Batman/Bruce Wayne has had many love interests since his debut in 1939. As his character and the world around him have evolved, he has found himself in several relationships, both emotional and physical, with an array of women. These relationships have become more complicated as different media have portrayed the character in a variety of different ways.
One of the main things we know about Bruce Wayne is that he is a billionaire playboy. At least, that’s what he’d like people to think. His actual personality, that of a calculated and shrewd businessman and masked detective, means that he must choose his partners carefully. Unfortunately, the two sides of his personality mean that juggling these various nighttime activities has led to him loving and losing a large number of female partners.
8 Julie Madison
Julie was Bruce Wayne’s first love. At one point, they were even engaged. Julie appeared very early on in the Batman canon and was Batman’s damsel in distress. She was an actress who was always convinced that Bruce’s lifestyle would be the death of him.
She also harbored some very loving thoughts about his alter-ego. Julie would be written out of the comics after a time but would reappear decades later as a new character written into the DC universe with far less importance to Batman and Bruce.
Batman’s First Liability
However, one thing to note is that due to being an actress, she was involved in the first stories to include the original Clayface villain, which put her in even more danger. Julie may have been “taken” from Bruce due to the fact that the editors wanted to allow him to have a more open persona where he could be sure that nobody could get too close and learn his secret.
7 Vicki Vale
Vicki Vale may best be known for her appearance in the original Tim Burton Batman film. She is interested in Bruce Wayne and his strange lifestyle, while also being fascinated by the idea of Batman. She is a strong-willed war photographer who unfortunately draws the eye of the Joker and becomes his pawn in his fight against Batman. Vale did not return for the second film, but she left a lasting mark on the Batman universe.
A Burning Need to Know
Vale has appeared in both the comics and the films as a much more intriguing character whose goal is often to discover who Batman really is. She was one of the first to push past the cowl and get Bruce to truly admit who he was. This led to Vale being far more intrigued, while also causing Bruce to push her away as he realized that he could not protect her.
6 Poison Ivy
Poison Ivy has a bit of a different relationship with Bruce/Batman. His attraction to her is specifically chemical in nature, as she is able to use her control of plants to poison Bruce’s mind and make him fall for her.
Although she is portrayed as a seductress, she’s also as bad as they come and is ready to use her abilities to control Batman. In a few instances, she is able to find out who he actually is and use that to her advantage. Batman often needs to find some kind of antidote before being seduced again by this beguiling temptress.
Sometimes Characters Change
Ivy has changed quite a bit in the ensuing years. She is now seen as more of a self-guided character with visions of grandeur. She is also more closely tied to Harley Quinn, with whom she has had an intimate relationship in multiple forms of media. Batman/Bruce no longer holds any interest in her.
5 Rachel Dawes
Rachel Dawes, best known from The Dark Knight Trilogy, is an assistant district attorney and childhood friend of Bruce Wayne. She is not only competent but strong-willed, doesn’t take Bruce’s shit, and knows about his secret identity. In the films, she is the love of his life, and he has already lost her to the man who would become Two-Face. Bruce holds out hope for this love even after she is killed by the Joker. When he learns of her love for someone else, it nearly breaks him in two.
Bruce Needs a Moral Compass
The character was notably played by two separate actresses, Katie Holmes and Maggie Gyllenhaal.
However, the two were able to show that even though they knew about his secret identity and were not going to tell anyone, they felt that Bruce needed to be reminded of his true mission. He had to remember his duty not just to Gotham, but to those around him who cared about him and his well-being.
4 Barbara Gordon (Batgirl)
Barbara Gordon, the daughter of Commissioner Gordon, takes on the mantle of Batgirl and has had an interesting relationship with Bruce. In fact, in the animated version of The Killing Joke, she and Bruce have a very intimate scene on the roof of a Gotham building.
Soon after, the Joker surprises her at her home and shoots her, leaving her without the use of her legs. Bruce has a soft spot for Barbara, mostly due to his intense ties to Jim Gordon. In many portrayals, she is seen as more of a Robin-esque character, although they have had a few love affairs together.
Can’t Keep a Fighter Down
Barbara may be the most tragic of Batman’s love interests. The guilt that Bruce feels about what happened to her is palpable in the way he treats her. However, Barbara never stops fighting crime and finds new life as Oracle, a character who monitors Gotham and makes sure that its heroes are assisted as they go about their work.
3 Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is one of the best partners that the Comics have put beside Bruce. Writers love the constant triangle between Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. Diana is essentially a god who doesn’t take Bruce’s shit (he has a type) and who gets easily exasperated by his rules and growling self-importance.
However, Bruce’s confidence seems to be his biggest draw, and Diana seems interested in what he has to offer. It’s always touch and go, however, as she could rip his arms off without even thinking about it.
She Was Better with Superman
For this reason, Wonder Woman has often been attached to Superman more than any other hero. In the Kingdom Come alternate universe, we see the three of them as older and wiser, and with Bruce as the third-wheel character. He knows the two better than anyone and over the course of the story, Diana is reminded how close they truly are and why she actually respects him and his singular mindset.
2 Talia Al Ghul
Talia has been a mainstay in the comics for decades but has come into more prominence in The Dark Knight films. The character is the daughter of Ra’s Al Ghul, the man who taught Bruce everything he knows. Talia is cunning and, having been trained by the League of Shadows, she knows many of the same skills as Batman. Talia is also willing to do whatever it takes to keep her father’s legacy alive and create conflict around the globe.
She is also the mother to Bruce’s son, Damien, who would later go on to become Robin. However, having been raised by his mother, he is ruthless and cunning at a very young age. Talia is someone who is always returning to Bruce’s life when it is most inconvenient, but has a lingering hold on his heart.
Be Afraid of the Power
It is important for Bruce to remember just how dangerous Talia actually is. She is deceptive in ways that Bruce never dreamed of. He is often reminded that she not only went through the same training but continued on and not only adopted the mindset of the League of Shadows but led them. Her grip on the world and world events is often deeper than Batman can handle, but their history has a habit of resurfacing.
1 Selina Kyle
Selina Kyle, AKA Catwoman, is the character whom Batman/Bruce seems most compatible with. They are in a constant back-and-forth about her being a perfect criminal and him constantly trying to catch her. Selina and Bruce play the cat-and-bat game with each other throughout Gotham and through the years, with his fascination growing each time they meet. In both the comics and films, they have been a couple, although it does not stop her from returning to her criminal roots on more than one occasion.
Keeping Enemies Close
Bruce loves Selina because she doesn’t care what he thinks of her, she just loves that he is strong, rich, and passionate about her and his mission. They have often come together in some of the most bizarre storylines, with Bruce seemingly happy to adopt the idea of enemies-to-lovers. It seems that their constant back-and-forth changes their relationship even more.
Bruce cannot help but find her beguiling and mysterious, even if he has been chasing her criminal self for decades. It seemed inevitable that she would turn on him, and even more that he would let her go. Selina is the most constant force in Bruce’s life, and she is well aware of the effect she has on him.
