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I’ve got a tough question. There are many female characters in the Batman mythos with whom Batman has had a serious romantic feelings towards: Selina Kyle, Talia al Ghul, Zatanna, the new Jezebel Jet? Many of these have been characterized as being the “perfect woman” for Bruce.
Has there been any character you would truly consider to be Batman’s true love? Does such a character exist? Can it?
Jeremii from Waldorf, MD
This is a tough question. Is there really any perfect person for anyone? Or is there just a perfect person for that particular moment in one’s life? Those are perhaps bigger life questions.
As for Batman I am definitely in the “let him have relationships” camp. I don’t like the angry monk Batman who doesn’t have time for such trivialities. The Batman of my youth always had a girl around whether it was Silver St. Cloud, Vicky Vale, Talia, al Ghul or Catwoman.
As for the choices you mentioned we can definitely eliminate Jezebel Jett and Zatanna. Jezebel… we don’t know enough about her right now. She could be evil (although that seems to be a turn-on for Bruce), or she could be a figment of his imagination, or she could just be the latest fling. I’m reserving my judgment on her until “Batman R.I.P.” is over. As much as I love the pairing of Batman and Zatanna (and I do, very much) it’s a relationship that is far too unexplored for her to seriously be considered Batman’s true love. There are hints of strong possibilities there and if DC would actually allow that relationship to be explored (it seems unlikely) she could be a strong contender.
It’s not Catwoman. She’s like that really irresistible ex-girlfriend who is nothing but trouble but you just can’t stay away from. They push each other’s sexy buttons, but ultimately they’ll never work out in a relationship and are bad news for each other. But when they get together the sparks certainly fly.
Some people might say Bruce had a real chance with Sasha Bordeaux, and I wouldn’t disagree with them, but then she turned into a half O.M.A.C. and how’s that for a relationship killer? Every morning you roll over to find yourself reminded of one of your greatest blunders. But it’s moot now, she’s in Checkmate and — as of the last time I read the book — doing the on-again-off-again thing with Mr. Terrific which just proves that Sasha definitely has a type.
If it came down to it and I had to choose, I’d say that Batman’s greatest love is Talia al Ghul. There is so much poetry in being deeply in love with the daughter of one of your greatest enemies. When I first started reading comics, there were always other women — mostly spunky and smart socialite Silver St. Cloud and ultimately forgettable reporter Vicky Vale — but he would always come back to Talia. They have one of those deep emotional connections that can often only be found in people you can never truly be with. I don’t think it’s random chance that Burce and Talia had a child together and that it was brought back into continuity. She’s the only one I would believe a Bat-kid with.
It’s interesting that the sparks seem to sly the most between Batman and the bad girls like Catwoman and Talia. It probably says a lot about Batman himself and the world he inhabits and how much, deep down inside, he truly likes that world.
Conor Kilpatrick
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Wow. Tough call. I stopped and thought about it before I read Connor’s response, and I came up with Talia as well. Great point made about Catwoman. Perfect analogy.
I also think that there might be a little "I can just see the good right below the surface in Talia, and I can save her. And wouldnt it piss off Ras if I did." that attracts Bruce as well.
Spot-on analysis. I’m convinced.
I’ve been rewatching the Justive League cartoons of late, and I always find it interesting that they sort of try to pair Batman with Wonder Woman. It’s such an interesting choice. I’m fairly certain this also happened in the comics, but I’m unaware as to how it played out. Still, it’s an interesting choice for Batman’s character, particularly with Conor’s analysis of his bad girl desires.
You’ve convinced me. They have a kid–who is it? I’m not as up on Bats as I should be, obviously.
Recently in Trinity, Wonder Woman analyzed the attraction she felt for both of them.
She said supes was the wholesome marrying type, and she said that Bats was like a roller coaster at the amusement park, a great, exciting ride but not meant to stay on for long. lol
I am para-phrasing of course. Thought it was funny.
@Neb– there was a good issue in Joe Kelly’s JLA run that dealt with WW and Bats being together. I think they put VR helmets on or some such device and it showed them living through a simulated relationship together with Bruce eventually getting old and Diana always remaing hot and young.
I think one of the cool poetic aspects of the Talia – Bruce relationship is that she is just as torn as he is. She is just as deeply in love with him, but her eternal loyalty is to her father. She’ll save bruce’s life – rescue him, set him free, whatever, but she will go back and stand at her father’s side. I think was done pretty well in Batman: TAS.
Bruce and Diana explored a relationship -unsuccessfully – in a number of issues of JLA. I think it was before the most recent relaunch. It totally makes sense that they would tend to gravitate toward each other. There was a Wonder Woman – Batman team-up in a graphic novel – I won’t even try to butcher the spelling that was a pretty good read.
I totally agree about Catwoman. The more that relationship is explored, the more I think Selina and Bruce realize that there’s really no there there.
I’m pretty sure that the moment has come and gone for Bruce and Zee. Was it ever explored anywhere beyond Batman: TAS? I just remember thinking whoever thought of that was a genius.
@AirDave – Batman/Zatanna was explored in a two-part DETECTIVE COMICS arc this year as well as in one issue of SUPERMAN/BATMAN.
@SteveM – That’d be Damian. Grant Morrison has been using the character in recent years.
Great reasoning, Conor. While Bruce may not have a true love, if he did then it would most likely be Talia. I couldn’t believe he would have had a kid with anyone else (even if in the current Morrison run there seems to be a bit of a retcon implied in that Talia supposedly "tricked" Bruce for that to happen).
i always liked the idea of wonder woman and batman. i know they explored the idea in justice league a few years ago but i didn’t really like the way it was resolved. i’ve always thought they were the two dc heroes most alike in terms of being warriors willing to make hard choices but the writers seemed to imply that batman’s influence on diana would be to turn her into dark wonder woman or something.
I always liked the prospect of Batman falling in love with a pig wearing a tiara.
I can say most assuredly that the woman that is perfect for Batman is not Katie Holmes.
I think it’s pretty obvious who batman’s one true love is… gotham! Seriously though about the wonder woman thing. I think she would go for him mainly cause she can indulge in that dark side of herself that supes always seems to be looking over her shoulder about. You know, it’s also the han solo thing, but it would never work out.
Frederic Wertham would have you believe that the only woman for Batman is Robin.
Batman’s true love is Gotham City.
When he’s old & retired though? I think he would end up with Selina Kyle.
How can Batman not love his baby’s mama?
I always laughed in that JLU episode when he said one of the reasons he can’t be with Diana was because his enemies would then target her. Yeah, because an immortal warrior princess has no chance against a guy like the Penguin.
All in all, I don’t think there’s anyone out there for Batman as a "true love." Love makes Batman happy and happiness makes Batman weak and Batman can’t be weak. He needs his pain and unhappiness to do the mission he needs to do. Like Morrison’s said, I think it’s easier for Bats to love a memory of a woman, a long line of photographs on the fireplace he can wistfully remember about, he can idealize than it is an actual woman who gets on his nerves when she complains about he’s never home.
I was to say I feel special for getting an entire letter column devoted to my question, but then I realized that it’s Comic Con week and you guys probably just didn’t have time to do three…
On the Batman/Wonder Woman topic, I always thought she was a better pair for Superman, as seen in Kingdom Come. She seems like a better match for Supes than Lois Lane by far.
I think oyu’re spot on with Talia. And that she might be a good core for a 3rd Batman movie. I’ve been thinking about who could be the next villian, and it would need to be someone who abosultely wants to destroy Batman. Ra’s is gone (per the 1st movie). The Joker is out, sadly because of Heath’s untimely death,and 2 Face isn’t quiet up to the task of carrying a heavy film like Nolan makes.
That leaves either Bane, who is a strong contender, even though he was ruined in Batman and Robin, or Talia, wh might make for a fascinated foil.
What do you think?
@ Jermeii– I think Clark needs Lois as an emotional tether to humanity. I think if Superman went with another immortal demigod, it’d take a bit away from Superman’s humanity and grounded demeanor which I think Lois enhances.
I’m going by the Batman TAS episode I saw but to me Zatanna was puppy love.
The attraction to Catwoman is that she is strong and very sexified wearing tight leather and carrying a whip. All in all she is that girl you see at party and instantly would love a romp with but you hesitate because your mom warned you about girls like her.
Talia is probably Bruce’s true love. His love partly comes from he can’t be with her because she is the daughter of his enemy, and we all always want what we cannot have.
In terms of romantic relationships, I think I agree with Talia, love Zatanna the best in principle, and I did like the pseudo-pairing with Wonder Woman in the JLU cartoon but not so much in the comics.
But in terms of life partner, there through thick and thin, loves you warts and all? Alfred. And I’m not saying that in the "Batman-is-gay" way, or even in the Alfred-as-father-figure way. I think that while Bruce will fool around and get his kicks and have star-crossed romances with women the world over, Alfred will be the person who fulfills the lifetime commitment need, who he always comes home to.
The only Batman relationship that has felt "real" to me is the one he has with Phantasm in "Mask of the Phantasm".
Yeah, I get you. Andrea Beaumont was a good match for Bruce… untill she went nutty.
Batman’s a workaholic who would want to stay with that. He would need like the most loyal person alive to not get tired of that…. like Invincible’s mom.
Maybe this was covered in the Detective Comics arc I didn’t read, but after recently re-reading Identity Crisis, a Batman/Zatanna relationship seems completely implausible. How can you date someone who previously used magic to wipe your mind? Every time you forgot something, wouldn’t you secretly be thinking that it was just because they erased your memory?
Talia? Nah, she’ll always choose her dad over Bruce – has she ever seriously tried to, you know, stop being a poisonous dragon lady murderess?
I say Silver St Cloud, the first woman to see through his secret ID and the only one with sense enough to walk away.