ANALYSIS ON LGBTI+ REPRESENTATION IN SUPERHERO COMICS - ON THE REPRESENTATION OF THE CHARACTER ROBIN IN BATMAN: URBAN LEGENDS - NÚMERO 6

Aug 26, 2026

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The article conducts a qualitative analysis of Robin’s LGBTI+ representation in DC Comics, focusing on the publication Batman: Urban Legends #6 (2021). Grounded in historical and socio-anthropological perspectives on American comics and broader theories on non-heterosexual representations, it examines how this recent disclosure is articulated in the narrative. The study argues that the new portrayal addresses LGBTI+ themes directly while moving away from practices often criticized as queerbaiting or queer coding and from more conservative framings.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages19

Reading Time48 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Methodological and theoretical background

Pop culture and symbolic/ideological legitimation

Comics as non-neutral cultural material

ANALYSIS ON LGBTI+ REPRESENTATION IN SUPERHERO COMICS: ON THE REPRESENTATION OF THE CHARACTER ROBIN IN BATMAN: URBAN LEGENDS \# 6 ANÁLISE SOBRE REPRESENTAÇÕES LGBTI+ EM QUADRINHOS DE SUPERHERÓIS: SOBREA PERSONAGEM ROBIN EM BATMAN: URBAN LEGENDS NÚMERO 6 REPRESENTACIONES LGBTI+ ENCÓMICS DE SUPERHÉROES: SOBRE ROBIN EN BATMAN: URBAN LEGENDS \# 6 Mário Jorge de PAIVA 1 ABSTRACT: The article aims to carry out an analysis of a certain issue which had an impact on the world of comic books; we refer to the fact that Robin, an important character in DC Comics, came out as bisexual in recent history. In this research we will use qualitative methodology, to approach this point in the light of the history of American comics, something that involves historical and socio-anthropological elements. In terms of bibliography, we will rely on authors such as Guilherme Miorando, Dandara Cruz, Lucas Dalbeto, Darieck Scott, Ramzi Fawaz, Rob Lendrum, Mário Paiva, Irene Caravaca etc. Our conclusion will look at how this new representation of Robin approaches his LGBTI+ issue in a frontal way, soon moving away from categories more prone to critic such as queerbaiting, queer coding or a conservative representation of the issue. KEYWORDS: LGBTI+ . Comics. Robin. Queer. DC. RESUMO: O artigo visa realizar uma análise de certa questão conjuntural, que obteve impacto no mundo das histórias em quadrinhos; referimo-nos ao fato de Robin, uma personagem importante da DC Comics, ter se mostrado membro da comunidade LGBTI+ em história recente. Nestapesquisa usaremos metodologia qualitativa, para abordar talponto pela luz da história dos quadrinhos americanos, algo que envolve elementos históricos e socioantropológicos. Nos termos de bibliografia, nos fiaremos em autores como Guilherme Miorando, Dandara Cruz, Lucas Dalbeto, Darieck Scott, Ramzi Fawaz, Rob Lendrum, Mário Paiva, Irene Caravaca etc. Nossa conclusão irá observar como esta nova representação de Robin aborda sua questão LGBTI+ de modo frontal, logo se afasta de categorias mais criticáveis como queerbaiting, queer coding ou uma representação conservadora da questão. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: LGBTI+. Comics. Robin. Queer. 1 Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-RIO), Rio de Janeiro – RJ – Brazil. Doctor by the Postgraduate Program in Social Sciences. ORCID: [https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7158-4371. E-mail:](https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7158-4371. E-mail:)[ ](https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7158-4371. E-mail:)[mariojpaiva91@gmail.com](mariojpaiva91@gmail.com) RESUMEN: El artículo tiene como objetivo hablar de cierto tema coyuntural, que tuvorepercusión en el mundo de las historietas; nos referimos a que Robin, un personaje importantede DC Comics, ha demostrado ser miembro de la comunidad LGBTI+. En esta investigaciónutilizaremos metodología cualitativa, para abordar este punto a la luz de la historia del cómic americano, algo que involucra elementos históricos y socio-antropológicos. Nos apoyaremosen autores como Guilherme Miorando, Dandara Cruz, Lucas Dalbeto, Darieck Scott, Ramzi Fawaz, Rob Lendrum, Mário Paiva, Irene Caravaca, etc. Nuestra conclusión analizará cómo esta nueva representación de Robin aborda su tema LGBTI+ de manera frontal, alejándose pronto de categorías más criticables como el queerbaiting, le queer coding, o una representación conservadora del tema. PALABRAS CLAVE: LGBTI+. Comics. Robin. Queer. Introduction As discussed in Sarene Alexandrian (1993), Michel Foucault (2010) etc., there are representations of non-heterosexual love from ancient times, even with their own rules. If some of the foundations ofour knowledge of the Greek world involve Homer, Plato, lyric poetry etc. 2, this issue, of non-heterosexual relationships, was already widespread in all these works. With such a starting point, that the representation of non-heterosexual love is something very old, in addition to being historically and socially shaped, we would like in this text to focus

FAQs

What is the main research focus of the article?

The article analyzes how Robin’s LGBTI+ identity is represented in DC Comics, specifically in Batman: Urban Legends #6 (2021).

What methodology is used to approach the topic?

A qualitative methodology is used, connecting the issue to the history of American comics and socio-anthropological elements.

Which kinds of representation does the conclusion address?

The conclusion discusses how the portrayal approaches LGBTI+ content directly, distancing itself from categories often criticized such as queerbaiting, queer coding, and conservative representations.

Aug 26, 2026

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