexuality and even patriarchy have been shared
only among existing marginal groups. The power of this subversive message
is nearly nullified in its ability to reach aspects of society that most
strongly oppose the ideals humorously brought to the consumer’s
attention. An understanding of Batman’s evolution and authoritative signifiers clearly
illustrate this functioning. Batman
& Robin Batman
began his career in his debut in Detective Comics #27 under the name of
“The Case of the Chemical Syndicate.” This issue, published by DC
Comics, authored by Bill Finger and drawn by Bob Krane, spread with
tremendous popularity in May of 1939. However, since that time, the
“Caped Crusader” and his faithful sidekick have undergone several
transformations, or evolutions, allowing a plethora of avenues by which
the public could consume Batman paraphernalia and ideology. The “crime-fighting duo” has
appeared in an ongoing movie serial, an extremely popular TV series,
several blockbuster movies and most recently an animated cartoon. However,
despite this transformation the inspiration for the story has remained
constant. At
Batman’s comic birth, also known as the “Shadow” period (largely
influenced by Batman’s inspiration from a Shadow
story), Batman was a grim figure. The story begins with the gruesome
murder of young Bruce Wayne’s parents by an unknown gunman. From this
point forward young Bruce vows revenge against all who break the law. As
Bruce grows up, he travels the world learning from masters of various
defense disciplines. Through his travels, Bruce masters several talents
including martial arts, acrobatics, science, technology, boxing,
disguises, criminology and detective skills. Upon perfection, Bruce Wayne
prepares to embark on his mission. However, one thing eludes him. He does
not possess the ability as Bruce Wayne to strike fear in the hearts of the
criminals while protecting his true identity. (Warner Brothers,
“Batman”) One
night, in his father's study, Bruce Wayne relives the horror of his
parents' death. Suddenly, in a terrifying flash of blackness, the window
is shattered by the striking image of a black bat. In that moment, Bruce
Wayne's destiny is determined. He would become the night . . . hewould
become the Batman. Bound by his personal code of justice, Batman resolves
to never kill an enemy. Instead, he relies on his physical prowess and
mental superiority to bring his enemies to justice. (Warner Brothers,
“Batman”) Not
long after Bruce Wayne’s character and his shadowy alter ego were
developed, DC Comics introduced Dick Grayson, better known as Robin, in
Detective Comics #38 in April 1940. The two characters are distinctly
similar, bound together by a tragedy they share. Dick Grayson parents were
intentionally killed in a performance at the Haley Circus while Bruce
Wayne was in attendance. From then on, Dick leaves his life as the
traveling circus' high wire act--‘The Flying Graysons’--to join Bruce
Wayne in his million-dollar manor in Gotham with Wayne’s butler, Alfred.
(Warner Brothers, “Robin”). In
Bruce Wayne’s company, Grayson becomes Bruce Wayne’s protege. “Wayne
provided him with a home, solid financial support and taught him new
skills, adding to his tremendous gymnastic abilities. Eventually, Bruce
Wayne allowed Grayson access to his most private world as his partner,
Robin” (Warner Brothers, “Robin”). By
day, the two characters lead an ordinary life. Bruce works as the CEO of
Wayne Enterprises as a industrialist and philanthropist while Dick attends
Gotham State University. By night, the two characters avidly enter the
streets of Gotham in their Batmobile in search of heinous criminals. As
the chaotic city of Gotham cries out for justice, Batman and Robin
vigilantly pursue and combat criminals, often finalizing their mission by
tipping the Police Commissioner James Gordon (the only person aside from
Alfred aware of Batman’s dual personality). Batman is Gotham City's
"Dark Knight" and, with Robin’s help, stops at nothing to
restore order to the city and protect its citizens. While living a life of
duality, both Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson consider their shadowy alter
egos as their true selves. Both characters, in their efforts to maintain
their distinct personalities, present excellent masks to the public.
Still, this public life only extends to certain limits. Neither Bruce nor
Dick develop a social life outside of their night lives despite
continually persistent women. Ironically, their public or unmasked lives
are an act, or performance, while they live as their true selves behind
their dark superhero masks. Queer
Readings From
the basis of this narrative, an abundant amount of evidence exists that
supports readings of Batman as a
“queer” text. Even actor Burt Ward, who played Robin in the 1960s TV
series, admits “the possibility of an amorous link between the fictional
Batman and Robin” in his 1995 autobiography, Boy
Wonder: My Life in Tights (#). At times this fictional relationship
between Bruce and Dick seems like “the wish dream of two homosexuals
living together.”(Wertham #). Freya Johnson, in her essay “Holy
Homosexuality Batman!: Camp and Corporate Capitalism in Batman Forever,”
quotes Fredric Wertham in Seduction
of the Innocent as saying that “only someone ignorant of the
fundamentals of psychiatry and 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.’” The
life of Bruce Wayne in many ways resembles the life of a homosexual “in
the closet.” Bruce, who is separated from his parents due to their
untimely death (closely resembling openly gay men and women who are not
accepted by their own families), lives as an eternal bachelor, never tied
down or overly interested in women. In the earliest comics, Bruce is
provided with a fiancee, Julie Madison. However, she is soon forgotten (DC
Comics). Later series also attempt to heterosexually pair both Batman and
Robin with Catwoman and Batgirl, respectively. However, these appearances
were only made following the condemnation of Wertham’s claim of Batman’s
homoeroticism. Also, both love interests were temporary and without
incredible intensity. These relationships existed in contrast to the
constant sexual tension represented between Lois and Clark in Superman. The women who appear in the Batman series such as Catwoman, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy are
villainous adversaries, while all other women are token women Bruce
parades at his arm in his daily disguises. As
Bruce claims a life of celibacy, he vows to live by the night in his
hidden identity, which he considers his only true self. However, “Bruce goes to great lengths convincing others
that the self-centered socialite is his true self” (Warner Brothers,
“Batman”). Bruce Wayne is the disguise, Batman is the true personality
(Warner Brothers). This
ambiguous characterization of Bruce Wayne undeniable opens the door for
questioning and various interpretations.
Are the public masks of Bruce and Dick more than disguises for
their lives as crime-fighting heroes?
Is it possible that these daily performances are a masquerade for
their sexual orientation? While it is more acceptable today, very few homosexuals live openly
and comfortably in the public sphere. As a result, homosexuals often hide their true sexual desires, living
dual lives. This duality is seen in the correlation between Bruce’s day
job and Dick’s drastic identity change between roles, and many secretive
homosexuals who project an image of hard-working family man and provider.
Accordingly, this fulfillment of Bruce’s “masculine duties” was only
a front necessary to disguise his sexual desires for male companionship
and to ultimately prove his manhood or masculinity. Batman epitomized the
duality of homosexual men in the 1940s and early 1950s with his flawless
split personality, still able to exude his socially necessary masculinity
and attractiveness through his role as a crime fighting superhero. Even
Bruce Wayne’s moment of epiphany when he realizes the identity that has
always eluded him seems to parallel a person’s realization of their own
sexuality that has always baffled them.
This point in Bruce Wayne’s life marks his acceptance of himself
as Batman and as a homosexual. As
Wayne accepts Grayson as his protege and partner they are often found in
situations that illustrate or imply a “male-male gaze.”
Several times in illustrations Bruce is caught looking lovingly
toward Dick. He
takes an open and sensitive interest in Dick’s feelings that contradicts
accepted social boundaries restricting male-male relationships. Examples
of this “male-male gaze” can even be found in the most recent
publications of Batman and Robin comics. Many of the older illustrations depict Robin as a
sexual object, drawing attention to primary sex characteristics through
color and costume design as well as in juxtaposition with Robin in various
acrobatic positions. Emerging
characters and villains also seem to infer a continual questioning of
sexuality. Two prominent
scoundrels are the Joker and the Riddler (Edward Nygma). The Joker, who
appears first in the series, views Gotham as merely a stage on which he
performs, paralleling and accentuating the performance of Bruce Wayne. The
Joker therefore exists as Batman’s ultimate nemesis in his dedication to
justice and in his need to keep his secret “homosexual” identity
hidden. Interpretations Clearly,
an abundance of examples in the comic had people guessing if Batman and
Robin were homosexual. As rumors circulated suggesting the couple as gay,
Fredric Wertham appeared as the first scholar to address this question.
However, his findings were aimed at condemnation. Wertham cited the
“homoeroticism” of Batman in
his 1954 publication The Seduction
of the Innocent (Johnson). Wertham condemned the comic, claiming it
unfit reading material for children (Johnson). He felt it was not
appropriate for a mainstream cartoon to impose homosexual ideals on young
impressionable minds (Johnson). While this did not cease the printing and
distribution of the Batman comic, it did fuel the pervasive rumors and led
DC Comics and Warner Bros. to make public attempts to deny any homosexual
intentions in their publications. This
reaction worked in a variety of ways.
First, DC Comics attempted to include more female characters as
potential love interests for Batman and Robin; however, as mentioned
before, this potential did not manifest in heterosexual romance. Second,
DC Comics attempted to censor subsequent articles that translated and
celebrated Batman as a
“queer” text. The major
works with this focus, including The
Many Lives of Batman: Critical Approaches to a Superhero and his Media
(1991), Batman Unmasked: Analyzing a Cultural Icon (2000) and “All in the
Family: Homophobia and Batman Comics in the 1950s” (2000), have all been
subject to corporate censorship (LinguaFranca). The first two works were
not printed with the original art that authors intended while the third
was not published at all in the International
Journal of Comic Art for which it was accepted (LinguaFranca). In each
case, authors’ and journals’ requests for permission to use art were
rejected and even threatened with lawsuits because DC Comic claimed these
publications were unauthorized interpretations of their characters. While
these specific publications were denied the right to print DC pictures
with articles, according to DC Comics’ publicity manager, Peggy Burn,
“there have been literally hundreds of permissions granted by DC for
inclusion of material we’ve published in scholarly works ranging from
articles to books” (LinguaFranca). This seems to clearly illustrate DC
Comics’ censorship and homophobia. Following
these more public and scholarly displays of “queer” interpretations,
several queer cults began to emerge. David Groth, a self-proclaimed
homosexual and Batman fan
addresses the question “Is Batman a Batfag?!” on his personal website.
This website clearly depicts the subversive readings that exist among the
gay community. Groth notes that the relationship between Bruce Wayne and
Dick Grayson has always been in question. This site shows that, for years,
Batman has acquired a distinct “queer” fan club. On this page, Groth
displays “queer” pictures seen on t-shirts distributed outside gay
festivals and notes additional “queer” sketches, similar to the early
40s sketches, that have circulated throughout Manhattan. While this
website and distribution of queer Batman
representations are present revealing the existence of cult Batman
fans, Groth himself believes that “Batman is too obsessive for any
personal relationship.” Camp As
a distinct “queer” audience began to form, producers became aware of a
growing and untapped market. Why not deliberately and humorously confront
the rumors? It was the perfect ploy to employ and parody Batman as a camp text. The same cultural critics mentioned above
noted this strategy throughout the evolution of the comic series, with the
surfacing of the flamingly gay antagonistic characters throughout the
1950s and 1960s. However, it wasn’t until the 1980s and 1990s that the
first blatant camp text appeared on a nationally broadcast television
station. Ace
and Gary, the stars of the “Ambiguously Gay Duo” on Saturday Night Live's TV Funhouse, mock the relationship between
Batman and Robin in their blatant displays of homosexuality. The
two characters of the show appear in cartoons titled “Blow Hot, Blow
Cold,” “Hard One to Swallow,” “Queen of Terror,” “It Take Two
to Tango,” “Don We Now or Never,” and “Trouble Coming Twice.”
In these cartoons, Ace
and Gary team up in their quest to conquer evil battling the villainous
“Big Head” or “The Queen.” The two often are seen jumping into
their phallic super car and are even seen kissing. They are further
characterized as homosexual men in their continual attempt to stay in
shape as they spot each other while doing squat thrusts. (Darkmatter) As
hypotheses of the “ambiguously gay duo” emerged, DC Comics and Warner
Bros. movies saw their opportunity for profit. Riddled by poor ratings on
a previous dark Batman movie (Batman
Returns), producers were confident that a humorous camp film would
regain their market. Consequently, Batman
Forever invited the audience to participate in the text’s and
movie’s light-hearted irreverence toward itself (Johnson)
The movement toward self irreverence acknowledged rumors of
“queer” signifiers and drew a large audience by “turning the
‘queer’ subtext hidden beneath the surface of many Batman
representations into an overtly ‘queer’ supratext that goes right over
the head of the mainstream viewing audience” (Johnson). “Although
Batman and Robin are shrieking ‘queer,’ Jim Carrey’s Riddler is
much, much queerer. Yet because he’s a villain, his prancing around in a
diamond tiara and skin-tight green unitard exclaiming ‘Spank me!’
doesn’t offend the sensibilities of the homophobic mainstream McAudience:
in fact, it draws their attention away from the homoerotic electricity
between the heroes and invites the misreading ‘if the bad guy’s gay,
the good guys must be straight,’ while Two-Face’s troops of thugs
tricked out in now universally recognizable (thanks to Pulp
Fiction) queer S&M gear help keep queerness and villainy aligned.
And significantly, it’s Ed Nygma’s extreme reaction to his rejection
by Bruce Wayne, a rejection that mimics a straight man’s rejection of
homosexual advances (‘We’re two of a kind’; ‘You were supposed to
understand,’ laments Ed), that drive him to criminality” (Johnson). Conclusion While
many have celebrated the use of camp for its ability to project subversive
messages to the masses, it constantly undergoes the negotiation and
compromise characteristic of hegemonic texts. While the potential for
resistance is there, it is muted through humor and, further, moral
judgement. Because the antagonist--the Riddler--is so flamingly gay, the
gay signifiers conveyed by Batman and Robin are overshadowed and
neglected, becoming the binary opposite of the Riddler’s homosexuality.
While messages of homosexuality are presented, they are pitted in
opposition to heterosexuality and respectively correlated to evil and
good, which reinforces the heterosexual metanarrative of a contemporary
patriarchal American society. Now, while Bruce and Dick are “normal” heterosexual men the lack of strong virtuous women characters displays a lack of necessity for women. Men alone are expected to accept the burden of work and social evils, often at the opposition to the sexual tempting of women. To bear this burden, they must continually exhibit masculinity distancing themselves from society and women. Quickly, women become objects, defined and necessary only through their function to men, which is always second-rate. It
is evident that while camp texts produce a variety of readings, both
subversive and conforming, the subversive messages are more likely to
solidify extreme opinion than to persuade people, gain power and disrupt
dominant ideologies. Due to the dual outcome of hegemonic texts, it is
imperative that future popular culture analyses attack both meaning
produced by structure and meaning reduced by agency, while critically
placing those meanings within a scholarly textual reading. A complete
understanding of the impact of popular culture is only possible through
this dual reading of agency and structure.
With this understanding, origins for ideology may be uncovered and
transformed become more progressive and ideal.
Works CitedDarkmatter.
27 June 2003 <http://www.science.uwaterloo.ca/~darkmatt/>. DC
Comics. date posted. Title. 27 June 2003
<http://dccomics.com/features/bmtch/1/htm> Groth,
David. date posted. “Is Batman a Batfag?” 27 June 2003
<http://www.secondcomm.com/batwebsite/batfags.htm> Johnson,
Freya. “Holy Homosexuality Batman!: Camp and Corporate Capitalism in
Batman Forever.” Bad
Subjects 23 (1995). 27 June 2003
<http://eserver.org/bs/23/johnson.html> LinguaFranca.
date posted. Title. 27 June 2003
<http://www.linguafranca.com/print/0103/insidepub_pow.html> Warner
Brothers. date posted. “Batman.” 27 June 2003
<http://www.batmantas.com/cmp/batman.htm> |
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