The Real Reason Behind Robin Coming Out

Comic book superheroes joining the Alphabet Club (LGBTQIA+) isn't a new concept.

Alan Scott, who was the original Green Lantern, was a heterosexual male for years. He was twice married and was a father. Then he was given the LGBT treatment, albeit in an alternate universe. Wonder Woman, who has had numerous relationships with men, came out as bisexual in 2016. Harley Quinn is also bisexual, having dated The Joker and recently Poison Ivy. Some comic historians describe Midnighter as a sinister parody of Batman. Midnighter and his husband, Apollo, were somewhat of an alternate universe Batman/Superman tandem. Batwoman has recently been reintroduced to the world as lesbian, to mixed fanfare.

All of these characters have one commonality: each one is a DC Comics creation.

The fictional DC Universe is filled with chaos, mischief, sexual deviance, and religious malevolence. It is devoid of moral foundations, embodying a do what thou wilt mantra. 

Gotham City is overrun with diabolically corrupt villains who will stoop to the lowest of levels for a sliver of fame and power (sounds like Washington DC, doesn't it?). The city's most prominent antagonist, The Joker, is like the comic book version of Aleister Crowley. Both use psychological deception, feeding off people's vanity and need for belonging to turn them into agents of chaos. The Joker has long been labeled homosexual, at least according to this petition which claims, "The Joker is a comic book character with almost 80 years history, half of which he was portrayed as homosexual."

Why is there so much anti-religious debauchery in the DC Universe? The answer might lie in its creator.

Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson grew up amidst chaotic circumstances. First, his father died after his brother, Christopher, was born. Then, when Malcolm was four, his sister passed. His mother moved the family to Portland, Oregon, in pursuit of a writing career. She remarried to a teacher named T. J. B. Nicholson who was an iconoclast. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, iconoclasts attack settled beliefs or institutions, destroys religious images, or opposes their veneration. This probably means God or The Bible were not present in the home.

Malcolm attended The Manilius School, a military academy in DeWitt, New York. He soon joined the United States Cavalry. At only 27 years old, he quickly rose up the ranks to Major. Malcolm traveled the world and helped aid his country in World War I. 

After the war, Malcolm's fortunes soured. There are multiple accounts of why he fell out of favor with many of his superiors. One version of the story says his refusal to allow his superiors to harass black Buffalo soldiers led to discontent from his peers. As a result, he wrote a letter to President Warren Harding about the misconduct within the ranks.

Wheeler-Nicholson writes, "The Army is suffering from a reign of Prussianism. The better type of officers are leaving the service. Protest and criticism are punished by every conceivable form of injustice and illegality. Juniors are openly persecuted. Seniors are not only protected in wrongdoing but are rewarded for oppressing their juniors. The Prussian type of officer is assured of advance, the liberal minded officer is slighted. Anglo-Saxon ideals of justice and fair play are being rapidly replaced by traditions foreign to the American nation. Justice is not only perverted and denied, but the laws are openly flouted."

The letter was published in the New York Times. Soon after, he was shot in what his family describes as an "Army-sanctioned assassination attempt." This was the beginning of the end of his military career. He resigned from his post in 1923. 

Malcolm pursued a literary career after he resigned from the Army, writing nonfiction military novels. In just two short years, he became well-known for his craft and founded Wheeler-Nicholson, Inc. to publish his work. He started creating daily comic strips. The success of his comics led to the creation of National Allied Publications in 1934. Here would be the coronation of Detective Comics that spawned the first Batman comics.

Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson did not have a solid biological family structure as a child. Nor did he have a religious upbringing. His latter days in the military may have left him with discontent about the Army and its pro-American principles. He was also ladened with financial problems during his literary life.

Wheeler-Nicholson's bitterness and iconoclastic beliefs live on throughout the DC Universe.

While he did not create many of the characters we know today, some were created in Malcolm's image. His father died when he was a child. Likewise, Batman grew up without his father after being murdered. Malcolm was once an upstanding Army Major before an attempt was made on his life. Two-Face, a villain from Gotham City, was once an upstanding district attorney before having an attempt on his life changed him forever. 

Many villains throughout the DC Universe are self-described atheists, which parallels Wheeler-Nicholson's agnostic beliefs. Lex Luthor, by default, was an atheist because his ego would not allow him to believe in an entity larger than him. Bruce Wayne (Batman) became an atheist after the murder of his parents.

It is fair to argue that struggles and malevolent behavior lead to better stories. A child born into a loving two-parent household in a good neighborhood, attending good schools, graduating college, and becoming a productive member of society is an ideal life path. But, unfortunately, it does not lend itself to a fascinating comic book story. People from broken homes with rough upbringings can add more drama to a character's story arc.

America has a deep fascination with what goes on in the dark. Anarchy sells. Anti-religion sells. Violence and death sell. Sex sells. Reimaging characters with different sexual orientations add wrinkles and plotlines to the ever-evolving DC Comics Universe.

Recently, DC announced Robin, Batman's understudy, is coming out of the closet. This revelation will add more plot twists to Batman's story. Furthermore, it may increase interest in Robin finally becoming a standalone entity that DC can monetize. Perhaps DC Comics is hoping Robin can become a more prominent standalone attraction than Nightwing. Both identities are portrayed by Dick Grayson in the comics.

The sexual promiscuity and alternative lifestyles of many DC characters could also be a window into Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson's Army experiences.

Years before Malcolm served in the Army, blue discharges were issued to soldiers suspected of being gay. The belief was that gay soldiers were mentally ill and were a health risk to the rest of the troops. Gay men engaged in sexual practices that could lead to untreatable diseases. Blue discharges from the military were neither honorable nor dishonorable. However, that person was purged from society, not able to find work and adequate living arrangements. To avoid such dire outcomes, many soldiers lied about their sexuality.

Malcolm must have encountered dozens, if not hundreds, of homosexual soldiers during his time in the military.

Many of the DC Comics characters could be inspired, in part, by Wheeler-Nicholson's experiences.