'Harley Quinn' creators reveal the R-rated Batman scene DC Comics cut from the new season
In the eyes of DC Comics, Batman's a fighter ... not a lover. In a recent interview with Variety, the co-creators and executive producers of the fan favorite Harley Quinn cartoon series let slip a scene that the Dark Knight's publishers had axed from the upcoming third season of the R-rated HBO Max show. "We had a moment where Batman was going down on Catwoman," revealed Justin Halpern, who oversees Harley Quinn with Patrick Schumacker. "And DC was like, ‘You can’t do that. You absolutely cannot do that.'"
It's worth noting that Harley Quinn has never been shy about exposing its main characters to suggestive situations. The first two seasons are filled with ultraviolence, not to mention ultra-risqué sexual material. But as Halpern notes, it helps that the main characters are all villains. "You have so much more leeway," he notes of his core cast of Gotham City's most dedicated criminals, led by Harley Quinn (Kaley Cuoco) and her girlfriend, Poison Ivy (Lake Bell).
Batman, on the other hand, is still Gotham's champion — even though he's got plenty of his own dark issues to work out. According to Halpern, DC's reaction to their proposed scene went as follows. "They're like, 'Heroes don’t do that.' So, we said, 'Are you saying heroes are just selfish lovers?' They were like, 'No, it’s that we sell consumer toys for heroes. It’s hard to sell a toy if Batman is also going down on someone.'"
Comic book writers like Jimmy Palmiotti and Gail Simone backed up Halpern's account of DC sexual skittishness on Twitter.
Our last Harley book, the Black Label book HQ and the BOP, we were told it's adult but no nudity, cant use certain words, tone down the violence with Joker and there are things Batman cannot do- even if it during a dream sequence.
We had fun, but it was time to move on. https://t.co/Cd95puEy2F— Jimmy " Paperfilms" Palmiotti (@jpalmiotti) June 14, 2021
I heard the elevators in the bat cave only go up.
— Gail Simone (@GailSimone) June 14, 2021
Meanwhile, Bat-fans urged DC to allow the Caped Crusader to act on his urges every once in a while — especially since he's done so in the comics.
As a long-time Batman fan and comics reading, this makes me mad.
Bruce Wayne has dedicated his life towards justice & what is right, and that includes giving pleasure to his lover. Let Batman & Catwoman have a good time, DC. https://t.co/HtBEmlV9ad— Charlie Ashby (@CMWAshby) June 14, 2021
Let me get this "straight" @DCComics that during #Pride month you imply that the Bisexual #Catwoman can get oral pleasure, BUT only from a Villain? Please, #Batman can do that. I mean we know they have kinky sex on rooftops (New 52 #Catwoman). #HarlyQuinn #dccomics
— Alexia Rose (@BeingA_R_S) June 14, 2021
So in the comics Batman and Catwoman are depicted as passionate lovers who dress in animal themed leather and spandex, tie each other up, caress one another but a show that has one scene implying that they have mutual sex is somehow abhorrent because they’re“heroes”#HarleyQuinn https://t.co/1ufMpcdRz7
— Fast & Frurrious (@VulkenFox) June 14, 2021
I choose to believe that Batman can't go down on Catwoman because Bruce Wayne's already done it, and his technique is so distinctive that it would give away his secret identity.
— Max Chittister (@mchittister) June 14, 2021
@stewart__keller My Batman would go down on Catwoman AND Superman, let our man FEAST! https://t.co/15RZRPWuCz
— Tiramisu Tiger (@tiramisu_tiger) June 14, 2021
Even if there are some lines they can't cross with the Bat, Halpern and Schumacker have frequently expressed delight about how far they've been able to push the envelope on Harley Quinn in general. "It seemed maybe a little bit off-brand, this idea that we’re making fun of some of this world," Schumacker told Deadline last September. "I think since the show has come out, fans have appreciated that yeah, we’re making a lot of jokes at the expense of these characters, but it is done with love, and with a pretty deep knowledge of their legacies. And while these are sort of bastardized versions of all the characters, for the most part, they still have their core moral compass."
Harley Quinn is currently streaming on HBO Max
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