If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Batman is everything, but he's just Bruce as Barbie comes into the picture with new franchise partnership

Batman and Barbie are teaming up again, but this time DC's Dark Knight is taking second billing

News by Chris Arrant, Editor-in-Chief

Published on Tue Sep 17 2024

Popverse's top stories of the day

Harley Quinn is making April Fools Day 2025 one to remember with a not-so-sweet-smelling DC comic book special
Watch the D&D, Warhammer, Mega Man, and more anthology panel Secret Level from Prime Video, filmed at NYCC 2024
Nintendo's long-time Mario voice actor reveals the secret behind voicing Mario's Dad in the movie (and how it goes back to his original audition decades ago)

One's got a Batmobile, the other has a pink corvette. One's got a mancave, the other has a dream house. One's got hit movies from Warner Bros., one has a hit movie from Warner Bros. It's destiny they should meet (again).

Of course, we're talking about Batman and Barbie.

Mattel and Warner Bros. Discovery, the owners of the two respective media franchises, are teasing a line of Barbie x Batman dolls to be announced on September 18. This is the culmination of an on-again, off-again relationship between Barbie and Batman that's lasted more than a decade, but when it comes down to imagining the two of them together on toy racks, I can't help but wonder if Barbie will outshine Batman. Barbie is Barbie... but could Batman just be Bruce?

Like many of Batman's partnerships (both romantic and platonic), this has been an inconsistent thing between the two. In 2013, Barbie and Ken cosplayed as Batgirl and Batman for a series of dolls released by Mattel. And then in 2016, Mattel released Barbie-fied versions of the DCEU Batman (Ben Affleck), as well as Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), and Superman (Henry Cavill). And if that's not enough, the cinematic Batman and Barbie share the same stylist. Famed costume designer Jacqueline Durran co-designed Robert Pattison's Batman get-up, and oversaw all of the costumes on 2023's Barbie.

Of course, there's more to the Batman franchise than just Batman (or Bruce Wayne). Mattel has plans to release dolls for Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy as part of this 85th birthday celebration for DC's Dark Knight.

We'll find out soon when the Barbie x Batman dolls are revealed (yes, Warner Bros. and Mattel have agreed Barbie's name goes ahead of Batman in this relationship) on September 18... and when they are in our hands.

Want to know what's coming up next in pop culture? Check out Popverse's guides to:

And if you're looking for specific franchises or genres, we've also got lists for the:

Finally, if you're a fan of superheroes and not specific to just Marvel or DC, we have overall guides to:

Follow Popverse for upcoming event coverage and news

Chris Arrant: Chris Arrant is the Popverse's Editor-in-Chief. He has written about pop culture for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel, Newsarama, CBR, and more. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. (He/him)