If Batman is one of the superheroes who has been entitled to some of the best adaptations, it is clear that some also offer their share of scenes that are painful to read or watch. A quick look back at some of the most embarrassing moments in the history of the Batman universe.
#7 Batman’s Anatomically Awkward Armors Are Embarrassing (Batman & Robin 1997)
A lot can be said about the saga Batman, but if there is indeed a subject which makes consensus, it is the laughable aspect of the armor in Batman Forever et Batman and Robin. These films from the 1990s, under the direction of Joel Schumacher, marked a visual turning point that left more than one viewer perplexed. The heroes’ costumes didn’t simply opt for a “tactical” or “effective” design as one might hope for a crime-fighting vigilante. No, they instead became a festival of anatomical exaggerations and questionable aesthetic choices.
The most famous of these missteps remains the famous “bat-nipples” on Batman’s armor. Why a superhero would need raised nipples on their costume is a mystery that remains unsolved. Add to this a massive crotch and a clearly visible zipper on the rear, and you get moments of pure unease. Faced with the ridiculousness of such choices, nervous laughter guaranteed, but maximum embarrassment by imagining the heroes jumping from roof to roof with their evocative outfits.
#6 Batman qui maltraite Robin (All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder 2005)
You all know this “meme” where Batman slaps Robin to stop him from repeating banalities to him? Well, despite the obviously comical aspect of this image, two of the greatest geniuses of comics, Frank Miller and Jim Lee, thought it would be a good idea to make it a central part of Batman and Robin’s relationship. In All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder #2 (Frank Miller, Jim Lee), released in 2005, DC Comics attempted to reinvent its iconic heroes with the All-Star line.
If this series has left its mark for many (bad) reasons, it is above all Bruce Wayne’s treatment of Robin which turned out to be one of the most surprising mistakes. In this version, Batman adopts a cold and abusive attitude towards his charges, whom he sees only as soldiers in his war against crime. This dehumanizing behavior somewhat distorts the essence of the Dark Knight’s character, without really adding anything relevant to the story. Poor Robin therefore finds himself an orphan here, a child mistreated by his guardian, then a juvenile vigilante mistreated by criminals. of Gotham in the space of a few months. Hard…
#5 From sub-Shakira for the film Music (Batman and the Mysterious Batwoman 2003)
The series Batman: The Animated Series from the 1990s is simply one of the best adaptations from the adventures of Gotham’s vigilante. Better yet, the series even gave rise to one of the best films on the subject, Batman vs. the Masked Ghostwhich continues to inspire many artists working on the Batman universe today. However, these magnificent successes have also led to other projects that are much more complicated to defend, the worst of which undoubtedly remains the catastrophic Batman et Harley Quinn of 2017 (which we talked about in detail here). The third film in the series, Batman and the Mysterious Batwomanis also not free from flaws.
This 2003 animated feature film offers a new version of Batwoman. The central mystery revolves around three women, each suspected in turn of potentially being behind the mask. If the film is not a disaster, it still remains pleasantly dispensable, especially since this new Batwoman was never subsequently seen again in the DC animated universe. No, the real problem lies in an extremely awkward sequence, where, to sell a very “girly” single, the Penguin welcomes into his bar a singer who looks like a sub-Shakira. The latter will punctuate the scene with a completely irrelevant song, which even returns in the end credits. A bonus from the DVD of the time also proudly highlighted this “product” entitled Betcha Neva, sung by an artist named Chérie.
#4 Bad villain puns (Batman films & series)
Yes, we understood, thank you. The bad guys of Batman are colorful characters with names that are evocative to say the least, but… it doesn’t help that the bad guys only speak in phrases allowing puns about their identity every two seconds. It all started, obviously, with the series as popular as it is parody Batman of 1966. If here the light tone of the whole allowed for many excesses, the series above all opened the way to all authors lacking imagination but fans of lame puns.The principle of double meaning jokes about the identity of the bad guys has made a comeback in Batman, the challenge by Tim Burton. However, here, the ribald jokes and puns based on birds and cats, even if some may find them too strong, serve the point and underline the deeply sexual and liberated aspect of Catwoman, so why not … On the other hand, it is with Batman Forever that things get bad.
In fact, the films of Joel Schumacher presents villains who are little more than unintentional (or not?) parodies of their characters. In Batman ForeverDouble Face becomes a pale copy of the Joker who would make jokes about his split personality without ever really suffering from it and must have everything in two colors in his affairs. In Batman and Robina milestone is once again crossed, and we end up wondering if the film would not in fact be a comedy who advances masked (damn, it’s contagious). Mister Freeze makes every possible pun with cold and, For her part, Poison Ivy suggests to the heroes that they come and take care of her bush. Class…
#3 Change Harley Quinn’s origins to make it anything
The origins of Harley Quinn are extremely effective. Originally, she is the Joker’s psychiatrist, but her madness infects this professional who ends up falling in love with the psychopath. She frees him and becomes his sidekick, in an increasingly unhealthy relationship, until she finds the strength to free herself from it and stand on her own two feet. However, it seems that this story is considered too simple for some, because Harley finds herself regularly rewritten, and rarely for the better. It all starts with the TV series Angels of the Night, where Harley retains a good part of her initial origin story, but she also blames the city, because the Joker was locked up before they had time to have children ensemble…
Then comes the animated series The Batmanwhere Paul Dini, the very inventor of Harley Quinn, proposes new origins. Harley is here a TV presenter fired after doing a very “prank” on Bruce Wayne, which pushes her to become a criminal. In addition to this rather haphazard rewriting of the character, Paul Dini reiterates in the series Cape CrusaderOr Harley’s origins become more or less similar to those of Doctor Hugo Strange : a very gifted psychiatrist, but focused on crime. Finally, one of the most catastrophic rewritings of the character is visible in Joker 2, Or Harley is now a simple Arkham patient fascinated by the Joker from the start.
#2 The Joker is not Fred Astaire (Joker Folie à Deux 2024)
In the DC universe, attempting to making a musical with the characters is not impossible, but complicated. The idea is not infeasible: The Music Master episode of Batman: Alliance of Heroes succeeds in this exercise brilliantly, combining humor, rhythm and a solid plot. However, it is essential to think carefully about your project, which is clearly not the case for Joker: Folie à Deux. In this film, the musical pieces seem to be inserted randomly, with no real connection to the history or internal logic of the universe.
At times, the numbers appear like moments of madness that take place in a barely modified reality. Other times, they resemble gigantic daydreams, with flamboyant sets straight out of Broadway. These creative choices leave you perplexed. Singing songs is cute, but telling a story is better. If the Joker is not Fred Astaire, it is perhaps because he needs a real common thread to express his madness. The musical can work, but it still needs to be capture the essence and integrate it coherently into this rich and complex universe.
#1 Catwoman’s crushed cat mode costume (Catwoman 2004)
From its first appearance in the comics to its graphic redesign by artist Jim Lee, Catwoman has had many different costumes. Of course, not all of them were in the best taste, but none were ever as catastrophic as the one in the film Catwoman, directed by Pitof and released in 2004. Obviously the film isn’t good, but realistically, it wasn’t the first disappointing film in the DC Universe, and there have been many others since. However, if there is one element that immediately comes to mind when we think of this shipwreck, it is the heroine’s costume. Vulgar, poorly made, not really justified, this Catwoman costume is symptomatic of everything that goes wrong in the film. If, since then, the costumes of Anne Hathaway in The Dark Knight Rises and Zoë Kravitz in The Batman have not really taken real risks, they have at least saved Catwoman from looking like a crushed cat, and that’s already a lot.
Keywords :
batmanrobinthe batmanThe Dark KnightjokerAlan Mooreharley quinncatwomanlady gagaBirds of Preybatman foreverTim Burton
