Why Batgirl’s Bathroom Made Fans Lose Their Minds

DC’s Batgirl is one of the most popular members of Batman’s Bat-Family, but her most diabolical villain isn’t the Joker, the Riddler or Clayface, but the architect of a bathroom. Batgirl and the Birds of Prey #5 is a comic released in 2016 as part of the DC Rebirth initiative in which Barbara Gordon uses the bathroom (quite a rarity to depict in comics). This loathsome lavatory could quite literally kill Batgirl in a way that no supervillain ever could.

Barbara Gordon has quite the interesting history in DC Comics. The daughter of Commissioner Gordon, Barbara suited up as Batgirl in 1967 and enjoyed a very long career as a crimefighter before said career was abruptly and violently ended by the Joker in 1988’s The Killing Joke, written by Alan Moore. Paralyzed from the waist down, Barbara still wished to aid the Bat-Family in their crimefighting activities, and thus became Oracle. For over 20 years, Barbara maintained surveillance over Gotham City, becoming skilled in electronic warfare. When DC’s New 52 company-wide relaunch rebooted the universe in 2011, Barbara Gordon was reinstated as Batgirl (angering more than a few fans who appreciated Barbara’s depiction as a superheroic wheelchair user).

In the issue, Batgirl must make a decision regarding Gus, a hacker of dubious morality who wants to join the Birds of Prey. Batgirl ruminates on her three identities: Barbara Gordon, Oracle, and Batgirl. But while a superhero works her way through an existential crisis, fans wonder how she worked her way through Gus’ bathroom, which has multiple design flaws, the most serious of which is a bathtub that blocks the door. Most bathroom doors in the United States open inward (and this one certain does, seeing as the previous panel shows Batgirl entering the bathroom by pushing the door).

Ignoring the mystery of how exactly Batgirl entered the bathroom (and also ignoring the toilet plunger placed directly in front of the door), fans will also note a floor-spanning rug that somehow stretches underneath the bathtub and the toilet. Said toilet is on the other side of the door when they’re usually positioned next to the sink…but that space is paradoxically occupied by a towel rack. Unfortunately, the towel rack is located as far away from the bathtub as the room allows. The room is also quite spacious, with massive floorspace that goes entirely unused (apropos for Bruce Wayne’s mansion perhaps, but this is Gus’ hideous and not Bruce Wayne’s mansion).

In the grand scheme of things, there are far more important items to scrutinize than the interior design of a common bathroom. Yet comic book fans are a detail-oriented sort; they will pore over every frame of a trailer or every panel of a comic to ensure that no clue is missed. The bathroom may be confusing and even presents a potential safety hazard, but if Batgirl can overcome paralysis at the hands of the Joker, she’s most likely careful enough not to trip on an oddly-placed bathtub.