Batman comics have a surprisingly rich history of romances, relationships, and hook-ups within its decades-long cannon. For a non-super-powered mortal man, The Dark Knight has surprisingly few weaknesses. However, he arguably has one notable and ongoing Achilles heel in Bruce Wayne's love for beautiful and often dangerous women.
It is a reoccurring trope within Batman comics, much like how everyone keeps escaping from Arkham, that Bruce Wayne can't resist the allure of a vivacious vixen. And inevitably, his relationships never seem to work out. In fact, most of the Bat-Family and many of the villains have a history of failed romances. Apparently, love is fleeting in Gotham, but surprisingly easy to find, although extremely strange and incoherent at times.
Updated on March 10th, 2022 by Darby Harn: A major element of The Batman is Batman's budding romance with Selina Kyle, Catwoman. "The Bat And The Cat" have been a major relationship throughout both characters' comic book history, but despite that history, to some readers, it remains unusual given the characters.
It's far from the strangest romance in Batman comics. Some of the stranger Batman relationships over the years have paired him with the greatest love interests of his allies and villains, and also served to diffuse misconceptions about Batman during some of the most difficult times in comic book history.
Batman & Lois Lane
Superman and Lois Lane rank among the best couples in superhero comics, but in Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #89, things take a strange turn when Bruce Wayne and Lois Lane get married and all Superman can do is stand there and watch.
Bruce and Lois have a child and live a very happy life together in this Silver Age comic. But this strange romance was contained entirely to the issue, written by Leo Dorfman and drawn by Curt Swan, one of the best Batman artists ever.
Batgirl & Black Sun
Blacksun is one of Batgirl's most powerful villains in the comics, which makes their brief romance somewhat strange. The young son of The Penguin shared a love of technology with Barbara Gordon, but he took it a little too far.
Blacksun built a Vector Suit and became a villain, inevitably, short-circuiting their romantic potential. It was strange from the start, especially for Batgirl, who is usually very circumspect in her relationships in the comic books.
Batman & Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn is best known for her relationships with the Joker and Poison Ivy, but she has had a romantic connection to Batman through various incarnations in the comics. The pairing is strange given Harley's eccentricities, which are oil to Batman's very bland water.
But the two have been romantic in the White Knight alternate universe, and Harley has shown a strong attraction to Batman in mainstream DC Comics continuity, including winning an auction for a date with Bruce Wayne (not realizing he and Batman are one and the same).
Batman & Catwoman
Selina Kyle, better known as Catwoman, has been one of Batman's best villains in the comics, ever since her first appearance in Batman #1, published in 1940. That makes their long history of flirtation throughout their comics history strange to some. Batman is a man of rules and codes and Catwoman doesn't have any.
Although she is a professional jewel thief by trade, Selina has regularly teamed up with the Dark Knight when the need arose. He has put a surprising amount of trust in her over the decades, even revealing his secret identity to her on multiple occasions. The two are closer now than ever before, and in many ways, this is the key relationship in Batman comics.
Batman & Poison Ivy
Pamela Isley, better known as Poison Ivy, was first introduced to comic readers in 1966, in Batman #181. Her mastery over plants and her use of powerful pheromones makes her a dangerous foe for anyone in DC Comics. Much of her early run-ins with Batman revolved around her attraction to him, which was strange given how diametrically opposite they are.
Poison Ivy has evolved over the years but she is an anarchist committed to the environment and despite his actions, Batman is a billionaire industrialist. The two have nothing in common, save maybe Harley Quinn, who has become Ivy's greatest romance in the comics.
Batman & Black Canary
Batman's relationships often aren't that unusual. He's typically attracted to the same type of woman, and Dinah Drake, better known as Black Canary, fits the bill. She's one of the best martial artists in DC Comics, for instance. But she's also the long-time love interest of Oliver Queen, better known as Green Arrow.
Dinah has regularly succumbed to Bruce Wayne's brooding charm and the two have shared the occasional kiss in the pages of the comics. However, the two have never gone further than that and their relationship was never more than the occasional fling, particularly in the All-Star Batman run. Overall that's a good thing as the two never had a lot of chemistry or any interesting storylines together.
Batman & Talia Al Ghul
Talia Al Ghul, the daughter of a notable Batman villain in his rogue's gallery, Ra's Al Ghul, was first introduced in 1977's, Detective Comics #411. She is the mother of his son, Damien Wayne, and a ruthless and cunning supervillain who represents everything Batman is fighting against.
Since her introduction, she has served as an antagonistic love interest to Bruce Wayne. In many ways, she's a darker and deadlier version of Catwoman, but her lack of ethics and morals made this Batman relationship strange from the start.
Robin & Jubilee
Robin and Jubilee are one of the strangest Batman relationships simply because of the circumstances. Their brief and singular interaction occurred during DC and Marvel's long-awaited crossover event during the '90s known as DC Versus Marvel.
On the surface, it may not have seemed strange with the two of them being teenage superhero sidekicks, but the pairing was only possible through the mechanics of the crossover and the two were swept back to their respective universes after the crossover event was finished.
Batman & Wonder Woman
It's not unusual that Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince, best known as Wonder Woman, would be attracted to each other given they're both beautiful and powerful people. But they have little in common with each other beyond a sense of duty and moral obligation.
Perhaps the closest the two came to sealing the deal was in Legends of the DC Universe #32. In that comic, the two share a strong bond and almost get together. However, they had major moral differences in the way they dispensed justice. Batman's one rule is that he won't kill, while Diana practices a more pertinent form of punishment.
Batman & Natalia Knight
Reaffirming the notion that Bruce Wayne has a thing for women who like to steal, he began a romance with a different professional jewel thief, Natalia Knight. The relationship was strange in that Batman already had a better version of this relationship in Catwoman.
Ms. Knight, better known as Nocturna, was first introduced in Detective Comics #529. The strangeness of trying to build a replacement for Selina Kyle was accentuated by the fact she briefly adopted Jason Todd and quickly learned Batman's secret identity.
