Batman

Holy LGBTQ, Caped Crusader!!! Robin's dropping big personal news in the latest installment of "Batman: Urban Legends" ... he's bisexual.

Tim Drake is the DC character who fights crime as Robin, and when the sixth installment of the comic book dropped Tuesday the story ended with Tim saying yes to going on a date with a guy named Bernard Dowd.

The story goes ... Robin had a "lightbulb moment" while fighting side-by-side with Bernard. After coming to his rescue as Robin, Tim later hits up Bernard's pad, and you can see the anticipation's building 'cause he hypes himself up, saying ... "It's OK, Tim. You got this."

When Bernard opens the door he's on the verge of asking out Tim on a date, but Tim interrupts with ... "I’m really glad you got home okay. I was relieved. And I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, about that night. And I -- I don’t know what it meant to me. Not yet. But I’d like to figure it out."

Bernard responds, "I was hoping you would. Tim Drake … do you want to go on a date with me?” Robin says yes, and that's the cliffhanger ... until the next issue drops in December.

Did you know ... ex-football star Doug Flutie has his very own BATMOBILE!?!

It's true -- and the guy was cruisin' it out in Tampa Bay this morning, where he DEFINITELY got noticed by a bunch of people in town for the Super Bowl.

The whip is incredible ... a replica of the classic Batmobile from the 1960s TV show -- designed by legendary car guy George Barris.

Back in the day, Barris created the car from a modified 1955 Ford Lincoln Futura -- and when Adam West got behind the driver's seat, it instantly became one of the most famous rides in the world.

Seems 58-year-old Flutie is a big fan of the Caped Crusader -- he's had the car since 2019 ... and keeps it in a special "Batcave" at his Florida home where he also has a Batman arcade game and Batman pinball machine!!

The car also features a special red Batphone next to the driver's seat -- along with special racing seatbelts in the driver and passenger seats!

By the way, we're told Flutie was super nice when spotted at a gas station on Saturday morning -- taking pics with fans and chatting about the big game.

Notice he's wearing a Tampa Bay Bucs hat .... no surprise he's supporting his old pal Tom Brady considering they played together on the Patriots back in 2005.

The guy who's third in line to be Commander-in-Chief of this country is also well-equipped to hit the Bat-signal every now and again ... because he's got quite the movie resume.

Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont -- who was recently voted to become the new president pro tempore of the Senate, replacing Chuck Grassley -- has made cameos in a whopping FIVE Batman movies over the years, even in roles you might vaguely remember.

His appearances date back to 1995, when he first showed up in "Batman Forever," and the hits kept on coming from there ... he starred in 1997's "Batman & Robin," 2008's "The Dark Knight," 2012's "The Dark Knight Rises," and 2016's "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice."

Sen. Leahy also did some voice acting in the Batman animated series in the '90s, so the guy definitely has his spot reserved in Gotham's HOF. He often played politicians in his portrayals, which makes sense. That's kind of his day job.

As for how he got into it ... apparently, his son (an actor) told some Hollywood bigwigs back in the day that his dad was a HUGE Batman fan, so they hooked him up with a cameo ... and the rest is history. All his earnings from the films have been donated to charity.

Batman was first revealed in a comic book way back in 1939, and though kids could have bought it then for 10 cents ... a collector just paid $849,999.90 more to get his hands on one.

Detective Comics No. 27 is the vintage comic in which the Caped Crusader makes his first appearance, and there are fewer than 70 copies still remaining in the world ... according to online auction house ComicConnect.

One of those copies just sold for a whopping $850k, making it the second-highest sale price ever for that particular issue ... and one of the top comic book sales of all time.

Vincent Zurzolo -- co-owner of ComicConnect, which managed the sale -- says the comic probably would have gone for even more if it was in better condition, but it's only a 6 out of 10 on the CGC grading scale.

By contrast, another copy of No. 27 that was graded an 8 sold for a staggering $1,075,500 in 2010 ... setting the record for the Batman comic.

Zurzolo says the recent $850k sale reflects how the collectibles market is booming right now. As we've reported ... that's been evidenced by a Mike Trout rookie card netting a stunning $3.9 MILLION in August, and a LeBron James rookie card fetching $1.8 mil in July.

As for comic books ... Superman still reigns supreme. A copy of the 1938 edition of Action Comics No. 1 where the superhero debuted sold for $1.5 million, smashing all previous records.

Here's Javicia Leslie taking over as the new "Batwoman" ... and TMZ has the first look at the new getup.

Javicia's in her full 'Batwoman' gear after taking over for Ruby Rose on the CW series ... and this is the first time she's been spotted filming for season 2 in the new-look costume.

As you know ... Javicia is making history here as the first Black woman to take on the role of 'Batwoman.'

Javicia's been teasing the new suit for a while on her social media, and now fans are finally seeing what it's all about ... and we gotta say, she looks like a badass who is more than ready to fight some crime.

As you can see, the suit is black with red accents, and Javicia's got red hair to top it all off. Her boots look like they could kick some serious butt.

Bad guys beware, there's a new 'Batwoman' in town!!!

The Oscar-winning writer behind "12 Years a Slave" is coming back with a new project that'll see Batman's cowl donned by a Black man ... and fans already think they know who it is.

John Ridley is heading up a 4-issue, limited series comic for DC, in which the Dark Knight will NOT be Bruce Wayne, but a different character entirely ... one who will likely be African-American. The news was announced this weekend during the online Fandome event.

Ridley teased the fact Batman wouldn't be white, saying, "I think it's a pretty safe bet that if I'm writing Batman, it's probably a little better than a 47 percent chance he's going to be a person of color." Batman being Black, though, was confirmed when John said the story would likely focus on the character Lucius Fox and his family ... whom folks know all too well.

Lucius is the head of Wayne Enterprises in the comics, and was played by Morgan Freeman in Christopher Nolan's 'Dark Knight' trilogy. He's a bit too old to rock the cape himself -- but his son, Luke, is known in some iterations at Batwing ... one of Batsy's sidekicks.

Because Gotham hasn't been through enough in 2020 ... the Joker's popping up his colorful head for some summer hijinks. Naturally.

Somebody dressed as the Clown Prince of Crime himself was spotted this morning riding a jet ski on the East River, in broad daylight no less. He cruised up to a group of bystanders who were recording him this weekend and flaunted his ride, his costume and makeup -- which we're on point -- then sped off.

As for which iteration of the Joker this fella went with -- probably the most popular among today's Batman fans ... Heath Ledger's portrayal from "The Dark Knight." He did it on camera more than a decade ago, but the look still holds up today.

If 2020 hadn't already brought a real-life pandemic that's killed nearly 20,000 in NYC alone, the sight of the Joker arriving in town might have fazed more citizens.

BTW, fun fact -- it seems like this jet skiing Joker has an annual tradition of hitting the water, assuming it was the same guy riding out on the East River with the same exact outfit in 2019.

He was spotted by some other New Yorkers around this time last year, and actress Olivia Wilde even seemed to confirm that she, too, had seen the Joker zipping along out there.

Robert Pattinson's Dark Knight is a fan of classic American muscle cars, it seems, 'cause his Batmobile looks like it rolled straight out of a 1960's Detroit factory ... with custom touches, of course.

Director Matt Reeves just posted a few photos from the set of his forthcoming "The Batman" -- with RP in the suit, but more importantly ... showing off his sweet new ride. From a bird's-eye view, it kinda looks like a souped-up Chevy Camaro or maybe a Dodge from the late 60s.

You can see the top of it, and there are also shots from the rear and side ... putting the full body on display. Don't get us wrong, it looks cool and all -- but at the same time feels not-so-Batman-y???

It's like Bruce Wayne became a gearhead all of a sudden.

Reeves' flick is supposed to chronicle Batsy in his early years -- so it's reasonable to assume he's a young dude who likes sweet rides like this now but will eventually get a little more sophisticated in B'mobile taste.

It's certainly a different take than any previous iterations of the iconic whip, and hey ... it might just work out on the big screen.

Robert Pattinson is officially moving on from his "Twilight" vampire days and heading to the Batcave ... here he is for the first time as Batman!!!

The actor's new role as The Dark Knight was just revealed for the first time by "The Batman" director Matt Reeves in a 45-second camera test ... in which Pattinson slowly comes into focus in a dark room lit by red light.

As he steps forward to show off the Batsuit, an ominous score by composer Michael Giacchino builds to a crescendo before going black. Gotta say, it's pretty badass.

The latest reboot for the Caped Crusader series from Warner Bros. was actively pursued by Pattinson, who says he kept prodding Reeves once he learned he was attached as director ... and managed to land the iconic role.

Reeves is known for directing "Cloverfield" and 2 "Planet of the Apes" films.

“The Batman” is set to debut on June 25, 2021. Mark your calendars.

The cat's outta the bag -- Zoe Kravitz is playing Catwoman in the new 'Batman' movie ... which is interesting, considering she was allegedly too "urban" for Christopher Nolan's take.

The news broke Monday, with multiple outlets reporting that Zoe had landed the role after testing out some scenes last week opposite heartthrob Robert Pattinson -- who's donning the cowl next in Matt Reeves' "The Batman" ... which is hitting theaters in 2021.

The ironic thing about Zoe's casting here is that she told Nylon back in 2015 that she couldn't even get an audition for Nolan's last Batman flick, "The Dark Knight Rises," which she attributed to her race. That's not out of the clear blue sky either.

Zoe said she was basically blocked from even reading for a small role in the movie, allegedly being told that somebody had said they weren't "going urban" with the last installment.

"Joker" screenings were met with angst this weekend -- but what do you do when the actual Clown Prince of Gotham himself crashes your sesh??? Ask him to laugh, of course!!!

That's exactly what happened Saturday evening at a movie house in the San Fernando Valley -- with none other than Joaquin Phoenix himself coming out to greet ticketholders after the credits rolled for a 5:15 PM showing out at Pacific Theaters in Chatsworth.

The actor was making the rounds at different L.A. cineplexes, apparently -- posing with fans and shaking hands -- but at this one ... he got a little stage fright when asked to do his tormented Joker laugh from the film. If you haven't heard it yet ... ya gotta go see it.

Watch ... Joaquin seems to almost half-attempt it here but pulls back -- saying he just can't do it and then asking the audience member to do his own version. The guy couldn't either.

President Trump tried turning D.C. into Gotham with a little help from the music featured in one of Christopher Nolan's Batman movies ... but the bat signal was cut off quick.

DT posted a well-produced dramatic video on his Twitter feed Tuesday afternoon that hyped up his MAGA slogan and was basically fodder for his base -- but it also used one of the orchestral tunes in "The Dark Knight Rises" ... ya know, one of the epic ones.

And, of course, Trump slugged his tweet, "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

The problem ... Trump stole Hans Zimmer's music, "Why Do We Fall?" The tune belongs to the movie studio behind "The Dark Knight Rises" ... Warner Bros.

At some point early Wednesday morning, Twitter removed the video ... citing a complaint from the copyright holder, WB. A WB honcho publicly said shortly afterward the studio hadn't authorized the White House to use its Bat tune.

Did you know Ben Affleck made Warner Bros. stitch the No. 12 into his Batman costume during his entire run as the superhero as an ode to Tom Brady?!?

Neither did we ... 'cause it ain't true -- but Affleck joked it was Thursday on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' ... and the TB12 shout-out was hilarious!!!

Ben spoke with Kimmel on the late-night talk show and officially retired forever from playing The Dark Knight ... and to commemorate the moment -- Jimmy said they'd hang his costume in the rafters.

Guillermo -- Jimmy's ultra funny companion on the show -- brought out the bat costume (in his own Robin outfit) ... when suddenly, it was revealed the cape had "Batfleck 12" inscribed on it!!!

Ben said the number was a shout-out to none other than football's G.O.A.T., saying, "That’s Brady’s number. You can’t be a hero unless you wear number 12.”

Affleck added -- jokingly -- Warner Bros. "actually paid $80 million to digitally remove it from every movie.”

It was a funny moment ... but, it was hardly the best part of the skit -- that involved a Matt Damon thong and Affleck's nose.

Yeah, watch the clip.

Halsey looks like she's doing just fine post-breakup with G-Eazy ... having the time of her life at her annual Halloween bash.

As you can see, Halsey went with a Gotham City villains theme ... dressing as Poison Ivy. She danced the night away in L.A. at The Majestic Downtown, sharing the floor with Two-Face, Bane, and The Penguin ... no need for G-Eazy.

As we reported ... Halsey and G-Eazy split this week for the second time this year in their on-again, off-again relationship.

Things got nasty on the set of the upcoming "Joker" movie over the weekend ... we're told extras were locked on a subway car for more than 3 hours, and it got so bad some people started peeing on the tracks.

Sources on set tell TMZ ... extras for the movie were filming a scene in a Brooklyn subway station and they were locked in a train car and denied their break after 2 hours of work ... leading to a sticky situation.

The extras started banging on the subway doors asking to be let out because people needed to use the bathroom, but they were kept inside and eventually resorted to pissing on the tracks through the small spaces between cars.

We've learned SAG received a complaint about a break time violation and they sent a rep to the set to resolve the situation ... and SAG will continue to follow up and monitor the set.

Warner Bros. tells TMZ they're looking into what went down on the tracks.

Ben Affleck may or may not don the cowl again for another 'Batman' movie -- especially after heading back to rehab -- but based on how he looks right now ... dude totally could.

The actor was seen heading to a meeting Monday in L.A., and he was looking completely yoked in a fitted tee. Don't worry, this ain't just a good angle of Ben from the front ... he had a full-blown gun show on display from the side as well. It was sunny out, so ... ya know.

Looks like all that working out at his home gym a few weeks ago really paid off while he was attending rehab. Also worth noting -- we haven't really seen him without a jacket on for a minute now, including Sunday's outing with Jen Garner and the kids. Who knew?!

It's unclear if Ben has finished his treatment, but we have seen him out in public more regularly in recent weeks.

As for the Bruce Wayne thing -- sign him up.