A Queer Reading of Joker & Batman

     While working on my PhD, my advisors would often set writing exercises for me. It was a way to keep my writing skills warm during long spaces of reading and consuming information. Often these exercises were for me to take a particular theoretical tool or point of view and apply it to the materials I was working with. Often these were theoretical tools I wasn't that good with, or familiar with as a whole. Most of them didn't really go anywhere specific, but some I really liked and got a lot out of. This is one of those. It was taking queer theory and applying it to Batman and the Joker. It doesn't have a conclusion so things just kind of drop off midpoint, but I think it has strength in the points and evidence, though there are still issues with the adherence to gendered binaries. 

A Queer Reading of Joker & Batman

In his now infamous book, Seduction of the Innocent, Dr. Fredric Wertham warned against the negative influence that the comics medium could have on young children. Not only did he target the crime and horror comics that were popular at the time, he also targets some of the more popular superhero books on the news stands. Batman, the caped crusader, in particular received much of Wertham’s wrath when he targeted Batman’s sexuality. Wertham referred to the fact that, “Several years ago a California psychiatrist pointed out that the Batman stories are psychologically homosexual”. And then suggested that, “Only someone ignorant of the fundamentals of psychiatry and of the psychopathology of sex can fail to realize a subtle atmosphere of homoerotism [sic] which pervades the adventures of the mature ‘Batman’ and his young friend ‘Robin’.” Regardless of how problematic his claims may have been, this one sent both fans and creators of the character scrambling to defend his hetero-normative status. DC Comics responded quickly by introducing Batwoman and Batgirl, romantic counter parts for the dynamic duo. With the eventual addition of Ace the Bat-Hound, Batman had a heterosexual, plutonic Bat-family. While Wertham’s claims were problematic - his work has since been refuted and much of his research shown to be falsified and fabricated - it was the fear of what could potentially be seen in the character, or how some readers could be reading the raw images and text that they were being given, that caused the publisher to try and close off the text, or make it immune to any polysemic interpretations out there.

However, these attempts to close off the text to potential readings of the relationship between Batman and Robin has not been able to remove the homosexual and queer readings of Batman. As Grant Morrison, one of the most celebrated and prolific writers of the character has stated, “Gayness is built into Batman.” While the potential homosexual readings of  the relationship between Batman and Robin has been fought against strongly by fans and the publisher, the homoerotic undertones between Batman and his dark twin, The Joker, have only grown and become more overt. The sexual tension between Batman and The Joker only really comes to the fore in the 1980s as creators tried to move Batman farther from his image as Adam West in the popular TV series. This meant focusing on a grittier more masculine Batman to overshadow the campy, effeminate version from the 60s. One text that strived to rid Adam West from the collective memory of Batman fans was Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns. Miller, in trying to create a more masculine and dark Gotham City actually made it easier to queer The Joker’s sexuality, and tightened the connection between him and Batman.

The Dark Knight Returns takes place in a future Gotham City where Bruce Wayne is 55 years old and no longer Batman. This Bruce Wayne is gray haired and mustached. He no longer fights crime and most of who he was is gone. Even Commissioner Gordon notes, “Remember the old day, Bruce? That playboy routine?” This is the first indication that readers can see the potential of Bruce Wayne/Batman as more than just hetero-normative. Bruce’s playboy image, the idea of him going from woman to woman, never settling down was only a routine. This action, or routine, can be seen as a beard for Batman, a cover up that both Gordon and Bruce recognize and acknowledge. For many still closeted gay men, dating women, or carrying on an appearance only relationship with a woman becomes a way to stay closeted and to mask any other indicators of their sexuality. The woman, or women, become beards, symbols of recognizable masculinity. For Batman, Bruce Wayne and his playboy lifestyle was the disguise, attempting to use that “routine” to hide who he really was. In becoming Batman, Bruce Wayne loses his beard and becomes a new man with a new sexuality. 

In The Dark Knight Returns the removing of Batman’s beard becomes literal. As Bruce Wayne is haunted by the drive to once again become Batman, he begins to somnambulate on one of these nightly adventures to the Batcave, he is found by Alfred who notices, “Master Bruce, whatever happened to your mustache?”. As Batman returns and Bruce Wayne begins to fade, there is no longer a need for beards and mustaches. by removing his mustache, Bruce Wayne symbolically removes the hetero-normative disguise he has been wearing. A series of women that he had no interest in, that it was only hinted at he was sleeping with, became an external cover, one that has dropped away. Bruce Wayne, and the women he supposedly philandered with, is the disguise, Batman is the real person. With his facial hair in place and constantly performing heterosexuality, Bruce has lost most of his sexual drive and obsession. In this future, Bruce Wayne, absent his Batman persona, is in many ways powerless and impotent. When confronted by two muggers from the reigning Mutant Gang, instead of fighting, Bruce waits to be attacked, waits for them to stab him, and when they don’t he falls to his knees defeated. Without Batman, Bruce barely even has the will to stay alive. His purpose for being has been removed. But he isn’t the only one suffering from Batman’s absence.

 

In Arkham Home for the Emotionally Troubled - a play on the asylum that normally houses Batman’s rouges - The Joker is equally destitute and devoid of purpose. He stands or sits, mostly catatonic, his large red smile gone. The only indication for the reader that this is The Joker is his pale skin and a hint of his green hair. In a future without Batman, the primary object of The Joker’s attention and desire, he has no motivation or reason to continue. Once Bruce becomes Batman again, however, The Joker is suddenly back to his old self. As the television in Arkham Home plays the news reporting rumors of Batman’s return, the reader is shown The Joker watching and responding to the news, “bb…bbbat…Batman. Darling” Not only does The Joker’s face change from an expressionless blank to his recognizable grin, he refers to Batman with the term of endearment, darling. For The Joker, Bruce Wayne, the hetero-normative beard, holds no interest for him, but the virile and alternately sexed Batman, can be desired and loved.

This is also displayed in 2013’s Death of the Family. In the epilog to the story, Batman recounts a visit to Arkham Asylum in the guise of Bruce Wayne. As Bruce, he tries to talk to The Joker, “But he didn’t see me. He didn’t see me at all. It was then that I knew, knew that he didn’t care who I was beneath the mask, and never would. Knew that he was incapable of even broaching the subject of Bruce Wayne. It would ruin his fun.” The heterosexual performance of Bruce Wayne is of no interest to The Joker or his desire, but when that beard is removed and Batman appears, the object of desire comes into focus, and fun can be had. And while this interest with Batman could be written off as simply an obsession with an opponent, that idea is subverted by the fact that The Joker displays cultural codes of homosexuality in the text and that instead of the emotions of rage or anger towards an adversary, The Joker frequently expresses love and desire towards Batman.

in The Dark Knight Returns, the major cultural codes of his sexuality appear not long after coming out of his comatose state. Present and active, The Joker works to procure his release by appearing with his psychiatrist on a late night talk show, to demonstrate that he has been reformed. While preparing for his appearance, the reader is given two panels of The Joker having makeup applied. The person applying the makeup is male. A male makeup artist can be seen here as code for gay. Where masculinity, and by extension heterosexuality, are coded with masculine jobs; police officers, construction workers, the effeminate, flamboyant, gay man is frequently coded in professions like decorators or hairdressers. Being a makeup artist can be seen as an extension of these gay coded professions. This coding goes even further when he asks The Joker, “You want lipstick, sweet guy?”, the idea that two men are talking about lipstick, and one is referring to the other as sweet guy, is further indication that they are engaging in homosexual discourse. In response, and to signal his own sexual preference and understanding of the discourse, The Joker states, “No. I brought my own”. The Joker’s response is one of recognition of the discourse, and he signals back that he is able to engage in the discourse by noting that he has his own lipstick, a coded object that can be seen as him displaying an effeminate position. This performance of a womanly position is then acted out when he applies his signature red lips. He does so with his lips puckered up, applying it in a performance of femininity that comes across as The Joker, his white face, curly green hair, and now, bright red pucker become an exaggeration of drag and the application of drag makeup. This exchange and performance allows The Joker to function within a very particular coded discourse that signals him as homosexual. We can see a similar act of The Joker functioning within this particular model of gay discourse again in Death of the Family’s story arc.

This particular story arc takes place in the current DC Comics Batman continuity. After having disappeared for a year, The Joker has returned to Gotham City to test Batman and make sure he is still worthy to be Batman. For part of The Joker’s plan, instead of just conversing with men in coded gay occupations, The Joker actually takes up one of these occupations. Having taken over Arkham Asylum, The Joker becomes an interior decorator, changing and reimagining the Asylum with Batman in mind. Batman is even told, “he said it was for you, Batman. He said he was making it your castle, a place to come home to.” The Joker has literally become a home decorator. He works to make Arkham a place that will be inviting and comfortable for Batman. Again, The Joker is performing gendered traits that are coded towards women, making him appear more effeminate. This also brings the dynamic between him and Batman more to the fore. Where Batman is the butch, masculine member of the relationship, The Joker has become the stay-at-home mom, the house wife. Making sure that the house is ready for Batman whenever he returns. This is also played out in 1989’s Arkham Asylum. 

Again, Batman arrives at an Arkham Asylum that is overrun with escape patients and villains. However, having escaped, The Joker doesn’t run off into Gotham or get as far away from Batman as possible. Instead, he stays in the Asylum, his and Batman’s home, and gets it ready for Batman’s return, which is inevitable. The Joker goes so far as to set a table, prepare a meal, and entertain guests. With Batman at the door, The Joker throws open the entrance and declares, “Let the feast of fools begin!” The Joker is the doting spouse, waiting at the door. What The Joker does, his reason for being, his desire to be an interior decorator, is because of his love and desire for Batman. In Death of the Family, he even goes so far as to tell Batman that the decorating inside of the asylum is, “for you! The whole place, it’s alive, alive! with love for you, that is.”While this is seen through the fact that in The Dark Knight Returns he is completely passive in a world without Batman, it is also overt in the way The Joker uses terms of endearment towards, and that he communicates the idea of love, openly, to Batman. With the use of pet names and terms of endearment, The Joker shows a level of intimacy with Batman that other characters don’t have. In fact, the use of pet names and terms of endearment are something that peppers the modern day relationship between Batman and The Joker.

As already stated, in The Dark Knight Returns, the first two words that The Joker speaks are, “Batman” and, “Darling”. These terms present a level of intimacy between the two characters. While Batman may find fault with The Joker as a villain or a murderer, he never chastises, or shows resistance to The Joker’s use of these names. In Arkham Asylum, The Jokers first words are, “Well hello, big boy. How’s it hanging?” Calling Batman, “big boy” carries with it the connotation of seduction or solicitation. A cliche of films from the 60s and 70s showed women in bars and on street corners calling johns and customers big boy and handsome. Here, The Joker presents a similar offer or greeting. The same type of greeting that may be offered to potential dates or sexual partners is appropriated when The Joker realizes he is talking to Batman. He is offering the same thing. The Joker sees demanding Batman come to Arkham similar to asking him on a date. The Joker even goes so far as to correlate this particular evening with a date night. 

After releasing all of the hostages, two members of the Arkham staff stay behind, Ruth Adams and Dr. Charles Cavendish. At one point The Joker grabs Dr. Cavendish’s head and pulls it to his chest, exclaiming, “Kiss me, Charlie! Ravish me! But no tongues, y’hear. Not on the first date.” Not only does this particular overture to the one male administrator here further code The Joker as gay, it also presents the reader with how The Joker sees a date. A night out for The Joker involves Arkham Asylum, decorated and prepared, so that the object of his affection will come over and spend time. By preparing the feast of fools, demanding Batman, and calling him big boy, The Joker has prepared and asked Batman on a date. The intention of this date is made clear with The Joker’s follow up question, how’s it hanging. While “How’s it hanging?”, may be seen as a colloquial greeting, its origins go back to an actually greeting referring to male genitalia and date back to other ‘low’ phrases meaning, how is your sex life. This particular meaning is probably what The Joker is asking about.  With Dr. Cavendish, there should be no tongue, because it is their first date. But for The Joker and Batman, this is far from their first date, they have done this many times. If french kissing is only permitted on the second date, it begs the question, what is permitted as far into dating as he and Batman have gotten? Concern and curiosity about Batman’s sex life and body becomes a theme that runs through Arkham Asylum. Not only does The Joker show concern for Batman’s body, but also with the space between and contact with their two bodies.

After their phone conversation, Batman meets The Joker in front of the Asylum. As Batman remains dark and brooding, The Joker admonishes him to, “Loosen up, tight ass” while pinching his behind. Batman’s response to this action is negative, “Take your filthy hands off me”. However, it is a subdued response to what he would offer other inmates at Arkham who were touching him. Instead of grabbing The Joker, knocking him unconscious, or subduing him, Batman only gives a verbal retort and still enters Arkham, still willing to go on the date that The Joker has planned. Though simple touch is obviously not the only thing The Joker has in mind. After Batman notices a white substance on his glove, The Joker informs Batman that, “It’s salt. why don’t you sprinkle some on me, honey? Aren’t I just good enough to eat?” Not only does The Joker use another pet name, but he also offers himself up to be consumed by Batman. An act that would remove all possible distance between their bodies. Throughout all of Arkham Asylum, The Joker is a constant. He guides and directs Batman through both the physical and psychological aspects of the asylum. While not always present on panel, his influence and planning are at the core of the comic. Always there, The Joker, Batman’s doting and loving companion. The Joker’s love for batman isn’t hidden either, it is something that becomes overt, that The Joker and Batman both acknowledge.

In The Dark Knight Returns, after escaping from the authorities, The Joker goes to a fair where he starts handing out poisoned cotton candy. In an introspective moment, he thinks about all the people he has killed and realizes, “No. I don’t keep count. But you do. And I love you for it.” The “you” in this is Batman. It is a moment where The Joker points out how the relationship between him and Batman works. While The Joker is the villain, the object of his love is someone who also obsesses over him as well. While The Joker does things to gain Batman’s attention, Batman gives him that attention, keeping track of and concerned with the actions of The Joker. In finding a companion that is as concerned with him as he is with them, The Joker has found someone to love, and is able to freely admit it. This love is also something that Batman is both aware and accepting of. 

In Death of the Family, Batman, to better understand The Joker, thinks back on moments of them together and tries to interpret subtle clues through the understanding of eye movements and the way they communicate motive. Batman soon realizes, “what you saw this tiny pupils do was expand. Expand for you after you stared back long enough…what you saw those black points expand with, was love.” With all of his detective skills, what Batman has detected is The Jokers pure, motivating love for him. With this realization, instead of denying it, Batman actually gives into this love in the way that their relationship allows. In their climactic confrontation, their dialog is interspersed with sexual double entendres. As Batman grabs The Joker’s arm to stop him from falling, Batman informs him that, “everything that happens to you tonight happens by my hand.” and asks, “so how about it Joker? How about tonight I go farther with you than I’ve ever gone.” In this situation, it is Batman who is attempting to remove the physical space between the two of them. His use of the phrase, “go farther” plays off the term, “go all the way” a term that often becomes euphemistic of sexual consummation. Batman intimates that tonight, on this particular date, he is willing to completely close the distance between the two of them. Even in one of their final moments, Batman pulls The Joker close, saying, “I’ll whisper it to you. Whisper it right into your ear, darling.” Not only does Batman become even closer to The Joker, he returns the popular pet name that The Joker has used so much, back at him.