SDCC: "Batman: The Killing Joke" Screenwriter Explains Controversial Sex Scene

[Den]

I`m so glad I got popcorns for the weekend. This is gold.

The more I think about it, the more I think that "The thing about this is that it's controversial, so we added more controversy" is going to end up as a tagline for professional trolling online

[Aioros22]

Even if I end up editing it I totally feel that way, yes

Sheer gold.

[deaconbluezzz]

I never liked the story much to begin with. Sure, it's really pretty with Bolland's art, but I never cared for the ending. Anyhow, watched the movie last night and it did nothing to change my opinion. Furthermore, the sex scene between Batgirl and Batman (let's leave the entire "icky" feeling of BatMAN fucking BatGIRL aside for a moment) was even more forced and unbelievable than Batman laughing his ass off at the end.

[Mauled]

"The thing about this is that it's controversial, so we added more controversy,"

That may be the stupidest thing I've ever heard.

It's close, Donald Trump always wins in that department , but yeah it's still pretty bad

[Jabare]

Is Bruce Timm going to force his Bruce and Barbara shipping into all of his Batman works.

He didn't get to stroke this enough in his animated universe he has to go and alter Killing Joke too.


Here I was wondering if DC was actually going to portray the Joker's assault on Barbara as it is show in the comics, but it's clear they won't as they've already gone so far from the source material for the sake of randomness.

[Pandarifically Delusional]

Wow! I was bordering on excitement at the announcement that "The Killing Joke" was getting the animation treatment. Little did I know DC was going to "sex it up" by having Bats and Babs do the horizontal mambo! Thanks for helping me save some money, DC! I guess I have the extra spending money for that All-New Wolverine figure that's coming out later this year!

[Soldy]

Can't wait to see the movie!

[kumagawa]

Wow! I was bordering on excitement at the announcement that "The Killing Joke" was getting the animation treatment. Little did I know DC was going to "sex it up" by having Bats and Babs do the horizontal mambo! Thanks for helping me save some money, DC! I guess I have the extra spending money for that All-New Wolverine figure that's coming out later this year!

There is no 'sex it up' you don't see anything at all as it's all off screen.

[BatGlamorous]

Embarrassing.

Oh well, had no plans to give this project any money anyway.

[Babs]

"She controls the men in her life in this story." O wow... they're really using that old excuse?

Anyone who knows Bruce Timm knows where this sexual relationship between Batman and Batgirl comes from. The guy has a whole artbook full of smut. If KidsWB. didn't censor stuff, the DCAU would have been much more violent and sexually explicit. Timm always hated how the networks censored their animated series.

[beetee]

Whu.... Whu... Whu.... WHAAAT? So Batman is a cradle robber?! The fact that The Killing Joke is being regarded a sexist crapstain by certain segments of the fandom is seriously not helped by this unnecessary plot twist....

[Pandarifically Delusional]

There is no 'sex it up' you don't see anything at all as it's all off screen.

Okay, fair enough, but even if it's off-screen, it just wasn't needed. I am not a prude by any means, but the story really didn't call for it. The story is already disturbing enough without adding any sex (off-screen or otherwise). Well, at least there's the original material I re-read to make this trainwreck go away for me..

[Babs]

There is no 'sex it up' you don't see anything at all as it's all off screen.

They sexed it up by adding the relationship and the sex scene is there, whether it's off screen, or not. It wasn't part of Moore's story. They put it in because Bruce Timm likes it. Everything else is bull. All their reasons are excuses. Batgirl has sex with Batman for no other reason than because Bruce Timm is a silly ol' perv who likes it that way.

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[Frontier]

I thought their way of showing Barbara Gordon as a strong character was showcasing her as Batgirl before she's shot? This is just adds nothing but an icky sex scene to an adaption that's meant to satisfy fanboy fantasies, Bruce Timm's in particular, and I can't believe they allowed it .

"The thing about this is that it's controversial, so we added more controversy."

Wha...?

[Nite-Wing]

Is Bruce Timm going to force his Bruce and Barbara shipping into all of his Batman works.

He didn't get to stroke this enough in his animated universe he has to go and alter Killing Joke too.


Here I was wondering if DC was actually going to portray the Joker's assault on Barbara as it is show in the comics, but it's clear they won't as they've already gone so far from the source material for the sake of randomness.

TKJ hasn't been altered
If you want to watch that in all its original glory you can
Just skip the first 35 minutes of this movie

Controversy for Controversies sake is never good but Bruce and Babs is like a pairing of people who have sexual tension but really shouldn't be together. I guess the impetus is to work that into making Babs and Bruce's relationship more complicated.