"Avengers" director Joss Whedon shocked Marvel and DC fans alike after it was revealed that he is writing and directing a standalone "Batgirl" film. Now, we know what led to his decision to tackle the project.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, during the premiere for "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," Whedon explained what compelled him to choose the character. "She came up, and I started getting obsessed with how a young woman could get hardcore enough to need to put on the cowl," Whedon said. "Like, what's her damage?"

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Whedon continued by expressing his infatuation with how an individual could deliberately choose a superhero lifestyle, rather than be pushed toward it by unfortunate circumstances.

"She didn't have her parents killed in an alley. Who is this person, who decides — rather than being forced to by their childhood trauma — decides to pick up this life?" he said. "How intense and driven that person is...I just couldn't stop thinking about it."

The Batgirl DC comic fans may be most familiar with is Barabara Gordon, daughter of Gotham City Police commissioner Jim Gordon, who was introduced in 1962. Whedon's Batgirl is very early in development; what iteration he will use is currently unknown, though it's been reported that the film will take inspiration from the "New 52"-Gail Simone era.

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"Batgirl" will be apart of the DCEU, which kicked off in 2013 with "Man of Steel. " Since then, "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" and “Suicide Squad” were both released in 2016. The next installment in the DCEU is "Wonder Woman," hitting theaters June 2.