Barbara Gordon
Barbara Gordon is a fictional character appearing in
DC Comics and related media. From 1967 to 1988 she was the
superhero known as
Batgirl; since 1988 she has been known as
Oracle.
Origin
The
librarian-by-day Barbara Gordon debuted in
Detective Comics #359 (1967) as the daughter of
Gotham City's Police Commissioner
James Gordon. On her way to a masquerade ball dressed as a female version of
Batman, Barbara intervened in a kidnapping attempt on Bruce Wayne by the villainous
Killer Moth, attracting the Dark Knight's attention and leading to a crime-fighting career.
In her original adventures during the
Silver Age, Batgirl was depicted as a spirited, if inexperienced, female copy of Batman. After a handful of guest appearances in
Batman stories, she was given her own back-up strip in
Detective Comics. This allowed the character to be fleshed out considerably, with the shy, mousey, bookworm version of Barbara Gordon quickly giving way to a more modern, confident character (whom friends call "Babs"). Devoid of her plain-Jane glasses and hair bun, Barbara started to date what would be a succession of boyfriends, the most popular being
Vietnam veteran turned private investigator
Jason Bard.
Barbara proved to be more popular than her predecessor (
Bat-Girl) with the readers as well, as they made requests for her to appear in other titles. In addition to her appearances in both
Detective Comics and
Batman, Batgirl made a guest appearance in
World's Finest Comics where she met
Superman,
Supergirl,
Bat-Mite, and
Mxyzptlk for the first time. She also fought alongside the
Justice League of America against the villainous
Queen Bee. She encountered Supergirl again in
Adventure Comics #381 when both heroines separately investigated a female criminal gang.
Batgirl in the 1970s and 1980s
Her back-up stories ran sporadically in
Detective Comics until the mid 1970s. During this time, Barbara revealed her
secret identity to her father (who already had discovered it on his own), and both ran and won an election to the
U.S. House of Representatives. She moved to
Washington, D.C., and intended to give up her career as Batgirl forever.
The fans and editor
Julius Schwartz didn't want to let her go , however, so Batgirl returned in
Superman #268, where Barbara Gordon had a blind date with
Clark Kent, establishing their friendship, and allowing Batgirl to fight alongside
Superman. Batgirl and Superman teamed up twice more in
Superman #279 and
DC Comics Presents #19. She also teamed up with Supergirl in
Superman Family #171, and the two became close friends, with Batgirl speaking at Supergirl's eulogy during the
Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline.
In
1975 DC created the
Batman Family comic book, which ran for 20 issues. Batgirl became one of the main features in the book, frequently teaming with
Robin. College student
Dick Grayson served as Barbara's summer intern, building a friendship between the two. Soon they discovered each other's alternate identities as well. During this time Barbara dated Senator Tom Cleary. Dick, who was dating fellow college student Lori Elton, had a crush on Barbara that was not returned. The Dynamite Duo teaming of Batgirl and Robin fought the criminal organization M.A.Z.E., the Earth-1
Huntress and
Sportsmaster, the Outsider, and future
Harlequin Duela Dent.
Barbara met
Batwoman in
Batman Family #10 when the superheroine returned to her crime-fighting career. The two fought
Killer Moth and Cavalier, and learned each other's secret identities. They formed a close friendship and teamed again twice more in
Batman Family and again alongside the
Freedom Fighters.
Barbara also met
Helena Wayne, the Huntress and daughter of the
Earth-Two Batman and
Catwoman, in
Batman Family #17.
When
Batman Family ended at issue #20, the concept of the comic merged with
Detective Comics, beginning with issue #481 in
1979, and Batgirl continued her adventures. Even after the "Batman Family" concept left
Detective Comics, Batgirl continued as the back-up feature through issue #519 (October
1982). During these years, she fought the Sino-Supermen before losing her re-election bid. She returned to Gotham City and took a social worker job, fighting villains including Lady Snake and the Velvet Tiger. Supergirl visited Gotham and shared an adventure with her. She was shot and nearly killed by the Commorant; this caused her to have a serious crisis of faith and she briefly retired her Batgirl career. But after a talk with Batman, she returned to face down and capture Commorant, and Batgirl continued to thrive.
After her back-up series of stories ended, Barbara continued to be Batgirl, but increasingly felt useless in a world filled with super-powered heroes and villains. She expressed these doubts to Supergirl during the
Crisis on Infinite Earths, and later spoke at Supergirl's funeral during the same period. Finally, after capturing the Commorant again in
Batgirl Special #1 (1988), Barbara retired her Batgirl persona (although later stories revealed she would occasionally put the costume back on for a case here and there).
Crisis On Infinite Earths
The
Crisis on Infinite Earths changed
DC Universe continuity in many ways.
In the new continuity, Barbara was now the daughter of Roger and Thelma Gordon and the niece of Jim Gordon. When her parents died, Barbara moved from
Chicago to Gotham City as a pre-teen to live with her Uncle Jim and his wife (also named Barbara) and son James. Recently, however, in
Batman: Gotham Knights #6, Barbara learned that Jim Gordon dated her mother Thelma before she married Roger, and that there is a strong chance that Jim Gordon is indeed her biological father, although he is not aware of that. Also, Batman and Robin both had a much more active role in training Barbara once she became Batgirl. Much of this training was covered in the 9-issue mini-series
Batgirl: Year One, which updated her origin. The only mention of Barbara's time as a Congresswoman was in a guest appearance in
Hawk and Dove #22-24 (1991) and it has not been mentioned since. [
1]
Post-Crisis Supergirl did not arrive on Earth until Barbara had already established herself as Oracle. Many of her earlier adventures (including some shared with Batgirl) were retroactively participated in by
Power Girl instead. In addition, Barbara and Dick Grayson had been lovers at some time in the past. And, she had once been engaged to Jason Bard, who was no longer a Vietnam veteran but was still a private investigator (and former Gotham City policeman).
Oracle
|
Barbara as Oracle. Promotional art for Birds of Prey TP - New Edition (2002). Art by Matt Haley. |
In
Batman: The Killing Joke, a graphic novel by
Alan Moore and
Brian Bolland, the
Joker, as part of his plan to drive
James Gordon into madness, shot Barbara through the
spine,
paralyzing her and ending her career as Batgirl forever.
Drawing on her
genius-level intellect,
photographic memory, her vast knowledge of computers and electronics, her expert skills as a
hacker, and her training as a librarian, Barbara adopted the codename
Oracle. She now acts as an information broker, gathering and disseminating intelligence to
law enforcement organizations and members of the superhero community. She has also trained herself under the tutelege of
Richard Dragon to engage in combat (usually
escrima) from her wheelchair should the need arise.
Barbara first used the Oracle identity to assist her father on an extremely difficult murder investigation, and later took it to the
Suicide Squad. For a time, she relocated to
Belle Reve prison in
Louisiana to work with the team under the alias of "Amy Beddoes". Once she left the Suicide Squad, she returned to Gotham City and began aiding Batman and his protegés frequently, as well as many other heroes. She joined the
Justice League and was an active member for some time, serving as both an information and communications resource. She is currently on inactive status with the
JLA.
Birds of Prey
Barbara founded the
a team of female heroes whom she employs as agents. Her first agent was
Power Girl. When an early case went wrong and several deaths resulted from it, Power Girl quit working with Oracle. Barbara regrouped and joined forces with
Black Canary, resulting in a stronger partnership and a great friendship. In time, the
Huntress (Helena Bertinelli) joined the team as a full-time agent, as did
Lady Blackhawk and
Lady Shiva.
During the "
No Man's Land" storyline, Barbara kept a record of what was happening in Gotham City by employing various teenagers to be her eyes and ears on the street. One of these teenaged agents was
Cassandra Cain, who later saved Jim Gordon's life. Seeing that Cassandra was one of the world's top martial artists, and knowing that Batman needed as many allies as possible during ths time, Barbara gave her blessing for Cassandra to become the new Batgirl. Barbara became Cassandra's guardian/mentor for a lengthy time period, teaching her how to become more human, since her father,
David Cain, had only trained her to be a weapon.
Metropolis
|
Nightwing and Barbara. Promotional art for Nightwing #117 (2006). Art by Phil Hester. |
After Batman usurped her computers and satellites during his battle with
Black Mask in the "War Games" story line, which resulted in the destruction of her home and headquarters in the clock tower, Barbara decided that it was time for her to move on, and leave Gotham. She cut ties with Batman and after a temporary world trip with her team, moved to
Metropolis.
Barbara became infected with a virus from
Brainiac and discovered that she had
cyberpathic powers and could psychically interact with computer systems. After she killed the virus, she lost those abilities. As a side effect of the virus, when she was operated on by
Doctor Mid-Nite with the help of
Superman and
Cyborg, she discovered she could now move her toes.
At long last, Barbara and
Dick Grayson (who was now the superhero Nightwing) re-ignited their love affair, and it was carried out in the pages of
Birds of Prey and
Nightwing. Babs later ended the relationship when she felt Dick was being over-protective of her. In truth, Dick was being attacked in all areas of his life by the
Blockbuster. She and Dick still love each other and remain in each other's lives. After the destruction of
Blüdhaven by
The Society, Dick proposed to her and Barbara accepted.
Their romantic reunion is cut short by the
Infinite Crisis storyline.
Alexander Luthor's master plan of recreating the Multiverse relied in part on keeping the heroes of the world preoccupied with mass breakouts from every prison and mental institution in the country. In opposition, Oracle serves as a communication link between as many heroes as possible, assembling teams with the help of the
Martian Manhunter. As the battle rages on in the heart of Metropolis, Oracle and the Martian Manhunter organize their counter-attacks until the rest of their allies arrive.
One Year Later
A year after the events of
Infinite Crisis, Oracle and her team continue to work in
Metropolis, although there had been many changes to the team. Black Canary has apparently left the team to train further,
Lady Shiva has joined the team as "Jade Canary", as has the former
JLA member
Gypsy. Lady Shiva however has recently resigned her post with Oracle's group following the defeat of the villain Prometheus. As Shiva left, Black Canary returned bringing with her a young girl known only as Sin.
Recent stories with Dick Grayson in New York City establish that Dick and Barbara's engagement was broken, although the cause is yet unknown.
In the latest issue of
Robin, Batman indicates he will request Oracle's help, indicating that they've started working together again. It also appears that Oracle was not fully aware of Cassandra Cain's retirement as Batgirl, nor is she aware that Cassandra has become a villain and leader of the
League of Assassins.
Amalgam Comics
In the
Amalgam Comics title
Bruce Wayne, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., Barbara Gordon and
Black Cat are merged together as
Black Bat.
Elseworlds
In the
Elseworlds comic
Supergirl and Batgirl: The World's Finest, Barbara Gordon defends Gotham City as Batgirl. Bruce Wayne never became Batman, but helps to finance Batgirl's war on crime.
In
Batgirl and Robin: Thrillkiller Barbara Gordon is a rebelleous teenager in the early 1960s who becomes a thrillseeking vigilante with her boyfriend, a circus acrobat named Richard Greystark. A sequel,
Thrillkiller '62 teamed her with Bruce Wayne as Batman.
The
Lovecraftian Elseworld
The Doom That Came To Gotham features a version of Oracle. Completely paralized following an undisclosed accident, Barbara Gordin's artificial voicebox also gives her the power to speak to the dead.
Barbara Gordon and Batgirl were portrayed by
Yvonne Craig in the third season of the
Batman television series in 1967-1968. Craig once again appeared as Batgirl in a 1972 television commercial supporting
women's rights.
The Barbara Gordon version of Batgirl made a few appearances in the 1960s Batman Saturday morning animated series that was part of
The Superman/Aquaman Hour.
Jane Webb provided her voice.
Barbara Gordon, this time working in the District Attorney's office, made several appearances in both her civilian persona and as her alter ego in the 1970s Saturday morning animated series
The New Adventures of Batman. Despite the fact that
Adam West and
Burt Ward reprised their roles as Batman and Robin respectively, the role of Batgirl went to
Melendy Britt. [
2]
The Barbara Gordon Batgirl was the inspiration for the Barbara Wilson version that was portrayed by actress
Alicia Silverstone in the 1997 movie
Batman and Robin. In the movie, Barbara is the niece of
Alfred Pennyworth.
|
Sketch of Batgirl from The New Batman Adventures. Art by Bruce Timm. |
Barbara Gordon has also appeared in the
DC Animated Universe. As Batgirl, in
Batman: The Animated Series, she was voiced by
Melissa Gilbert, while in
The New Batman Adventures she was voiced by
Tara Strong.
Mary Kay Bergman also provided her voice in the animated movie
Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero, which was made between the two series. Although Barbara is initially shown to be having a relationship with
Dick Grayson, it is later revealed that their relationship was just "puppy love". After making only a few appearances in
Batman: The Animated Series, Batman allows her into the
Batcave and she becomes a main character during
The New Batman Adventures.
The character in this continuity also made a brief
cameo appearances in the
Justice League series. Once in "The Savage Time pt.1", in the alternate timeline where she can be seen kissing an alternate Dick Grayson (this was confirmed by the producers of the show). She was also mentioned briefly in "Comfort and Joy", when Clark Kent asked his mother where Supergirl was. Mrs Kent responded, "She's skiing with Barbara." Batgirl and Supergirl had been established as close friends in the New Batman Adventures episode "Girl's Nite Out."
Many fans often interpret the grieving, red-haired attendee of Superman's funeral in the Jusitce League episode "Hereafter" as Barbara Gordon cameo, but the woman is actually
Lana Lang, Superman's high school girlfriend. Originally, Barbara was going to appear in the
Justice League Unlimited episode "Double Date". The episode would have her getting injured during a case as Batgirl. Since Bruce forbids her from participating she would recreate herself as Oracle, and get in touch with Black Canary and Huntress to finish her case. Neither of them would meet her in person. Due to the
Bat Embargo, the story replaced Batgirl with
Green Arrow and
The Question.[
3]
|
Barbara Gordon as the Batgirl from The Batman series. |
In
Batman Beyond, Barbara (voiced by
Stockard Channing) was Batgirl and shared a romance with Bruce Wayne. After their relationship dissolved, she retired as Batgirl and went on to serve as the Commissioner of Gotham City, taking over the position once held by her father. Barbara is also shown to be married to the
District Attorney Samuel Young. She at first resents Bruce's training of
Terry McGinnis as a new Batman but ultimately becomes more accepting of his presence. Barbara also expresses pity for how lonely Bruce has become in his old age. It is unclear whether Barbara takes on the role of the Oracle in the
Batman Beyond continuity, as she was shot during her tenure as Batgirl, but there was no mention made of Oracle or any paralysis.
Tara Strong provided the voice of Barbara Gordon again in
Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker.
Oracle (played by
Dina Meyer) was adapted as one of the main characters in
the WB television series,
Birds of Prey. The series was loosely based on the comic book of that name. Meyer also suited up as Batgirl in both flashback scenes and modern-day scenes where technology would allow her to walk.
In 2004, the Barbara Gordon Batgirl began making guest appearances on episodes of the
The Batman animated series.
Danielle Judovits provided her voice. In this series, which takes place a couple of years after Batman began his crimefighting career, Robin has not yet appeared, but will soon appear in season four. Barbara will also appear as Oracle in a flash forward episode in season four. [
4][
5]
In the 2005 movie,
Batman Begins, Ilyssa Fradin is credited as Barbara Gordon, although this most likely refers to Jim Gordon's wife of the same name.
*
Batgirl*
Gotham Girls, an animated series in which the
Batgirl version of Barbara appears as a primary character
*
Huntress her unofficial successor
*
Cassandra Cain, her official successor
*
Catwoman, her arch-rival (
Gotham Girls)
*
Barbara Gordon in The Batman*
Canarynoir: Home of Birdwatching - Birds of Prey*
Cosmic Team Profile*
Gotham Girls*
Titans Tower Profile*
TVObscurities.com - Batgirl Promotional Short
