Of all the superheroes, Batman has the most self-imposed rules. In almost every incarnation, he refuses to use guns and the Christopher Nolan movies spent a lot of time exploring his strict no-killing policy. However, as viewers of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League will be aware, Warner Bros. and DC will permit him to break those rules on occasion. But now, an interview with Harley Quinn showrunners Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker has revealed that there’s one line that the Caped Crusader won’t ever cross. And it’s probably not what you think it is.
The rule is that the Dark Knight can never, ever go down on a woman. Yup, you read that right, Batman is explicitly forbidden from performing cunnilingus by DC. The story emerged via a Variety feature in which we got a peek behind the curtain of upcoming Marvel and DC shows. Viewers will already know that the foul-mouthed, ultraviolent Harley Quinn pushes the boundaries of what’s possible in a DC cartoon, but as the creators revealed, there are limits.
“In the third season of ‘Harley’ we had a moment where Batman was going down on Catwoman. And DC was like, ‘You can’t do that. You absolutely cannot do that.’ They’re like, ‘Heroes don’t do that.’ So, we said, ‘Are you saying heroes are just selfish lovers?’ They were like, ‘No, it’s that we sell consumer toys for heroes. It’s hard to sell a toy if Batman is also going down on someone.’”
Frankly, this is an outrage. I mean, are we really expected to believe that Catwoman of all people is going to be seeing a guy who won’t go the distance when it counts? On top of that, given Batman’s famed mastery of every discipline he studies, you’d expect him to be a consummate master of the art. Plus, his mask is practically custom designed to facilitate it.
To be fair to Warner Bros., though, if they’ve drawn the line here, I expect that the Bat and the Cat will be getting it on in style when Harley Quinn returns. With the season 2 finale finally putting Harley and Ivy together, the next run will focus on them developing their relationship. We’re also going to see the GCPD come under criticism for their lacklustre policing, and an appearance by the Mad Hatter (as well as the return of the Joker).
Harley Quinn season 3 is expected in late 2021 on HBO Max.