Is Batman Gay, Bisexual, or Straight? What Is DC Canon?

Batman, aka The Dark Knight, aka Bruce Wayne, has been one of the most popular superheroes in the world for almost a century. He was known as the ladies’ man, who never really allowed anyone to actually get close to him due to his line of work.

However, recently in DC comics, there have been several characters that changed sexual orientation or had a coming-out, like Superman, Connor Hawke (Green Arrow’s son), or Tim Drake’s Robin. And, there has been a strong suggestion in Batman: The Knight #5 that Bruce might, too, be bisexual, or bi-curious at least.

That had fans wonder – were there any other hints at Batman being gay before? What is DC Canon? Is Batman gay, bisexual, or straight? Let’s find out.

What Is DC Canon About Batman’s Sexuality?

Throughout the DC Comics canon, Batman has never been seen or portrayed as anything but straight. Well, not until recently, but if we’re talking about DC canon, Batman is a straight man. He shared kisses with multiple female characters over the years and even had wives in some alternative storylines. But, was he really – straight? Or was he even sexual?

Well, my point is – we never really see Batman get allowed himself to indulge in a relationship completely. We never see him let someone get close romantically. The guy is just too emotionally damaged and unavailable to harness any real relationship, let alone explicitly state his sexuality.

I mean, sure, we’ve seen Bruce work on some ladies, but if you see him flirting, it’s probably because he’s trying to gather some intel or get one step closer to achieving his ultimate plan – which is almost always defeating the bad guys.

We’ve also seen numerous super-hot, bombshell ladies throw themselves at Batman. Heck, we even see him kiss countless times. But, when you think of it, I don’t recall seeing Bruce initiate it – ever – nor do I remember seeing him be shaken or emotional about it.

If I had to say what DC Comics canon is about Batman’s sexuality, I’d say The Dark Knight is straight but too emotionally detached and closed-up to harness any real relationship, or even express his sexuality like a normal person.

However, more recent comic book runs on The Dark Knight might suggest otherwise…

Is Batman Gay Or Bisexual?

Recently, speculation rose that The Dark Knight might actually have a secret. Well, other than being one of the richest, most famous guys in Gotham City. Word on the street is that Batsy might have strong feelings for both genders, at least.

Before I get into those new rumors and speculations, I want to rewind a bit and go through some key clues on why Batman ‘could’ be gay or bi. 

We have never actually seen any indication that The Dark Knight was gay or bi. There were some instances and situations, however, that one could interpret as such. For instance, there have been some situations between Bruce Wayne and dick Grayson, aka Robin, that some fans interpreted as… suspicious, to say the least. Like this one:

I mean, the two slept in the same bed together, and then Bruce says: “C’mon, Dick – a cold shower, a big breakfast!” Now, those with a dirty mind interpreted that as something sexual – like, Batman inviting Robin to have a cold shower with him. There’s also this particular scene:

Why are they butt-naked right next to each other? You can see how a dirty mind can misinterpret these frames, but there is nothing gay behind them. If anything, Bruce and Dick have a father-son relationship at first, which develops into somewhat of a brotherly bond later as Dick grows up.

I mean, in both of these scans, Dick is still about 14 years old! If these were anything sexual, it would mean that our good old Bruce here is a perverted sex offender, which I really don’t think fits the character.

Another ‘clue’ about Batman’s queerness, for some, is the obsessive love-hate relationship between Batman and his biggest foe, the Joker. So much so that people constantly create memes and jokes about the two, like this one:

In all honesty, it’s more likely that the Joker has a thing for Batman than the other way around. Some say, “well, Bruce had numerous chances to kill the Joker, so why didn’t he if he isn’t in love with him?” Well, because Bruce isn’t a murderer, although, there have been storylines where Batman has had enough, ended the Joker, and regretted it later.

There’s no romantic love there; only obsession from one guy to cause chaos in the other’s life and the other guy’s obsession for catching the first guy and locking him up. So, all those ‘Batman is queer’ notions so far can be dismissed as harmless or not even sexual in nature. So far.

In the new Batman series by Chip Zdarsky – specifically, Batman: The Knight #5, there’s this panel where Bruce seems gay, bisexual, or at least bi-curious:

I’m sad that Zdrasky didn’t go all in with this notion, just to see some people go haywire about it. This panel somewhat hinted at Batman’s queerness but leaves room for debate yet again. Was he even the initiator? Would Bruce even accept the kiss? To me, it seemed like he would, but we might never know.

Is Batman Straight Or Even Asexual?

The most common opinion I see is that Batman is a straight man that simply chooses not to indulge in relationships simply because it makes him vulnerable – something he cannot allow, not in his line of work. And that makes a lot of sense. I mean, he does have difficulty letting people in.

We’ve also seen him kiss numerous times. We’ve seen him kiss Wonder Woman in the JLU animated series, Catwoman on numerous occasions, and even Harley Quinn. 

There were also countless love interests for him throughout the character’s history, both in the movies, and the comics, like Dr. Chase Meridian, Silver St. Cloud, Talia al Ghul, Vicki Vale, Zatanna, etc. But, do you know what is lacking in almost every one of these ‘relationships’?

They lacked any real emotion from Batman. I mean, most of the time, the guy just seems unphased, making many fans believe that Bruce Wayne is actually – asexual. He keeps people around him – especially women – to satisfy the social construct of having relationships or simply to keep them in his pocket in case he needs them.

But, he never really shows emotion or really lets anybody get close. He is too scarred and emotionally detached that it’d make sense he simply doesn’t have a sexual orientation.

In the end, it was never explicitly stated if Batman was straight, gay, bi, or anything else, so it’s up to you – the reader – to decide for yourself. Whatever makes you happy with the character, Batman is just that.