Please welcome new contributor Will Van Stone Jr. to the blog! Will has been a huge help with #MondayBlogs and I’m pleased to have him to share his Superheroes & Survivors series with us.
Damien Wayne is a rape baby. Wayne. As in the son of Bruce Wayne. Batman. One third of DC Comics’ Holy Bloody Trinity. No, Batman didn’t force himself on Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy or Catwoman. The Dark Knight was roofied.
Raped.
This could have been the single greatest story arc in the history of DC Comics –
outdoing the company’s own Knightfall in every frikkin way imaginable as the strong, brave, heroic Batman dealt with his sexual assault at the hands of Talia al Ghul while suddenly forced into the role of raising the ten-year-old boy created through her heinous act. He’d have been a role model for boys who desperately need one by showing that shame and fear and pain can be overcome; that a rape victim can become a rape survivor.
Could. Have. But didn’t. Instead, it was used to launch the career of Gotham’s newest Boy Wonder (that’d be Damien, by the way). Really? Like, fucking really? Was the rape even necessary? Nope. If the only point was to add another name to the Bat-roster, there are other ways to give Bruce a tween kid. After all, he and Talia were married during the time Damien was conceived and while it’s rare, married people do, on occasion, have sex. Yes, the consensual kind.
Listen, I’m not against rape in fiction; I’ve written plenty of scenes depicting it. But don’t ever use it to just shock your audience. Do something with it. Make it matter. Don’t be lazy.
BATMAN AS IDOL
Batman is an idol to boys everywhere; dreams of being just like him with his good looks, easy way with women, heroic deeds and endless cash are more common than hot-for-teacher fantasies. Okay, so I made up that last part and actually have no idea which is more common but I’m trying to make a point here, a’ight? Anyway, there’s a strong fascination with The Dark Knight which is why even crap like Batman Forever and Bat-nipples– er, I mean Batman & Robin still drew big crowds and bigger piles of cash. Everyone loves him (even when he sucks Robin eggs), and kids look up to him.
So why not use him for the good he represents? I mean, it’s not like Survivor-Man’s out there, defending boys’ from the innate fears and shame they feel.
Imagine you’re a ten-year-old boy. Or thirteen or sixteen or any goddamned age you want (cause totes not the point), in a world that tells you time and again boys don’t cry and other such nonsense and something bad – like, sexual assault, maybe? – happens. You don’t know how to handle all that messed up shit in your still-developing brain but you’ve seen how Real MenTM deal with stuff so you go with that example and try it; you bury it and pretend like nothing’s wrong.
Cause that’s what happens on TV. And in films. And in books. And in those loud songs you listen to. Except in those shows and movies, you don’t see just how much damage denial can cause. In your self-imposed solitude, you became so well acquainted with Shame, that bitch becomes infused to your DNA. You don’t always see that Shame and her steady, Pain, may stay hidden but while the lights are low, they’re getting busy. And eventually, the doctor gives Anger a slap on the ass and the little tyke’s runnin’ around raising hell in no time.
Such a healthy lifestyle, eh? All because you couldn’t save yourself (not that that’s really a thing, duh) and couldn’t say one teeny, tiny four-letter word.
H. E. L. P.
BATMAN WITHOUT FEELINGS
Batman, and DC could’ve changed that. They could’ve set an amazing example by simply having Bats show a little goddamned emotion over being bloody violated. He could’ve fallen apart while locked away in the Batcave, or questioned his masculinity or, I dunno, talked to someone about all those feels!
Yes, even Batman has feelings. Mostly the angry kind, but they are there.
Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a fucking example of healthy recovery!
(I know, I know, that’s a Superman thing. Calm yourselves.)
Anyway, when DC had the opportunity to write a good, helpful, hopeful story of recovery, what’d they say? Nah, fuck that. Just make it a thingless thing and move on cause that’s what Real MenTM do. Oh, you raped me? Eh, whatevs. Oh, and I’m a daddy, too? Yea, I got this. You get back to your criminal ways, woman. I’ll be fine. I’m Batman.
Epic. Scale. Fail.
Did you know DC spent over two years milking Knightfall? The Caped Crusader was snapped in bloody half by super-steroid abuser and masked maniacal madman, Bane, and took the time to work his way back to whole (actually a very good story and available in three real big books), while he questioned whether he would ever again be the Batman he was before the battle that almost killed him. But when it comes to sexual assault, he wastes no time pulling on the old cape and cowl, and saving the good citizens of Gotham. Not even a damn mini-vacay to San Diego.
The message is loud, and painfully, clear: if someone breaks you, take the time to rebuild and come back stronger (and kick the ass that kicked you) cause, grr, arrgh, Real MenTM and whatnot. But if some makes the sex with you without you even wanting it, here are some magical Popsicle sticks, now build a bridge and get the fuck over it.
No one cares, Junior. And, hey, at least you got some, right?
Oh, Bats, you’re so much better than those stupid, outdated – and dangerous – stereotypes lazy ass writers have thrust upon you. I know, wording.
Now, as writers, we’re not necessarily responsible for teaching anyone anything; we don’t have to make PSAs showing it’s okay to cry when it hurts or that feelings aren’t just some silly girlie thing. Truth be told, we don’t owe anybody jack. But we should always strive for honesty in our stories and treat them with as much authenticity as the genre allows.
And, really, no matter what kind of story you’re writing, be it historical fiction, epic scifi or trashy mommy-porn, rape is rape (I’m looking at you 50 Shades). It doesn’t change depending on the where, how, whom, why or when. And the reactions, from assailant to victim to former Boy Wonders promising to support you (oh, wait, that didn’t happen) will run their courses… if you let them. And you should, unlike DC.
Seeing it’s okay to react with tears, words or screams (to name but a few) is something boys don’t have the luxury of seeing nearly enough to be useful. There is no Lifetime movie telling boys’ honest stories about overcoming abuse (though they do occasionally skip their Evil ManTM flick of the week for one), so about 49% of the population doesn’t get to learn that Shame isn’t their only friend.
Hear that, DC?
BUT WHAT IF…
Imagine (what, I’m a writer; imagination is key) if Batman actually reacted to discovering he’d been (date-)raped and acted… human. His relationship with Damien would’ve been affected in much more realistic ways than the crap they threw together. He could’ve questioned his (and society’s) long standing ideas on what it meant to be a man – a man in a world where men can’t be raped, especially by a woman – and how to reconcile his past with his future.
Y’know, real, bona fide feelings and emotions that attach themselves to a victim while they make that long, sometimes scary journey to survivor; the strength, the pride, the courage he’d have to reclaim. He could’ve helped redefine what being a man is and boys could’ve learned that having a penis doesn’t mean you have to be hard and cold and pretend everything is fucking peaches and cream. If he had taken a moment to confide in Alfred, Tim (the best Robin), or Selina (Catwoman – who, depending on the version, has herself been raped), we could’ve seen a grown man, a goddamned superhero, let down his guard and confront Shame with the help of his friends and family.
He could’ve talked about it instead of blowing it off and getting straight back to business. So refreshing.
DC could’ve done that, with only a few short pages. [share ]They could’ve given hope to some poor, broken little boy[/share] afraid to tell people his big, scary secret for fear he’d be ridiculed for not liking it. Cause, y’know, even little boys always want it cause of penises, even when they don’t know what the hell it is.
[share ]If Batman had faced what happened to him[/share], shown some kind of pain inside it caused him, if he allowed himself to feel and trust and open his damn mouth, then we would have a new model of Real MenTM to show our boys, one that could’ve led them to a better place.
Instead, we get a shrug, maybe a grunt. Cause according to DC, and so much of pop culture, that’s what Real MenTM do. They don’t share. They’re hollow. And they only want one thing.
Even when they don’t know what the fuck that one thing is.
Connect with Will on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+, and check out his books on Amazon!
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Alexandria says
May 11, 2015 at 10:41 amWill, what a wonderful re-imagining. I’m so sorry for the pain that you endured that forced you to think of it. If it’s any comfort to little boys, and grown men, around the world, Daniel Craig’s James Bond finally got feelings, and vulnerable, and hurt. Maybe someday, so will Batman, and he’ll give hope to violated men everywhere. Blessings on your heart and head, Alexandria
Will Van Stone Jr says
May 11, 2015 at 11:13 amHi Alexandria,
I wasn’t personally effected by DC’s treatment of Batman’s rape but I can understand how detrimental the attitude they encouraged with their choice to keep him stoic can be. I think anyone could have the same reaction as I; if more people made their thoughts know, maybe we would have a Batman who does more than “man up” and move on.
Jessica West says
May 18, 2015 at 10:08 amExcellent post, Will. It’s hard enough to try to put such thoughts into coherent form, but to share takes a special kind of courage. To hell with Batman; today, you’re my hero.
Will Van Stone Jr says
May 18, 2015 at 5:08 pmOh, Jess, I think you give me far too much credit; I’m just stating simple truths.
Mary Rowen says
May 18, 2015 at 7:25 pmWill, this post is really great. I can’t think of any other Real Men (TM) fictional characters who have been date raped, but so many, especially in comics and action movies, are subjected to pain and abuse, and yet, they’re never allowed to cry, act hurt, or tell anyone. People often complain about female characters who cry and seek solace, but actually, that’s healthier than just “manning up” and taking it. Yes, sexism is alive and well in Hollywood and literature, but maybe things are slowly changing. In any case, thanks for this insightful, unique post.
Will Van Stone Jr says
May 22, 2015 at 5:10 pmThank you, Mary.
There’s actually a number of male characters who have been abused; it’s mostly used to shock the audience and that’s unfortunate. As for sexism in entertainment, I agree and I hope we’ll see some major changes in attitude in the near future but don’t doubt that it will take people speaking up about it for anything to happen.