Introduction

This chapter seeks to interrogate why something like the depiction of Batman Damned ’s penis would cause consumers to snatch up copies without any explicit indication of libidinal desire. It questions how the representations of Batman reflect and contribute to understandings of masculinity in contemporary culture. The chapter utilizes Batman comics and the relationship of the Caped Crusader and the Joker to unpack how gender and sexuality function in mainstream popular culture today. It explores only in the last few years has the Joker’s non-conforming gendered and sexual practices been embraced—to the point where a fan could petition DC to officially declare the Joker gay as an act of solidarity. The chapter argues that Batman reveals endless possibilities in relation to gender and sexuality, demonstrating how serial representations in popular culture can question—even while seeming to impose—fixed and coherent categories and practices.