Movie review
July 24, 2016 · 77 min · R
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
Batman: The Killing Joke is a 2016 Warner Bros. Animation feature adapting Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’s 1988 graphic novel. Batman pursues the escaped Joker after the villain shoots and paralyzes Barbara Gordon (Batgirl) and psychologically tortures her father, Commissioner Gordon, to prove that one bad day can break anyone. An original prologue expands on Batgirl’s personal life before the main events, but the narrative contains no modern identity, activist, or political messaging.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Batman: The Killing Joke.
Woke representation / casting
Standard voice casting with Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, and Tara Strong in their long-established animated Batman roles; zero audience-visible forced diversity, race/gender swaps, or identity signaling.
Woke political dialogue
Dialogue consists entirely of the Joker’s nihilistic philosophy and Batman’s moral code with no activist language, identity discussions, or modern political content.
Identity-driven story themes
Plot and arcs focus on trauma, madness, sanity, and moral choice with zero emphasis on gender, race, sexuality, or identity as drivers or messaging.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Dark exploration of chaos versus order and one bad day remains classic comic-book nihilism with no reframing into modern activist critiques of patriarchy, toxic masculinity, capitalism, or Western institutions.
Woke character or canon changes
Substantial non-canon prologue adds a romantic/sexual Batman-Batgirl relationship and Barbara’s temporary retirement from heroics, directly altering her established arc and later Oracle legacy from the source comic and broader canon; the deviation is audience-visible but contains no diversity or identity-politics motivation.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Backlash centered on perceived sexism in the Batgirl prologue and adaptation shortcomings, with progressive critics attacking it for reinforcing “Women in Refrigerators” tropes; strictly zero claims or coverage accusing the film of pushing woke, activist, or left-wing messaging.
Creator track record context
No relevant prior work by director, producers, screenwriter, or source author shows a pattern of identity-driven, activist, or woke projects or public statements.
Production
