Not only is Bruce and Barbara’s past relationship scandalous to fans— it’s also infuriating to Dick Grayson, who was her boyfriend at the time.
Warning! Warning!
Batman got Batgirl pregnant once, in a DC Animated Universe world. Not only is their past relationship scandalous to fans— it’s also infuriating to Dick Grayson AKA Nightwing, who was Barbara Gordon’s boyfriend at the time.
While some may forget that Bruce and Dick had romantic relationships during Batman: The New Adventures with Barbara, audiences were outraged when Batman & Batgirl got together in animated adaptation of The Killing Joke. Many thought it was inappropriate for two bat vigilantes, especially considering that she had been long seen as a teenage sidekick. It turns out that there was a much bigger offense to their affair in Batman Beyond 2.0 #28. Written by Kyle Higgins and featuring art by Phil Hester, Craig Rousseau, and Batman Beyond 2.0 #28.
When Bruce confronts Barbara in the Batcave, she reveals that she’s been pregnant for seven weeks. Assuming that it’s Dick Grayson’s child, Bruce is congratulatory, but she goes onto explain that he hadn’t been back in Gotham at that time. While Dick was away, Bruce and Barbara’s relationship became romantic and went in a direction they hadn’t planned. The moment adds new context for why Robin and Batman initially fell apart in the DCAU, as Dick went onto become Nightwing and distance himself from his Boy Wonder image. Based on their interaction, it seems like they’ve both acknowledged the mistake and will leave it in the past.
The flashback to the New Adventures era of the timeline comes across like a deleted scene that the animation rating system wouldn’t approve to air. It almost fits perfectly with the episode Old Wounds. Dick Grayson disavows his Robin persona, punching Batman, and abandoning the bat-family for a time. Dick is furious with him more than any fans have ever seen him. After learning of the tragic events that took place between Barbara, his surrogate father, and Bruce, he becomes enraged and defeats Bruce. While it had been known that the bat family’s adventures ended in tragedy, as referenced throughout Batman Beyond, Barbara’s pregnancy was never an emphasized breaking point. Instead, Return of the Joker made it seem that Tim Drake’s demise brought the team to a definitive end.
If Barbara and Bruce had a baby together, it would have changed how the DCAU operated and could have robbed the organization. Batman Beyond is its premise. The son or daughter of BatmanAnd Batgirl would be a likely candidate to take over the mantle in the future as Gotham’s guardian. Terry McGinnis would’ve been out of a job if the city already had a Dark Knight by the time he was a teenager. Similar to Damian Wayne, the son that Batman had with Talia, Barbara and Bruce would be certain to raise a strong fighter.
About the Author
Timothy Mably
(190 Articles Published)
Screen Rant comics news writer Timothy Mably. His passion for storytelling began at an early age and has continued to drive him towards journalism. He recently received a communications degree at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism. Timothy currently lives in Los Angeles.
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