10 Batman Moments That Shocked The World
2. Pretty Much Everything From The Killing Joke
For something that was just supposed to be a stand-alone graphic novel, Alan Moore, Brian Bolland, and John Higgins' Killing Joke has since gone on to have a lasting effect on the Batman universe.
From this book, the Joker's backstory was pretty much set in stone even if it would undergo a few tweaks here and there over the years, and it would also give us the character of Oracle, Barbara Gordon, who was then going by the identity of Batgirl.
As she waits for a friend so they can go out, a knock on the door sees Barbara eagerly answer, only to be greeted by the Joker holding a gun. It would only take one bullet, but that shot severs her spine and leaves her wheelchair-bound in the two decades to come.
It's a simple page that echoed around the world and it shows that this Joker is a lot different from any that had come before him. And if that wasn't enough to shock you, he then proceeds to kidnap Commissioner Gordon and tries to drive him insane, only being thwarted when Batman shows up and saves the day.