Longtime Batman fans have been sharply divided over most recent depictions of the character, from new status quos in the comics to Zack Snyder's ultra-dark Batman v Superman. Among the most widely-criticized recent reimaginings: Bruce Wayne romancing a much younger Barbara Gordon in the direct-to-video animated The Killing Joke movie. Now, new TV spots tease a (seemingly) similar shakeup taking place in the upcoming LEGO Batman movie.

It was already made clear in the theatrical trailers for the animated toy-parody film that the storyline of LEGO Batman will involve an adult Barbara Gordon (Rosario Dawson) attempting to forge a more direct relationship between the vigilante Batman and the Gotham City Police Force after ascending to the rank of Commissioner herself. But the first of two new TV spots reveals that Bruce Wayne (Will Arnett) has an agenda of his own: a crush on his would-be partner in crimefighting.

While this is certainly not a development typical of "traditional" Batman stories, it seems unlikely that this aspect of LEGO Batman would draw the same criticism as The Killing Joke did. For one thing, this version of Barbara Gordon appears to have been conceived as closer in age to Batman himself (being old enough to attain the status of Police Commissioner replacing her presumably retirement-aged father) whereas the version in Killing Joke was depicted as significantly younger - as is typically the case in the comics.

As indicated by the other new spots (and earlier advertising) the focus of Lego Batman's storyline is a comedic deconstruction of most modern depictions of the Batman character as a grim loner, with a storyline arguing that Arnett's self-involved take on the Dark Knight confronting the idea that a "family" of sidekicks like Robin (Michael Cera) and future-Batgirl Barbara might be better for him that solitary crimefighting. Exactly what that means for his (apparently not reciprocated) intentions here remains unclear.

The age, identity and relationship status of the Batgirl character has fluctuated greatly throughout comics history: The original Golden Age Batgirl was a teenage love interest to Robin paired with an adult Batwoman who in turn romanced Bruce Wayne; while the Barbara Gordon incarnation was created in the 1960s for the Adam West-starring Batman TV series and was subsequently added to the comics continuity. While on TV she drew the - mostly chaste - attentions of both Caped Crusaders (who did not know her true identity) the comics incarnation was more frequently an ally of the various Robins of her era.

Source: We Got This Covered

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