| Julie Madison | |
|---|---|
 Julie Madison inBatman vol. 2, #33 (Sept. 2014) Art byGreg Capullo and Danny Miki. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Detective Comics #31 (September 1939) |
| Created by | Gardner Fox (writer) Bob Kane (artist) Sheldon Moldoff (Illustrator) |
| In-story information | |
| Supporting character of | Batman |
Julie Madison is a fictional character appearing inAmerican comic books published byDC Comics, commonly in association with thesuperheroBatman. The character first appeared inDetective Comics #31 (September 1939) and was created byGardner Fox,Bob Kane, andSheldon Moldoff. She is best known as being Batman's first significant romantic interest.[1]
The character made her live-action debut in the 1997 filmBatman & Robin, played byElle Macpherson.
The character made her animated debut in theAmazon Prime Video seriesBatman: Caped Crusader, voiced byGrey DeLisle.
Julie Madison first appeared inDetective Comics #31 (September 1939) and was created byGardner Fox,Bob Kane, andSheldon Moldoff.[2]
Only four issues after Batman's own debut, Julie Madison first appeared inDetective Comics #31. She made her last appearance in theGolden Age of Comics inDetective Comics #49 (March 1941).[3]
She is originally portrayed as an oft-imperiled socialite who is engaged toBruce Wayne and is unaware of his secret life as Batman. She fears that Bruce will never be anything but a spoiled, lazy playboy; she is fascinated with Batman, considering him her ideal man. In her first appearance, she is used as a pawn in thevampiricMonk's battle with the Dark Knight.
Detective Comics #40 established her as an actress. In this issue she and her costars are targeted by the deranged actorBasil Karlo (aka the originalClayface) who is angry for not being given the chance to star in a remake of a movie he had previously appeared in.[4]
Julie makes her last appearance in the early series inDetective Comics #49. In this episode, the head of the film studio and his publicity agent get her to adopt the stage name "Portia Storme" (inspired byPortia ofWilliam Shakespeare'sThe Merchant of Venice and the fact that her last performance had "taken the world by storm"). Julie, meanwhile, ends her engagement to Bruce. The split is amicable and they remain on good terms. Batman andRobin intervene when Clayface escapes from custody and again goes after Julie. In the course of capturing the villain, she becomes the first female to don the Robin costume as part of a complicated deception.[3]
Julie Madison reappeared in twoWorld's Finest stories in the 1970s as Princess Portia, ruler of the fictional country of Moldacia.[5]
The six issue mini-seriesBatman and the Monster Men byMatt Wagner, published in 2006, is set early in (the currentpost-Crisis[broken anchor] version of) Batman's career, and re-introduces Julie Madison. This version of the character is a law student, and the daughter of Norman Madison, a failing businessman who borrows money from mobsterSal Maroni. Bruce Wayne cares deeply for Julie, but is reluctant to tell her the secret of his nighttime activities. Julie herself suspects that Bruce is hiding something from her.[6]
Julie takes on further importance in Wagner's follow-up mini-seriesBatman and the Mad Monk. LikeMonster Men, this series retells an early story from Batman's publishing history, his conflict with the vampiric villain,the Monk. As in the original, Juliesleepwalks into the Monk's lair where she is bitten by the vampire, becoming his thrall. The Monk attempts to manipulate Julie into signing over her father's finances to hissupernatural cult. In the end, Batman saves Julie, but her father is killed by Maroni's thugs. Distraught, she leaves Bruce and Gotham and goes toAfrica as a volunteer member of thePeace Corps.[7]
In theBatman: Family miniseries,paparazzi ask Bruce Wayne if he is the "father of Julie Madison's baby".
Julie later makes a flashback appearance inBatman #682 asDarkseid's minions invade Batman's mind and distort his memories. In Batman's early days, she tellsAlfred Pennyworth to inform Bruce she is leaving for Hollywood to try to make it as an actress; Batman later does not realize or recall that she has left.[8]
In "The New 52" (a 2011reboot of the DC Comics universe), Julie Madison debuts in the beginning of the "Savage City" storyline, the final act of "Zero Year". There she only appears in a flashback/dream sequence, in which she is dating Bruce, who is one of her classmates.[9] She reappears in the last issue of the storyline, this time in the present time, as she has moved back to Gotham and wants to be reunited with Bruce. Alfred imagines what it would be like if Bruce and Julie got together and made a family, allowing Bruce to have a life beyond Batman. Bruce can't meet with Julie because he is busy with crime fighting, much to Alfred's displeasure.[10]
InBatman (vol. 2) #43, Julie is the head of a clinic for underprivileged youth that Bruce Wayne is helping to finance and manage.[11] After the events ofBatman: Endgame - which sees Bruce having been left with no memories of his life as Batman after his last battle withthe Joker - Bruce has begun a relationship with Julie and works for her in the clinic. Together, they visit Wayne Manor, which Geri Powers has purchased and returned to Bruce, only to be attacked by theRiddler,Mr. Freeze, and Clayface.[12] In the course of their relationship, Julie reveals that her father was a former gunrunner who likely soldJoe Chill the gun that he used to kill Bruce's parents, but Bruce maintains that it doesn't matter, even expressing a desire to marry her.[13] When Bruce deduces his past as Batman and concludes that he must restore his memories to stop the attack of new villain Mister Bloom, Julie helps Alfred complete the process that will restore Bruce's memories of his life as Batman at the cost of destroying all the memories he gained during his amnesia. She expresses acceptance of the fact that Gotham needs Batman more than she needs Bruce, considering it appropriate in a twisted way that she should 'end' Bruce Wayne's new life just as her father contributed to his original end by selling Chill the gun that killed the Waynes.[14]
