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The book, widely regarded as one of the best and most enduring Batman stories ever told, is loathed by many feminist critics and Batgirl fans alike for its treatment of Barbara Gordon, who is shot, stripped naked and photographed. The physical injuries ultimately left her paralyzed from the waist down for years and the psychological scars — while they varied from writer to writer — were at least revisited periodically all the way through the New 52 relaunch, when Barbara’s ability to walk was restored and she resumed her career as Batgirl.
In the interim, though, we got Oracle.
To some readers — those who enjoyed The Killing Joke on its merits but who see legitimate issues with Moore and Bolland’s handling of the Barbara Gordon character — it’s always tempting to point to Oracle and say that, as far as The Killing Joke is concerned, all’s well that ends well because we ended up with a bold and awesome revamp of Barbara’s character.
Of course, there was never any planned at the time of The Killing Joke‘s creation to bring Barbara back as a strong, inspirational figure. Rather, her time was just…done. It was in Suicide Squad under Kim Yale and John Ostrander that Oracle was introduced, and Barbara successfully came out from under the shadow of Batman.
And now, in the midst of an explosion of superhero films and television shows, we have a Suicide Squad movie based largely on Ostrander’s years on the title.
Oracle should be part of that film.
As a key member of that era of the Suicide Squad and one of the most interesting additions to the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths DC Universe, Oracle deserves a big screen berth. If she starts as Batgirl, it will not only ensure that fans will never see any big-screen version of later Batgirls who have their own fans but also would require some pretty complex logical acrobatics given what we know about Batman so far.
While, yes, it might seem a little early to give up on Batgirl, it really might not be. After all, we know that Ben Affleck is playing an older, more seasoned Batman and it’s even rumored that Dick Grayson has graduated from Robin to Nightwing while Jason Todd has come and gone as Robin. Having a 20-year-old cop’s daughter step up as Batgirl right now might actually create more problems than it solves.
But having Oracle in Suicide Squad only gives more cool opportunities for David Ayer’s film. Without the baggage of the negative elements of The Killing Joke, you could still explore the past between The Joker and Barbara Gordon in a really compelling way.
Who would you like to play the character? Chime in below.
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