About

Batcock refers to memes and jokes inspired by a controversial panel in DC Comics' 2018 issue Batman: Damned #1, intended for mature audiences. The panel showed Bruce Wayne (Batman) naked and backlit with a faint outline of his genitalia visible. After facing some backlash, DC censored the image in digital editions and future printings. "Batcock" then became a prominent meme on Batman themed subreddits and online communities like /r/BatmanArkham in the early 2020s alongside memes like Is He Stupid and Man.

Origin

The three-issue-long limited-run Batman: Damned comic book series was created by Brian Azzarello and illustrated by Lee Bermejo. The first edition of the series was released in print on September 19th, 2018, and was released under DC Black Label intended for more mature audiences.

The first print edition of Batman: Damned was recalled in September 2018 due to a panel that showed Batman naked and backlit, with the outline of his genitalia visible. Around 115,000 uncensored copies were published, with the price of this print edition shooting up after subsequent reprints censored the panel. Subsequent prints and digital editions showed censored versions of the panel^[1]

The earliest known mention of the phrase "Batcock" is a December 11th, 2022, post to the subreddit /r/BatmanArkham^[2] by Redditor /u/dzikson69. The post showed a Batman: Arkham poster edited to read "Batcock" instead, gathering over 2,000 points in two years.

Spread

On July 14th, 2023, YouTuber^[3] Christendo64 posted a video titled, "The Arkham subreddit is beyond saving." The video used the aforementioned "Batcock" meme as the thumbnail, gathering over 200,000 views in a year.

A screenshot of the thumbnail was reposted back to /r/BatmanArkham^[4] on August 4th, 2024, by Redditor /u/LongjumpingCicada494 with the caption, "Who the FUCK does this guy think he is?? Is he stupid??"

An August 22nd, 2023, post to /r/BatmanArkham^[5] by Redditor /u/Sergentskydiver showed gameplay from the video game alongside a caption that read, "Why did the camera zoom in on his batcock? Is it gay?" The post gathered over 2,000 upvotes in a year.

Why did the camera zoom in on his batcock? Is it gay? byu/Sergentskydiver inBatmanArkham

On December 10th and December 11th, 2024, two Redditors posted message screenshots to the subreddit /r/teenagers showing how they "accidentally" sent that Batcock meme to their mom. Redditor^[6] /u/Lascula gathered over 24,000 upvotes in two days, while Redditor^[7] /u/GeorgeStinksLol gathered over 1,000 upvotes in a day.

Search Interest

External References