10 Iconic Comic Book Moments Erased By Stupid Retcons

6. Barbara Gordon Is Crippled

Alan Moore€™s The Killing Joke is regarded as one of the finest Batman stories ever written, as well as the definitive Joker story. It not only gave us the closest thing to an origin we ever got for the Joker, but also saw the Joker kidnapping Commissioner Gordon and shooting and paralyzing Gordon€™s daughter, Barbara (who was also Batgirl at the time). Holding Gordon prisoner and stripping him naked, the Joker tried to prove that anyone could be driven insane, which he attempted to do by showing Gordon pictures of the mutilated Barbara stripped naked. What was done to Barbara has been the subject of a lot of controversy over the years, with criticism of misogyny heaped upon it. Even Moore has later come out against it, saying he regretted what he did to the character. However, writer John Ostrander later used this as a definitive event for Barbara and gave her a new purpose. Barbara became an expert hacker called Oracle, who aided other superheroes (including running her own team of female heroes, the Birds of Prey). But when DC decided to reboot their universe with the New 52, one of the changes was restoring Barbara€™s mobility and returning her to the role of Batgirl. This was somewhat criticized, as Oracle had become a role model for disabled fans. On the other hand, many have also praised writer Gail Simone€™s treatment of the character by not ignoring what the Joker did to her.