2. The Killing Joke: The Joker Shoots Barbara Gordon
Not to be outdone by her father, Barbara Gordon became a successful crime fighter too, the heroine Batgirl. For years she served as one of Batman's trusted allies, working alongside Robin and Nightwing. But then came the fateful night when the Joker came to call. In Alan Moore's The Killing Joke, the Joker tries to drive Commissioner Gordon insane by subjecting him to physical and psychological torture. His first move is to shoot his daughter, Barbara, paralyzing her from the waist down. This image is the most memorable from the story, and the one with the biggest impact on the Batman universe. Despite her new disability, Barbara continued to help the good fight as Oracle, creating a central information hub for all the heroes in the Bat-Family. In addition, it shows the lengths that the Joker is willing to go just to drive Gordon insane.