DC Admits 10 Years Later Its Killing Joke Batman-Batgirl Romance Was a Terrible Idea

A controversial film change

Barbara Gordon, introduced in 1967, is among Batman’s closest allies. She has fought beside him in Gotham City and later supported him as Oracle, while viewing Bruce as a treasured friend.

The 2016 animated adaptation of Batman: The Killing Joke added a sexual relationship between Bruce and Barbara, which was absent from Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ graphic novel. The choice drew strong criticism from fans.

In the comic, Barbara appears when the Joker visits the Gordon home, shoots her and kidnaps Commissioner James Gordon. The film instead opens with a mission involving Batgirl and Batman, ending with her decision to leave crimefighting.

How the film framed them

Before Barbara retires, Bruce tries to remove her from their case because he fears she could begin killing criminals. She becomes angry and attacks him verbally and physically; the confrontation then turns into sex.

The film received primarily negative reviews, with much of the criticism directed at its prologue and the romantic pairing. The storyline was removed the following year, according to the article.

Earlier stories explored romance

The relationship predates the film. The New Batman Adventures showed Batman and Batgirl working more closely, and Batman Beyond later established that they had dated after Dick Grayson left Gotham for Bludhaven.

Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman further suggested a romance when Barbara called Bruce from college to ask whether he would replace her with Batwoman as his “partner.” Their relationship eventually ended amid Bruce’s crimefighting fixation and events shown in Batman: Return of the Joker. The non-canonical comic series Batman Beyond 2.0 offered a more explicit account, revealing that Barbara had been pregnant with Bruce’s child and suffered a miscarriage. The Killing Joke remains the most prominent depiction of the pairing.

DC’s Halloween post

DC included Batman and Batgirl in an Instagram post presenting “cursed” couples costumes. Other pairs included Superman and Supergirl, Aquaman and Zatanna, Jimmy Olsen and Lex Luthor, and Hal Jordan and Kerry Kane from HBO’s Lanterns. The post used comic artwork of Batman and Batgirl, but the article describes it as a clear jab at their relationship in The Killing Joke.