Killer Moth’s appearance in ‘Batgirl’ was never announced to the audience, and would have been a surprise.
Last week the internet was shocked to learn that Warner Bros Discovery had decided not to release Batgirl, despite the film being deep in post-production. Since then, countless members of the film’s cast and crew have released statements and behind-the-scenes photos to celebrate all their hard work and the fans who are supporting them through this difficult time. Now, fans have gotten a behind-the-scenes look at what would have been a surprise villain appearance in the movie, Killer Moth.
On his Instagram, stunt performer Jules Wallace posted a series of images of him in costume as the obscure super villain. The images show a toned-down take on the character, with Wallace wearing a black tracksuit with a moth and skull tattooed on the back of his head. He also includes an image of him in costume with the stunt double for J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon, giving a tease of an action scene we will now never get to see. The post includes a caption by Wallace that reads:
Doesn’t seem much point keeping quiet about this now and sucks we won’t get to see it on screen, but here you go. Doubled ‘Killer Moth’ in Batgirl, along with my pal Stevie who doubled Commissioner Gordon. Quite a long chaotic shoot but we had a great time and glad to see many of the US and European cast and crew left with a love of Glasgow and Scotland.
Visually speaking, this take on Killer Moth is a large departure from what comic fans know. First appearing in 1951’s “Batman #63”, Killer Moth was created by writer Bill Finger and artists Dick Sprang and Lew Schwartz to be a foil to Batman. The villain, like the caped crusader, has no powers and relies on technology to carry out his schemes. This includes his “cocoon gun”, which shoots foam to encase his enemies, and mechanical wings on his suit that allows him to fly. It is possible that this version of the character would still end up using those devices, but now we’ll never get to know. However, it is pretty clear to see that Killer Moth would not look like his comic counterpart as he is typically is depicted as wearing a colorful costume with a moth mask and not a dark tracksuit with a moth tattoo.
Killer Moth’s appearance in Batgirl was never announced to the audience. His appearance in the film would have been a delightful surprise to fans, even if his look wasn’t completely comic accurate. It would have been the character’s live-action film debut. Ironically enough, the character first appeared in live action in the 1960s Adam West Batman series, but that episode was canceled after filming as well. The episode was only available to fans as a bootleg until it was officially released in 2014 as a bonus feature of the series box set. However, Killer Moth fans can rest easy knowing that the character has had ample representation in animation, appearing in Teen Titans, Teen Titans Go!, Batman: The Brave and The Bold, and The Lego Batman Movie.
Check out Wallace’s full Instagram post below:
