In every installment of Abandoned Love we will be examining comic book stories, plots and ideas that were abandoned by a later writer without actively retconnng away the previous story. Feel free to e-mail me at brianc@cbr.com if you have any suggestions for future editions of this feature.

Today, we look at how Batgirl knowing Batman and Robin's identities was gotten rid of in the comics.

When Batgirl was originally introduced, she did not know Batman and Robin's identities and they did not know hers. There was an even an issue of Detective Comics that revolved around them messing with her (making her think that Batman was Bruce Wayne specifically so that she would think that he couldn't possibly be Bruce Wayne if they were so intent on making her think that he WAS Bruce Wayne)

However, in Batman Family #3 (by Elliot S! Maggin, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez and Vince Colletta), the issue ends by revealing that in the years since, both Batgirl and Robin knew each other's identities (and, come on, you know Robin's, you know Batman's)...

That must not have sat well with someone at DC, as within a couple of years of this revelation, there was an issue of Detective Comics, #489 (by Jack C. Harris, Don Heck and Vince Colleta), where Batgirl loses her memory. Robin saves her memory and then restores it, but in doing so, he asks if she would be willing to erase the parts of her memory where she knew Robin and Batman's secret identities and she actually agreed!!

Eventually, this was retconned so that she knew their identities still, but still, this was how they tried to abandon the story initially, which is so weird, because it's such a minor thing. Who cares if she knows their identities? She's Batgirl! They can trust her!

If anyone has a suggestion of an interesting abandoned comic book plot, drop me a line at brianc@cbr.com!