Well Bat Sucks: Is Joss Whedon's 'Batgirl' Just His Canceled Comic Book Idea?

As #JossWhedon prepares to bring #BarbaraGordon to flight in the highly anticipated #Batgirl film, all of Hollywood is hoping that the director can deliver another powerhouse #superhero film. When Whedon was announced as the director back in March, many were surprised by his apparent jump from #Marvel to #DC. However, when the hype died down, Whedon clearly came out as a popular choice to helm the shock reveal that we will be getting Batgirl.

Coming from the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Whedon certainly knows how to handle his powerful female characters, and expectations are high. While the plot (and even the leading lady) remain a mystery to us, some eagle-eyed fans have noticed that Batgirl may have been whirring around Whedon's head for a lot longer than we first thought.

A 'Twist' In The Tale

Whedon cited his time writing Avengers: Age of Ultron as something of a struggle, which may explain why he has steered away from cinematic films since and concentrated on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and other projects. It seems strange that the 52-year-old would return to such a big superhero project again, but let's not forget Twist!

The internet may be quick to forget, however, some of a certain ilk may remember Whedon's proposed #comicbook series called Twist, which he dubbed a "Victorian female Batman." After being announced at Comic-Con in 2015, the six-issue run failed to hit its planned 2016 release date, and even though we had the cover art, the project has still failed to materialize.

The series was due to be in conjunction with #DarkHorseComics, but aside from the art and a flimsy premise, it appears that it never got off the ground. Note that Twist technically could still be in the works, but with Whedon sure to focus most of his energy on Batgirl, don't count on your cowls.

A Blast From The Past

Bringing us around to the life of Barbara Gordon, will Batgirl simply be a modern update of Twist, because it certainly sounds like it. Speaking to EW after Twist's announcement, Whedon seemed pretty hyped about the project and its dark source:

“It’s a story I had stuck in my head for the last couple of years that I was finally like, ‘I guess I have time to get this out now’, out of my head and onto a page. It’s called Twist, and it’s a Victorian thriller superhero story about a young chambermaid who, bad things happen to her. Needless to say, because it’s something I’m writing, she becomes very powerful because of it."

In addition to the Victorian Batman element, he also compared the character to his popular Dark Willow chapter from Buffy. Skip ahead to the life of Barbara Gordon, and Twist's protagonist certainly sounds like Babs herself. From her introduction in 1967, Gordon has had a tough run of things: With a serial killer brother and her dramatic crippling at the hands of the Joker in Alan Moore's The Killing Joke, being Batgirl isn't easy.

Although Whedon is known for his light-hearted approach to grim subject matter, if indeed Twist has any influence on Batgirl, expect it to get very dark. With the film expected to tackle the New 52 iteration of Batgirl, it means that we won't see The Killing Joke take place, but Barbara will be battling her demons from the incident and be racked by PTSD.

Alongside Wonder Woman, Batgirl is incredibly important to the #DCEU by being a rare entity in the female-first feature film genre. Certainly, it sounds like Twist and Batgirl are coming from the same direction in Whedon's head, but with details so thin on the ground, don't expect to find out anytime soon.

(Source: EW)