Batman, the Joker, and Homophobia
I believe that the most important take away of Andy Medhurst’s essay, “Batman, Deviance and Camp,” is the assertion that there is no wrong reading of Batman. If a reader interprets Batman as a closeted gay man then there is no harm in this and the interpretation is not categorically wrong. There is a lot in the Batman comics that could appeal to a gay reader, as Medhurst notes in his essay.
However, I believe some harm does come out of the violently heterosexual interpretations of the character. To quote Medhurst, in trying to defend Batman from Fredric Wertham, a homophobe, who interpreted the character as gay, the fans are “simply the other side of the coin to his bigotry,” (TSR, 240). As Medhurst explains, both camps agree on the supposed inferiority of homosexuality, disagreeing only as to whether or not Batman could be interpreted as homosexual.
I take particular issue with the fact that after the Adam West Batman TV series ended, Batman returned to a hyper-heterosexuality. Now, I don’t take issue with Batman being or being interpreted as a straight man. I do however take issue with the Joker, Batman’s longtime arch nemesis and antithesis, suddenly being coded queer.
Medhurst points to Jack Nicholson’s Joker as being camp in much the same way that the 1960’s Batman was. And furthermore, he showcases Arkham Asylum for featuring a Joker that not only has stereotypical verbal tics, but also pinches Batman’s butt and makes thinly veiled insinuations about Robin. Where the problematic trope of a queer villain becomes even more problematic is when the Batman responds with, “Take your filthy hands off me…Filthy Degenerate!” (qtd. Medhurst, 249). The combination of a coded queer villain with a defensively hyper-hetero hero makes the comic increasingly homophobic.
This is also evident in Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns where the Joker is portrayed as a flouncing prim donna. This is particularly evident in the scene where the Joker kills an entire studio audience. He’s shown to be well at ease in the makeup chair, having brought his own lipstick. And in contrast to the heavily muscled and grizzled Batman, the Joker is shown with waifish features and full lips.
Notably, in the 1990’s animated series, the Joker was given a female sidekick, the lovesick and psychotic Harley Quinn. Her creation rings rather similar to the creation of both Catwoman and Vicki Vale. Interestingly though, her creation does not make the Joker give off any more machismo than he had before. Rather his treatment of her is used as a way to emphasize his depravity. Although, thankfully now, the source of his depravity is implied to be in his wife-beating tendencies rather than through homosexual stereotypes. One, you’ll note is actually a villainous trait, while the other is bigotry.
