DC doesn’t shy away from Batwoman’s sexuality in their new animated film, and her storyline includes a romance.
Warner Brothers and DC Universe Animated Original Movies (DCUAOM) have taken a big step with their latest animated film, Batman: Bad Blood. In the film, the latest incarnation of Kate Kane, also known as Batwoman, made her cinematic debut. Why is that such a big deal, you ask? Well, Batwoman came out as a lesbian in the comics back in 2006 and the animated film has kept that part of her backstory intact.
In Bad Blood, we see Batwoman teaming up with Nightwing (Dick Grayson), Robin (Damien Wayne), and Batwing (Luke Fox) to solve the mystery of Batman’s “death.†No one has an issue with Kate Kane’s sexuality in the movie, and at one point, Kane even goes to a gay bar and flirts with Renee Montoya. By the end of the film, Kane is the only character with a romantic interest.
DC Comics received praise from the LGBT community when Batwoman first came out in 2006. When asked why DC made the choice for her to be a lesbian, Dan DiDio, DC VP-Executive Editor gave the following answer to Wizard Entertainment Group:
“It was from conversations we’ve had for expanding the DC Universe, for looking at levels of diversity. We wanted to have a cast that is much more reflective of today’s society and even today’s fanbase. One of the reasons we made her gay is that, again when you have the Batman Family—a series of characters that aren’t super-powered and inhabit the same circle and the same city—you really want to have a point of difference. It was really important to me to make sure every character felt unique.â€
DC has many other LGBT characters including Catwoman (who came out as bisexual in 2015), Midnighter (an openly gay superhero), and Alysia Yeoh (the first major transgender character written in a contemporary context in a mainstream comic book). Still, Batman: Bad Blood is the first time an LGBT character is featured as a main character in DCUAOM.
Check out Comic Book Resources for a list of 63 LGBT Marvel/DC characters.Â
Watch the trailer below.
Â
Image: Screenshot via WarnerBrosOnline/YouTube
Hat tip: Pink News