‘Joker’ reveals a lot about censorship in 2019, but Joaquin Phoenix’s character almost didn’t exist at all

Over 60 years ago, a book claimed Batman and Robin were lovers, Wonder Woman was a lesbian and Superman gave children unrealistic expectations. It almost killed the superhero industry, writes David Barnett

Saturday 16 November 2019 13:23 GMT
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The Joaquin Pheonix-starring movie has been criticised for its graphic violence
The Joaquin Pheonix-starring movie has been criticised for its graphic violence

Todd Phillips’ movie Joker, with Joaquin Phoenix in the starring role, has become the most profitable comic book movie in history. Some people said the violence was too graphic. Others were concerned that the story of a powerless, battered, rejected white man who solves his problems with a gun was not the sort of story that we needed in 2019.

And then there were those who called for the film to just be banned. Of course, people say a lot of things, especially on social media.

But moral panics, whether born out of liberal discomfort or conservative rage, are nothing new, and many forms of popular culture have indeed been banned, or withdrawn, due to public pressure, disquiet on the part of the creators about how those pieces of art are being viewed, or from various bodies and authorities charged with being the arbiters of good taste.

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