The Last Batman Movie You’d Think Pulled Off His Controversial Romance Story

Published Oct 7, 2026, 9:00 AM EDT Zoë Miskelly is an editor and second in command for Screen Rant's Movies team, having covered the entertainment industry for almost 10 years now. Zoë's love of superheroes and all things Marvel & DC started out in childhood, and has blossomed into a career getting to talk about some of the biggest and best movies and shows of all time, having previously focused on comics while working at WhatCulture. The one Batman movie that pulled off the hero's most controversial romance - only shortly after it had gotten a decidedly negative reactions from viewers in a different film - is perhaps the last of the Dark Knight's film roster you'd expect to be able to make this storyline work. Over the years, Batman's movie roster has not shied away from featuring his comic romances on-screen, especially since this is a prime way to show a more human side to Gotham's protector than we often see on display. With that said, the film world has, generally speaking, repeated a lot of the same ground when it comes to who Batman's romantic relationships are with. This makes sense, since broader audiences tend to know that Catwoman is Batman's main love interest in the comics and in the Caped Crusader's wider world of media, and thus Selina Kyle doesn't need as much in the way of setup as some other potential romantic interests might. However, this doesn't mean Catwoman is the sole person we've ever seen capture the Dark Knight's heart in the world of film either. Interestingly enough, one of the most decidedly controversial candidates who's been placed into romantic storylines with Batman featured as his romantic interest in DC movies two years in a row, though only one of them got a positive reception for how it handled the story. The Lego Batman Movie Pulled Off The Romance That Made The Killing Joke Animated Movie So Controversial When the 2016 movie adaptation of The Killing Joke was released, it revealed one notable alteration it had made to the pre-existing comic story. This is namely that it had added a romance between Batman and Commissioner Gordon's daughter Barbara Gordon, who is kidnapped in the story of The Killing Joke and paralyzed by the Joker in order to spite the police chief, with the Joker seemingly unaware Barbara has previously been Batgirl. The fact this relationship was added into the adaptation of one of the most famous Batman comic stories of all time didn't go down well, as plenty of people saw the decision as either something that had been done for no reason, something that had been done to pad time and provide a plot twist comic fans wouldn't expect, or something that was done to link Batman more to Barbara, and none of these possibilities went down well with audiences. This is doubly true given Batman's role as a mentor of sorts for Barbara, and the usual age difference between them, as well as the fact that Barbara is more commonly in a romantic relationship with Batman's adoptive son and DC's first Robin, Dick Grayson, leaving fans feeling uncomfortable at Nightwing's father instead having a relationship with Barbara. Interestingly, it does appear that it's the specific way in which The Killing Joke approached their relationship and dynamic that bothered audiences, though, as The Lego Batman Movie actually managed to develop a relationship between Bruce and Barbara without garnering the same level of ire even though it released not long after in 2017. This appears to be partly because the movie aged Barbara up and made her Gotham's new police chief, partly because any romance is really only teased rather than being impossible to ignore for those who find it simply too weird, and partly because Batman doesn't go from being Barbara's mentor and quasi-bonus father figure to her lover, avoiding some of The Killing Joke's most troubling complications. The Lego Batman Movie Is A Great Example Of How A Film Can Change Lore Without Losing Viewers The Lego Batman Movie, while oftentimes one of the less appreciated additions to Batman's movie roster, is a prime example of how a superhero film can tweak expectations without losing audiences along the way. With a Batman who initially denies caring even about the Joker's attempts to destroy the city, and who is far more comedically toned than almost any Dark Knight other than Adam West's early live-action romps, it would have been easy for audiences to react to the release and its story in the same way they did The Killing Joke - especially because The Lego Batman Movie also involves the Caped Crusader having feelings for Barbara Gordon in its story. On a similar front, the movie not leaning fully into this teased romance angle also works to change things drastically without being quite as capable of ruining viewer experience for those who simply hate the pairing because of how jarring it is when compared to the conventional comic lore. Instead, The Lego Batman Movie focuses more broadly on its titular hero's self-imposed isolation and how he steadily overturns it without focusing too heavily on the idea of romance, which works better for the character's overall story. Release Date February 10, 2017 Runtime 104 minutes Director Chris McKay The LEGO Batman Movie is a spin-off of 2014's The LEGO Movie, which centers around the titular hero; where after another day in Gotham City goes wrong thanks to the Joker and other fellow DC villains, Batman tells the Joker he's a pitiful villain, not worth his time and hurts his feelings. Wanting to prove himself to Batman and get his ultimate revenge, Joker concocts an idea that will require the Caped Crusader to learn how to give up the lone vigilante act and recruit the help of allies Robin and Batgirl.