Stephen Colbert Has Perfect Response to ‘Batman: Damned’ Nudity Controversy

If you’ve been paying attention to the world of comics in the recent week, you’ve surely seen a lot of discourse about Batman’s junk — and it sounds like even Stephen Colbert is weighing in.

The late-night host recently joked on Twitter about the controversy surrounding Batman: Damned #1, a new issue that briefly showcases Batman’s genitalia. The tweet, which you can check out below, pokes fun at the scandalous nature of Batman and Robin‘s “Bat Nipples”.

Of course, the “Bat Nipples” have endured a sort of infamy in the years since the film’s debut, with them being put into the original 1997 film for a very particular reason.

“If you look at Batman and Batman Returns, it was the genius, Bob Ringwood that created those suits, so by the time we got to Batman Forever, the rubber and techniques had gotten so sophisticated.” Batman and Robin director Joel Schumacher explained in a previous interview. “If you look at when Michael Keaton appears in the first suit, you’ll notice how large it is. It was brilliant but the best they could do at the time.”

“By the time Batman Forever came around, rubber molding had become so much more advanced.” Schumacher continued. “So I said, let’s make it anatomical and gave photos of those Greek status and those incredible anatomical drawings you see in medical books. He did the nipples and when I looked at them, I thought, that’s cool.”

While the “Bat Nipples” have been a cause of controversy for decades, Batman: Damned #1 has caused quite an impressive stir in the day-or-so since its debut, with DC fans having all kinds of reactions to seeing Batman’s junk. As was announced earlier today, DC Entertainment will be censoring the scene in any subsequent reprints of the issue, and is already doing so with digital copies.

You can read the synopsis for Batman: Damned #1 below.

“DC BLACK LABEL, the highly anticipated new imprint from DC Comics, starts here!

The Joker is dead. There is no doubt about that. But whether Batman finally snapped his scrawny neck or some other sinister force in Gotham City did the deed is still a mystery.

Problem is, Batman can’t remember…and the more he digs into this labyrinthian case, the more his mind starts to doubt everything he’s uncovering.

So who better to set him straight than…John Constantine? Problem with that is as much as John loves a good mystery, he loves messing with people’s heads even more. So with John’s “help,” the pair will delve into the sordid underbelly of Gotham as they race toward the mind-blowing truth of who murdered The Joker.

BATMAN: DAMNED is a bimonthly super-natural horror story told by two of comics’ greatest modern creators—a visceral thrill-ride that proudly puts the “black” in BLACK LABEL.”

What do you think of Stephen Colbert‘s take on Batman’s junk? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Batman: Damned #1 is in stores now.