Filmmaker and creator ofHBO Max’sPeacemakerTV series James Gunn recently admitted that DC wasn’t pleased with his use of the P-word to refer to Batman.
As a writer and director forboth Marvel and DC, Gunn has been known to push boundaries with his characters. In the past, he’s said that both Warner Bros' and Marvel Studios have given him a surprising amount of freedom when it comes to adapting their characters, but even Gunn couldn’t get away with making fun of Batman inHBO Max’sPeacemakerunscathed.
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Gunn recently appeared on the Hollywood Reporter podcastTop 5 TV,where he spoke to hosts Daniel Feinberg and Lesley Goldberg about the recent hit series. “I was very surprised because they were not too fond of Peacemaker calling Batman a p—y. I’m like, ‘But he talks about all these other terrible things about all these other superheroes that are much worse than calling Batman a p—y,'” Gunn said when asked about how much he wasable to get away with onPeacemaker. “I don’t know why him calling Batman a p—y is potentially more offensive than him saying Superman [has a poop fetish]. I don’t understand why one was brought up and one wasn’t.”
This isn’t the first time that DC has reportedly been sensitive around language regarding The Dark Knight. Back in June, Justin Halpern, co-creator of theHBO Max animated seriesHarley Quinn, went viral when he revealed that DC told him to remove a line of dialogue insinuating that Batman performed oral sex on Catwoman. To Halpern’s surprise, the story took the internet by storm, garnering reactions from fans and celebrities alike. Even previously embattledJustice Leaguefilmmaker Zack Snyder got involved when he tweeted out an image depicting Batman performing the act on Catwoman.
Like Gunn says, it does seem like an arbitrary thing to generate controversy. It’s clear that while DC is willing to give creators like Gunn free rein over some of their lesser-known characters (such asPolka-Dot Man inThe Suicide Squad),they’re a little more protective over legacy characters like Batman.
Maybe it’s something about the word P–sy, since that’s a shared factor in both these stories. Either way, it’s certainly a weird time for the DCEU. It’s difficult to imagine twenty years ago that any writer or director would be fighting for the right to make fun of Batman, or insinuate details about his sex life, but here we are.
The first three episodes ofPeacemakerare currently available to stream on HBO Max, with new episodes premiering every Thursday.
