Batman Unburied star Winston Duke said that getting to play a Black Batman is a "social-justice advocate's wet dream."
Speaking with Variety, Duke, star of the Batman Unburied podcast airing on Spotify and created by David S. Goyer, touched on what it means to play a Dark Knight who is Black. Duke said, “It wasn’t focused on my body and what I looked like in a frame… Being a Black man shaped who this man was. But my body doesn’t have to be the focus.” Along with comparing the gig to a "social-justice advocate's wet dream," Duke added, "How would I, as a powerful person of color with billions of dollars, change the world… and a justice system that feels like I couldn’t come out on the right end?”
Duke also said Batman Unburied gave him the opportunity to do something completely different with the Bruce Wayne character compared to previous stories or adaptations. “Bruce Wayne historically has been a product of white privilege — that’s almost been his superpower, his wealth," he said. "That felt like its own wall to me. How do I connect to a character who is so grounded in his whiteness?”
Batman Unburied launched in May from DC. Now eight episodes in, the podcast follows Batman/Bruce Wayne as he works as a forensic pathologist in Gotham Hospital when a new serial killer named The Harvester (voiced by Sam Witwatersrand) emerges in Gotham. "Not only will the superhero be forced to face his own mental demons, but he will also have to overcome them in order to save the citizens of Gotham as his alter ego Batman," reads the description for the series. Additional voice actors involved in Batman Unburied include Gina Rodriguez, Jason Isaacs, Hasan Minhaj, Lance Reddick, Ashely Burch and John Rhys-Davies.
"I am so excited, so honored, to be joining the DC family with Batman: Unburied [and] with Spotify," Duke previously said of working on the series. "We have been cooking up something very, very special for you. We've been creating something that's nuanced and beautiful, with great characters, great voices and just a beautiful experience. So in that vein, I am Batman!"
In comics, DC has also given a Black Batman his own series, I Am Batman starring Lucious Fox's oldest son, Jace Fox, as the titular hero. Written by John Ridley, I Am Batman #9 is currently on sale from DC with issue #10 arriving on June 14.
Source: Variety