Fans have seen Batman’s penis for the first time, and they’re shook
DC Comics has shown Batman fans the Dark Knight’s caped crusader.
Marvel revealed this week that the company was developing a show with an all-female team of superheroes which could include a host of queer characters, but DC has caused a splash in a completely different way.
Batman may be secretive with his true identity, only revealing his identity to a chosen few, but historically he is even more protective of his penis.
In fact, official depictions of Gotham City’s protector have never shown his member to a wider audience — until now.
In a panel from Batman: Damned #1, written by Brian Azzarello and brought to life by Lee Bermejo, the hero is seen striding away from his Batmobile, having stripped off his clothes.
The Dark Knight’s sculpted physique is clearly visible, as is his penis, hanging right against one of his sizeable thighs, below his chiselled torso, with the faintest outline of a scrotum behind the hero’s member.
Batman, who is investigating the Joker’s murder in the new dark comic, seems to be in a foul mood, asking about someone’s injuries before saying “bulls**t” when he receives a response to his question.
But not all readers were lucky enough to get a gander of the Batmember.
According to Comic Book Resources, DC digitally censored the superhero’s penis after the first round of printing, deciding that showing his genitals didn’t add anything to the comic.
Whether intentional or not, the move has now made the limited number of first editions out there into a potentially priceless commodity — possibly even a collector’s item.
The initial move to display the Dark Knight’s tool was groundbreaking, both in terms of being unprecedented for Batman and because naked men are so rarely displayed in comics, especially compared to women.
Earlier this year, DC broke another barrier when it announced that a canonically lesbian superhero, Renee Montoya, would feature in one of its films for the first time in the franchise’s history.
The news followed the revelation that a show about DC superhero Batwoman is in the works at The CW and intends to stay true to the comics, which feature a lesbian Batwoman who gets engaged to police detective Maggie Sawyer.
It was later revealed that lesbian actress Ruby Rose would be playing the part, which unfortunately led to a storm of abuse which resulted in Rose deleting her Twitter account.
Before she left the social platform, she hit back at critics, writing: “I wish we would all support each other and our journeys.
“When women and when minorities join forces we are unstoppable.. when we tear each other down it’s much more hurtful than from any group. But hey I love a challenge.”