10 Years Later, DC Admits Killing Joke's Batman/Batgirl Romance Was A Terrible Idea

Published Nov 2, 2026, 9:00 PM EST

Adam has been writing in the entertainment news space for over a decade. Beginning his career of covering film and TV at CinemaBlend, he has also appeared on The Flash Podcast and done several radio spots. 

While the Batgirl mantle has been shared by multiple characters, Barbara Gordon remains the most well known individual to hold it. Introduced in 1967, she was created by request for the Batman TV show, resulting in Yvonne Craig debuting as Barbara in season 3, and making her comics entry in Detective Comics #359, simultaneously. Nearly 60 years later, she ranks as one of Batman’s most trusted allies, from fighting alongside him in Gotham City, to feeding him intel behind the scenes as Oracle.

Unlike the many Robins, Bruce Wayne did not take in Barbara as an adolescent, as she’s the daughter of Commissioner James Gordon. Nevertheless, they’ve grown close over the years, with Barbara looking at Bruce as a treasured friend. There are even some stories where they have a father/daughter dynamic.

That’s why it was baffling when 2016’s Batman: The Killing Joke, the animated film adaptation of the same-named story by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, depicted Bruce and Barbara having a sexual relationship. This deviation from the source material was met with outcry from many fans, and 10 years later, DC has admitted that it was a mistake.

How DC Threw Shade At Batman And Batgirl’s Killing Joke Romance

Warner Bros. Animation

DC recently shared a number of “cursed” couples costumes for Halloween on Instagram, and Batman and Batgirl were part of the lineup. The others were Superman and Supergirl, Aquaman and Zatanna, Jimmy Olsen and Lex Luthor, and Hal Jordan and Kerry Kane from HBO’s Lanterns. Although comic artwork of Batman and Batgirl was used in the social media post, it was clearly a shot at how these two were depicted in Batman: The Killing Joke.

In the original graphic novel, Barbara only appears when Joker shows up at the Gordon residence to shoot her and kidnap Commissioner Gordon. The animated movie expands her role by opening with Batgirl and Batman going on a mission that ends with her retiring from crimefighting. Ahead of making that decision, Batman attempts to take her off the case they were working on for fear she might go too far and start killing criminals. Angered, Barbara starts physically and verbally assaulting Bruce, but that quickly transitioned to the two of them having sex.

A Batman/Batgirl Romance Goes Back Even Further Than The Killing Joke

Warner Bros. Animation

The animated adaptation of Batman: The Killing Joke earned primarily negative reception, with a significant portion of the criticism being directed at the prologue and the decision to romantically pair Bruce and Barbara. However, this polarizing dynamic did not originate from the movie. It goes all the way back to the DC Animated Universe and its head architect Bruce Timm, who also produced The Killing Joke.

After The New Batman Adventures depicted Batman and Batgirl working more closely together, Batman Beyond confirmed that the two dated sometime after Dick Grayson left Gotham City and established himself in Bludhaven. Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman, which was released after Batman Beyond ended, teased their romance further by having Barbara call Bruce from college to inquire about if he’d replace her with the mysterious Batwoman as his “partner.” Ultimately, the events of Batman: Return of the Joker’s flashback story, as well as Bruce’s obsession with crimefighting, caused their relationship to end.

Additionally, the comic book series Batman Beyond 2.0 (which is not part of the official DCAU canon) more explicitly explored a Bruce/Barbara romance by revealing she was once pregnant with his baby, but then suffered a miscarriage. Ultimately, though, it’s Batman: The Killing Joke that’s gotten the most attention for pairing these two together intimately. It’s never been a popular creative decision, and even DC is willing to acknowledge this. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of great Batman love interests to ship with the Caped Crusade instead.

Batman: The Killing Joke can be streamed on HBO Max.

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  Bruce Wayne / Batman (voice)

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  Jack Napier / The Joker / Red Hood (voice)