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It seems like every possible combination of DC superheroes has been paired into a relationship in one form or another. One of the more curious examples involves Batman and Wonder Woman in the DC Animated Universe. (DCAU for short.) Both variations of the Justice League television series (which includes Justice League Unlimited) set the trail of teasing romance between the two, but it never fully blossoms. Let’s take a look at how it all went down, why Wonder Woman may have the hots for Batman, and why Bruce is clearly in deep denial in these two series.
The Missile
This is one of the earliest signs of Batman and Wonder Woman bonding and can be seen in the show Justice League, season 1, episode 13. When a nuclear missile nearly hits Gorilla City, Wonder Woman steps in to stop it. The missile falls apart and buries her. This scene reveals Batman’s true feelings for Diana when he thinks she is in peril. Batman loses his nerve at the thought of Diana possibly dying. He digs frantically in the mud before another Justice League member calms him.
Of course, she turns out to be fine and pushes the missile pieces off of her. When she later sees Batman with the mud on his hands, she knows why. Wonder Woman kisses Batman on the cheek (or neck, judging from the awkward angle of the animation), and Bruce immediately blushes. This scene reveals Batman’s true feelings for Diana when he thinks she is in trouble.
It is worth noting that Batman rarely shows emotion in public. This is a guy who built a secret cave under his house, dresses like a giant bat, and treats trust like it is a rare disease. Seeing Bruce panic over Diana’s safety in this Justice League episode is therefore a pretty big deal. If he reacted this way every time a teammate got into trouble, the League would need to schedule group therapy between missions.
The Dance
In season 2, episode 7 of the original Justice League animated series, we get a little taste of their compatibility. Wonder Woman (as Diana) is attending a black-tie event wearing a dress when members of the press quickly harass her. Bruce Wayne (Batman) quickly intervenes and asks for a dance, which Diana quickly accepts.
Although they discuss some superhero business through arbitrary comments, the flirting quickly takes off. Bruce gives Diana a little spin, then asks, “Are you having fun so far?” She answers, “More than I expected.” While this happens, their faces are just inches apart. Bruce looks as handsome as ever with his chiseled chin, while Diana has stunning eye makeup. We can see clearly here how Batman and Wonder Woman could have a relationship.
Out of all the Batman and Wonder Woman moments in Justice League, this is probably one of the easiest to imagine as the start of a real relationship. Neither of them is punching robots, chasing supervillains, or getting trapped in another world. They are just talking and enjoying each other’s company for a change. Considering Batman usually treats social events the way normal people treat dental surgery, the fact that he seems relaxed around Diana says quite a bit.
The Kiss
In part 2 of the last story in season 2, Bruce and Diana are wearing civilian clothing and trying to blend in. They are trying to avoid being spotted by the Thanagarians and duck into an Indian restaurant. To avoid the Thanagarians, they sit near the back and Diana starts kissing him passionately. The scheme works and they aren’t noticed. Diana says that she sorry but he says “Don’t be”, with a pleased smirk on his face.
Of all the romantic moments between Batman and Wonder Woman in the DCAU, this is probably the hardest to explain away as simple friendship. Diana comes up with the plan almost instantly, and Bruce does not exactly look traumatized by having to participate. In fact, he seems suspiciously content for a man who normally acts like emotional attachment is a supervillain plot. If this was truly a terrible inconvenience for Batman, he hides it about as well as Clark Kent hides being Superman.
As Kids
Moving on to the series Justice League Unlimited, in season one, episode 3, we get a clear signal that Diana likes Bruce. Something temporarily turns them into children, and they adopt child-like attitudes. When they decide to team up, Diana decides that she would rather be close to Bruce than anyone else. Superman asks, “What is with them?” And Green Lantern responds by pointing out that for a person with like 50 kinds of vision, he is blind! During the episode, Green Lantern tells Batman that “your girlfriend sure is bossy.” This is another clue that perhaps there is some sort of love relationship between the two heroes.
The funny thing about this episode is that the truth comes out once the characters stop acting like adults. Diana has no issue sticking close to Bruce the entire time, while everyone around them seems to notice the situation immediately. Even Superman picks up on it eventually, although Green Lantern has to practically draw him a map first. For two heroes who spend most of Justice League Unlimited pretending nothing is going on, they are not exactly fooling their coworkers.
As a Pig
In Justice League Unlimited, we get a closer look at Batman and Wonder Woman’s relationship and solid evidence of their interest in each other. From season 1 episode 5 of Justice League Unlimited titled This Little Piggy, Diana questions Bruce during a stakeout about the possibility of having someone special to spend time with. She flips her hair to make it clear that she was talking about herself and was showing interest.
Batman understands Wonder Woman’s advances and explains his concerns if the two of them were to get together, such as his mental issues and concerns about Diana’s safety. Diana teasingly says “No dating for The Batman.” So there is no question here that they were discussing the possibility of dating.
But how do we know that Batman has feelings for Diana that go beyond friendship? This is also made clear in the same episode. When Wonder Woman gets transformed into a pig, Batman brings her to Zatanna for help. Zatanna is unable to break the spell, but questions Bruce about his concern for Diana. He claims that they are just good friends, but Zatanna clarifies “no, you and I are just good friends. There is something more between you and Diana.” Zatanna says this plainly, making their situation even more clear.
If there was ever a point where the DCAU writers stopped being subtle about the Batman and Wonder Woman relationship, this was probably it. The two of them are not discussing crime-fighting or world-ending threats anymore. They are discussing whether dating each other would be a good idea. Even then, Bruce still spends part of the conversation looking for reasons why it would not work. Batman can solve mysteries that stump the world’s greatest detectives, but when it comes to Diana’s feelings, he suddenly becomes surprisingly committed to missing the obvious.
In Summary
Looking back at the Justice League and Justice League Unlimited episodes, the evidence is pretty overwhelming. Batman and Wonder Woman flirt, dance together, kiss, discuss dating, and repeatedly show concern for each other’s well-being. Diana seems ready to see where a relationship could go, while Bruce spends most of his time inventing reasons why it should not happen. In fairness, Batman has defeated alien invasions, evil gods, and criminal masterminds. Admitting that he likes Wonder Woman apparently turned out to be the greater challenge.