The Sex Lives of Superheroes

The Monitor is a weekly column devoted to everything happening in the WIRED world of culture, from movies to memes, TV to Twitter.

A funny thing happened on the internet this week. (An increasing rarity, I know.) In an interview with Variety, Justin Halpern, co-creator of the animated series Harley Quinn, noted that during the show’s third season, DC Entertainment took issue with a planned scene where Batman performed oral sex on Catwoman. The reason? “Heroes don’t do that.” Halpern responded by asking, “Are you saying heroes are selfish lovers?” And while that wasn’t the real reason—it had something to do with trying to sell toys—it did get a lot of Twitter users wondering, “Wait, wouldn’t it make more sense if heroes did do that?” (Personal opinion: Yes.)

The reaction was swift: jokes about the easy-access shape of Batman’s mask and billionaires rejecting ethical consumption under capitalism; relief that “Batman’s parents aren’t alive to see this discussion.” Everyone had a hot take, and a take about how un-hot the whole thing was. But it also brought up broader issues about superhero sexuality. Over the years there have been scores of hero, and villain, romances. Clark Kent loves Lois Lane; Black Widow’s soothing voice brings Hulk back to his Bruce Banner self. Wanda and Vision. Diana Prince and Steve Trevor. But these relationships are relatively chaste, even in movies and more adult-oriented TV shows.  

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