In the past decade, the DC universe has been in a state of flux on the big screen. After the failed DCEU, James Gunn’s new DCU is promising stronger cohesion and a focus on new and classic characters that lean on their tones rather than all being so grim.
But beyond the movie space, the history that follows DC films can’t be forgotten, and that includes the canceled Batgirl film, which got a unique second chance in Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight. By doing the bare minimum, one level in a video game shone a light on a film that was questionably axed and still deserves a chance to be seen.
Batgirl’s Canceled Movie Returned in Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight (with a Twist)
Image via TT Games
Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight was more than a celebration of the Lego Batman brand, as it not only showed love to the video game series that has been around for over a decade, it also showed love to the entire Batman mythos. The story retells Batman’s origin through the lens of the movies and cartoons that made him popular, making a unique world with multiple Easter eggs.
Chapter 4 led to an exciting Easter egg that introduced Barbara Gordon as Batgirl. During a museum gala, what would typically have been an attack that mirrored Mr.Freeze’s from Batman & Robin instead flipped the script and introduced Firefly, the arsonist villain with a flight pack.
The level never makes a big deal of these elements, but those familiar with Batman film history know this was a clear acknowledgment of the film starring Leslie Grace as Batgirl and Brendan Fraser as Firefly. Fraser and Grace were seemingly set to square off in the Batgirl movie before it was ultimately canned by Warner Bros. back in 2022. While it didn’t see the light of day, the game does a great job of ensuring this particular Batgirl story got its due in some way.
The Lego Batman franchise has always had cheeky nods to the movies and shows, but the Batgirl one for Legacy of the Dark Knight stands out and is executed perfectly. It not only integrates her story but also gives her a great hero moment that should’ve happened on the big screen. It may not be much, but it’s much better than the brutal history the live-action film got only a few years prior.
The Canceled Batgirl Movie Has a Unique History
Leslie Grace as Batgirl in the DC film of the same name.Image via Warner Bros.
As the DCEU began its run, there were many films tied to the legacy of Batman following his introduction in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. One character that was lined up to be in a movie for some time was Batgirl, and directors came and went from the project, including Joss Whedon. Ultimately, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah were the directors who signed on for what would be a direct-to-streaming film on HBO Max.
As far as continuity went, it was hard to see where it fit, as it featured J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon, who also appeared in Justice League, and Michael Keaton as Batman, who appeared in The Flash. Whether this was meant to piggyback off of the changed timeline from the latter film was unknown, but the one constant was that Batgirl was the focus.
With Leslie Grace in the titular role, pictures began to appear of her in a more homemade purple and yellow suit as well as Brendan Fraser in his Firefly outfit. Filming for the film completed as the project entered post-production, but a later announcement came of the film’s cancellation, citing that the quality of the movie wasn’t what the producers wanted as the ever-in-flux DCEU was wanting more event films once again.
But later reports claimed that Batgirl and Coyote vs. Acme were simply victims of a tax break, leading to fan backlash regarding a Black Latina-led superhero film being scrapped when it was shaping up to be something special. Since then, where Coyote vs. Acme finally got the outlet it deserved to be seen, Batgirl has been locked away in a finished state more advanced than Zack Snyder’s Justice League. But unlike Snyder’s film, Batgirl may never see the light of day, especially with James Gunn’s new DCU reinvisioning the universe.
The DCU Could Finally Give Batgirl the Attention She Deserves
Image via DC Comics
James Gunn’s new DCU started off strong on the big screen with Superman and has since continued to expand with Supergirl and Clayface expanding on its sci-fi and horror elements, respectively. The Brave and the Bold will also introduce a new version of Batman that’s meant to interact with the heroes of this universe, and there are already at least three Robins in the Bat-family. With that in mind, Batgirl should be a given.
While it would be nice for Leslie Grace to return to the role the world never got to see, it’s hard to say if this universe will honor the past or start something completely new. Blue Beetle and Peacemaker are examples of characters that can transition into the DCU, but there aren’t many that have. Batgirl is one that, given the history, should at least be considered.
CBR Exclusive · Quiz WHICH DC HERO ARE YOU? The Justice League Is Waiting for Your Answer Gotham’s Dark Knight. Metropolis’s Man of Steel. Themyscira’s warrior princess. The Fastest Man Alive. The universe’s emerald guardian. Twenty questions stand between you and the truth. Answer honestly. Your destiny awaits.
Batman
Superman
Wonder Woman
The Flash
Green Lantern
01
You’re outnumbered and outgunned. What do you do? A hero’s instinct is defined in their darkest moment.
02
Your team disagrees with your plan. How do you handle it? Every Justice League member has their own idea of teamwork.
03
What does your hero identity mean to you? The mask — or the lack of one — says everything.
04
How do you typically make big decisions? A hero’s process shapes their outcome.
05
Someone takes credit for your work in front of everyone. You: Pride is the armor and the weakness of every hero.
06
A government agency wants to oversee your activities. Your response? Accountability is the line every hero must face.
07
When facing a villain, your strategy is: Every fighter has a philosophy.
08
Your biggest personal flaw is: Every hero has a crack in the armor.
09
A rookie hero is overwhelmed on their first mission. You: How a hero mentors others reveals their character.
10
What drives you more than anything else? The “why” behind the hero is everything.
11
You’ve just suffered a crushing defeat. What’s next? A hero is measured by how they get back up.
12
You could end a threat permanently — but it crosses an ethical line. You: The hardest choices define a hero from a weapon.
13
What do you actually fear most? Even the mightiest hero has something to lose.
14
People who just met you would describe you as: First impressions carry a grain of truth.
15
What’s your ideal base of operations? Where a hero operates reveals how they think.
16
What does “being a hero” actually mean to you? The philosophy behind the power is the real definition.
17
What do you want to leave behind? The mark a hero leaves is their truest measure.
18
Someone you love is in danger. Your first move is: Crisis strips away everything but the truth.
19
Your power — where does it come from? Origin shapes destiny in the DC Universe.
20
The final battle. Everything is on the line. You: This is the moment that defines everything.
THE DC UNIVERSE HAS SPOKEN YOUR HERO IDENTITY
Your scores are shown below. The character with the highest number is your match. Read their description to discover which hero the universe chose for you.
Batman
Superman
Wonder Woman
The Flash
Green Lantern
Disciplined, relentless, and driven by a grief that never fully heals. You’ve built yourself into something formidable not through luck or cosmic accident, but through sheer, grinding will. You plan further ahead than anyone else in the room and trust fewer of them. The darkness you carry isn’t weakness — it’s your greatest weapon, and your most dangerous blind spot. But beneath the armor, you still believe in justice. That belief is what separates you from the monsters you fight.
Powerful beyond measure, yet defined by your humility. You were raised to believe that the measure of a person is what they do with what they’re given — and you’ve taken that lesson to heart. The world looks to you as a symbol, and the weight of that is something you carry quietly. You could impose your will on everything, and you choose not to. That choice, made every day, is the most heroic thing about you.
A warrior forged in honor, guided by truth. You came to this world not born into its compromises, and that perspective gives you a clarity that cuts through politics, spin, and fear. You fight hard, hold the line without flinching, and refuse to let injustice be normalized around you. People are sometimes surprised by your compassion — they expect the sword and forget the heart it serves. You are both, in perfect, formidable balance.
Quick, warm, and far more capable than your jokes let on. You use humor as a shield and velocity as a solution, but your greatest gift isn’t speed — it’s heart. You feel everything deeply and act faster than most people think. The people around you don’t always realize how much you carry, how much you process in the quiet between seconds. You make the impossible look easy, and you do it without making anyone feel small for being slower than you.
Chosen because your will is extraordinary. The ring didn’t create you — it recognized you. Your power is literally your imagination and your resolve, which means your ceiling is whatever you believe it to be. You can be reckless, and you can be arrogant, but your capacity for growth is equally limitless. You operate on a cosmic scale but never forget the small things worth protecting. In the universe’s darkest sectors, you are the light.
Barbara Gordon is a compelling character with a rich history in the DC Universe, and it’s strange that the only love she’s gotten on the big screen is in Batman & Robin, a film often considered one of the worst comic book movies ever made. In that film, Barbara was blonde and not even related to Commissioner Gordon. That said, what they did get right was that she was tech-savvy.
Batgirl is long overdue for her time to shine on the big screen, and while that is still a potential future, it’s nice to see that the difficult past she’s endured is being acknowledged in some way, like the video game space. Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is a perfect love letter to fans of Batman’s legacy, especially in movies. While the Batgirl film still isn’t being worked on, nodding to it in a video game is one of the best ways to revive a story that should never be forgotten.
