Recently, a couple of leaked clips from Batman: The Killing Joke – one via YouTube and the other via Twitter - surfaced on web and unsettled the fandom. These clips make it clear that Batman and Batgirl become involved in a sexual relationship in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies installment.
That particular angle is something that wasn't even hinted at in Alan Moore's original one-shot graphic novel of 1988. And since it wasn't there, a lot of fans are irked, even before they’ve seen the animated venture.
But screenwriter Brian Azzarello has an explanation for why they went for such a relationship between Kevin Conroy and Tara Strong's characters in Batman: The Killing Joke. During the movie's screening at San Diego Comic-Con, the scribe says (via Comic Book Resources):
The thing about this is that it’s controversial, so we added more controversy. I think she is stronger than the men in her life in this story. She controls the men in her life in this story.
Sam Liu, the director of Batman: The Killing Joke, further explains:
They both make mistakes, but she’s the one who decides, “I have to stop. There’s a problem here, and I need to step away from this.” I think that comes from an emotional strength. I think she makes the decisions that strong people make.
Agreeing to the director, Azzarello adds:
She comes off as a stronger character at the end of that arc.
Batman: The Killing Joke isn't the first animated venture to have explored a sexual relationship between Batman and Batgirl. The Batman Beyond animated series and its comic continuation illustrated it. There was an awkward plotline in which Batman had impregnated Batgirl while she was already dating Dick Grayson. After getting punched while trying to prevent a robbery, the female superhero had a miscarriage.
You can check out the leaked clips below!
https://youtu.be/4RrkHmYpVAw
idk how to feel about this pic.twitter.com/gsBGHsYet5
"” ☕ (@AcroNite7) July 22, 2016
