Batwoman is out and proud in new superhero film
Batwoman stays faithful to her lesbian comic book portrayal in a new animated film based on the Batman universe.
The superhero made a splash back in 2006, when her alter-ego Kate Kane came out as a lesbian in a watershed moment for comic books.
However, she has not appeared in many live-action or animated Batman films – failing to make an appearance in Christopher Nolan’s live-action Batman film universe, and also absent from upcoming blockbuster ‘Batman v Superman’.
New animated film ‘Batman: Bad Blood’ was unveiled to comic fans last month – and finally gives Kane her own on-screen love story.
Autostraddle notes: “[Bad Blood] presents her whole story against the casual, matter-of-fact backdrop of her sexuality. It is not a big deal to anyone inside the Bat-universe; in fact, to them, Kate being gay is the least interesting thing about her.
“In Bad Blood, Kate goes to a gay bar and flirts with Renee Montoya; she chats with her worried father about how he just wants her to find a good girl and settle down; she jokes with Dick about how it took her a long time to figure out women, too.
“And at the end of the film, she’s the only character whose happy ending includes a romantic interest.”
In 2013, two Batwoman writers quit the DC Comics series – after the publisher blocked plans for the character to marry her same-sex partner.
However, Dan DiDio of DC Comics later insisted the cancellation of the storyline was not due to concerns about equal marriage.
He said: “Heroes shouldn’t have happy personal lives. They are committed to being that person and committed to defending others at the sacrifice of their own personal interests.”
“That’s very important and something we reinforced. People in the Bat family their personal lives basically suck. Dick Grayson, rest in peace—oops shouldn’t have said that,—Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake, Barbara Gordon and Kathy Kane. It’s wonderful that they try to establish personal lives, but it’s equally important that they set them aside. That is our mandate, that is our edict and that is our stand.”
Marvel comics featured a same-sex wedding for a hero back in 2012 – when out mutant Northstar tied the knot with his boyfriend Kyle Jinadu in an issue of ‘Astonishing X-Men’.
