'Batman: The Killing Joke' Movie Has Barbara Gordon/Batgirl Intro That Alan Moore Left Out

Alan Moore's classic and dark graphic novel, Batman: The Killing Joke, is finally getting an adaptation, and days after it was confirmed that the movie would get an R-Rating, something else has been revealed: unlike its comic book counterpart, the animated version of the haunting Joker story will have an important intro of Barbara Gordon's career as Batgirl.

Although there had already been reports of a 15-minute prologue revolving around Barbara Gordon, it has been recently confirmed that Batgirl is going to be an "integral part of the story" instead of mentioned in passing, which is basically how it goes down in the original Moore novel.

"The prologue allows the audience to invest themselves in Barbara as a character before her moment with the Joker. Hopefully, Batgirl gets a more active role throughout the film," HitFix writes when revealing the extended version of Batgirl's story.

It's still unclear how the film will depict The Joker's encounter with Barbara, where he not only breaks her spine and leaves her in a wheelchair, but he also strips her nude and takes pictures of her to torture her father, Gotham Police Commissioner, Jim Gordon. The whole thing is an attempt to "break" the policeman and prove to Batman that even the most correct men can flip out after one bad day.

Moore's Killing Joke, an origin story for The Joker in which the character becomes psychotic after having one terrible day, was created as a one-off story -- but it's stuck in canon ever since, particularly regarding the way Barbara Gordon is depicted, as she's been in a wheelchair since that time. In the years since its publication, however, there has been a lot of controversy regarding Moore's treatment of the character, with many calling it a strong case of violence against women in the medium.

The animated adaptation of Batman: The Killing Joke will bring back the main voice cast from Batman: The Animated Series, including Mark Hamill as The Joker and Kevin Conroy in the role of the Caped Crusader. Tara Strong, who voiced Barbara Gordon in The New Batman Adventures, will reprise her role.