Batman: The Killing Joke (2016)

Batman: The Killing Joke (2016) is an  American adult animated superhero film, produced and distributed by Warner Bros. Animation and Pictures respectively. It is the 27th installment in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies, featuring the iconic character of Batman. Based on the graphic novel of the same name by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland, the film follows Barbara Gordon (Batgirl) who fails to prevent a robbery during her patrol with Batman. However, she successfully apprehends one of the criminals with Batman’s assistance. Unfortunately, this leads to Paris Franz – leader of the robbers and nephew of a notorious mob boss – developing an intense infatuation with her. After manipulating Batgirl into discovering his uncle’s corpse, Batman grows concerned for her safety and removes her from the case. He warns her that if she continues on this path, she may eventually resort to killing the criminals she chases after. Outraged, Batgirl physically and verbally attacks Batman. She later attempts to apologize but ends up coming to his aid when he is ambushed by Franz and his henchmen. In the heat of battle, Franz pushes Batgirl to lose control and nearly kill him before she realizes that Batman was right all along.

Later, Batman examines a murder scene alongside Detective Harvey Bullock and deduces that the Joker, currently imprisoned at Arkham Asylum, may be responsible for the crime. He heads to Arkham to question him, but upon arrival, realizes that the Joker has escaped and left an imposter in his place. The Joker then attacks Barbara and her father, Commissioner James Gordon. In the midst of the chaos, he shoots her in the stomach, resulting in her being paralyzed from the waist down. Meanwhile, he takes Gordon to an abandoned amusement park. As the story unfolds, flashbacks reveal Joker’s past as a laboratory worker who quit his job to pursue a career in comedy but failed miserably. In desperation to provide for his pregnant wife Jeannie, he agrees to assist two criminals in robbing his former workplace.