May
18
“The Dark Knight” opens in a month or so. A direct sequel to “Batman Begins,” unlike the previous bat-films that share a rather loose continuity, this movie brings back the character of Assistant D.A. Rachel Dawes — a first for the franchise.
To date, Batman’s on-screen romances have never carried over into a subsequent film. The pressures of dating Batman/Bruce Wayne in the earlier movies must’ve been too great for photog Vicki Vale, secretary/supervillain Selina Kyle, abnormal psychologist Dr. Chase Meridian (clearly the most qualified of the lot) and useless piece of arm-candy Julie Madison. It’d be not unlike dating a cop or a firefighter, but one with a cape and a cowl and a car with a jet engine.
It’s important to note, however, that at the end of “Batman Begins,” Rachel tells Bruce that they can’t be together so long as he’s Batman, and in the most recent trailer for “The Dark Knight,” Rachel’s clearly seeing someone else, District Attorney Harvey Dent. But with Dent doomed to become Two-Face at some point the film, Rachel will ultimately become boyfriend-less again. It’ll be the perfect time for Batman to swoop in and try to win her back.
That being said, we should explore Batman’s previous relationships and see what mistakes he’s made in the past so they might be avoided with Rachel:
1) The revelation that he’s both Bruce Wayne and Batman (as seen in “Batman,” “Batman Returns” & “Batman Forever”). Women hate liars, and not telling a woman you’re Batman is lying by omission. Women also tend to either love Bruce Wayne or Batman, but never both at the same time. To be fair, Selina Kyle loved Bruce Wayne and her alter-ego Catwoman loved Batman, and Dr. Chase Meridian initially loved Batman before flip-flopping to Bruce Wayne. But, Bruce Wayne/Batman always waited until late in each film to reveal his dual identities. Unfortunately, in “Batman Begins,” he makes the same mistake, waiting until Act Three to unmask himself to Rachel. So he’s already lost points there.
2) Canceling at the very last minute (as seen in “Batman,” “Batman Returns” and “Batman Forever”). Women want a guy who’s not going to blow off their plans for Friday evening. Bruce Wayne often would make a date with a woman only for it to be interrupted by some damn supervillain before the dessert menu even arrived, leaving the poor girl in the lurch (and stuck with the bill) while he bashed heads in his bat-suit. This doesn’t happen in “Batman Begins,” but from the “Dark Knight” trailer, we get the sense that the Joker does crash a function that Rachel and Bruce are both attending.
3) Spending too much time with the guy[s] (as seen in “Batman Forever” and “Batman & Robin”). Women don’t want to feel like they come in a distant second to their boyfriend’s male friends. Robin the Boy Wonder wasn’t introduced until the third film in the previous franchise, but if there’s anyone who could drive a serious wedge into a relationship between Bruce Wayne/Batman and the woman he loved, it was this kid. Since the character’s introduction in comics continuity way back in 1940, he and Batman have been fairly “out” homosexual partners. Robin became such a prominent fixture earlier films, that the love interest in “Batman & Robin” — Julie Madison — was relegated to an extended cameo. There’s no indication Robin will be in “The Dark Knight,” but Alfred’s role has been beefed up significantly.
“I haven’t had much luck with women,” laments Batman, played by Val Kilmer in “Batman Forever.” And as we’ve learned, it’s his own fault. He’s cagey, non-committal and spends too much time with young men in muscle suits. But he’s also the world’s greatest detective. It stands to reason he can figure out what he’s done wrong in the past and ultimately do right by Rachel…so long as the Joker doesn’t bump her off.
-Brad Lohan
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2 Responses to “Sex & the City of Gotham: Batman’s On-Screen Love Life”
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The most important aspect of attraction is the suit. No way would a girl date a guy who wears royal blue tights, but wrap him up in a black rubber suit? Mmm, mmm, good.
I read similar article also named the City of Gotham, and it was completely different. Personally, I agree with you more, because this article makes a little bit more sense for me