Barbara Gordon

* Oracle
* Barbara Gordon

## Background

### 1987 - 2000: Barbara Gordon

Barbara is the daughter of police officer James Gordon & his wife Eileen Gordon. Both of her parents were Chicago natives but moved to Gotham after they received jobs at the Gotham City Police Department. They added another addition to the family & had another child, a son named James Jr. A few years later, her mother walked out on them to never be seen again.

Even as a young girl, Barbara wanted nothing more than to be a superhero. She spend endless hours designing superhero costumes & heroic identities for themselves. When Barbara was fourteen, Batman made his debut in Gotham & she immediately became infatuated with him.

Barbara had become completely obsessed with Batman & did her best to learn everything that she could about him. One evening, she snuck into her father's home office & discovered him consulting with the Batman about a recent string of robberies. Learning her father worked with mysterious Dark Knight only led to her fascination with the vigilante intensifying. She decided to take matters into her hands. For months, she took martial arts classes after convincing her father. She excelled in her training & earned her black belt within a short span of time. As dedicated as she was towards her physical development, Barbara equally committed herself towards her academic achievements.

Feeling as though she was ready, she sewed a stylish, feminine version of Batman's costume based upon designs that she first conceived as a child. She began patrolling on her own & received her first opportunity to be a crimefighter upon witnessing a mugging. Barbara tackled the man in the hopes of getting the woman's purse back. Not long after, Batman & Robin arrived when the robbers had gotten the better of Batgirl. In order to save her, they were forced to let the criminals get away. Batman ripped her a new one for her foolish antics & warned her against pursuing such a reckless lifestyle. Hearing such criticism from a man she idolized for so long was a shock for Barbara but it did not deter her from her chosen path.

### 2000 - 2006: Batgirl

Despite his disapproval, he recognized the girl wasn't going to stop so he sent her batarangs through Robin. Her persistence paid off as Batman allowed her into the team. He gave her training on crime-fighting, helped her learn new skills & even helped mold her young mind. Though she learned fast due to taking combat classes as a child, Barbara learned she had a real knack for computers.

Barbara continued her career as Batgirl for years, taking down criminals like Joker, Penguin, Scarecrow, Mister Freeze & all the other scum in Gotham. She founded the Titans with the other sidekicks while also starting an on & off relationship with Dick Grayson. She became the residential techie for the Bat Family after Bruce realized that she was much more skilled than he was. Despite joining the ranks of the Justice League alongside a few other members of the Titans, she started to feel inadequate in a world that had heroes like Superman, Captain Marvel & Wonder Woman. She began debating on retiring from her career as Batgirl, maybe trying to live a normal life again. But things did not go as planned.

In an unfortunate series of events, Barbara became a target & not for being Batgirl but as the daughter of the commissioner. While home having dinner with her father, the Joker showed up at their residence. In an attempt to drive Jim Gordon insane, he shot Barbara through the spine. He took pictures of her in various states of undress & torture that he later showed Gordon later in an attempt to drive him insane. The shots from the Joker's gun severed Barbara's spine, paralyzing her & leaving her in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. Batman rescued Commissioner Gordon, who had been kidnapped by the Joker, but Barbara's career as a costumed crime fighter was over after half of a decade of service.

### 2006 - 2007: Oracle

The following months were not happy for Barbara, or anyone in the Bat Family for that matter. She had effectively ended her relationship Dick to further isolate herself. She worked on bettering herself in many ways & after doing so for a month straight, she realized she made a mistake with Dick. But it was too late as Dick had found himself another redhead, a beautiful & all powerful alien at that. While losing motor control of her lower body & her true love hurt, nothing could prepare her for what the Joker did next.

The death of Jason Todd was not something anyone saw coming. The fifteen year old Robin was looking into his birth mother's identity after having found out the woman that raised him. Unfortunately, his mother Sheila just so happened to be working with the Joker. When Jason tried to save her, he was captured, tortured & beaten by the Joker within an inch of his life. It took forever for the Bat family to find him & when Batman finally did arrive, Jason had succumbed to his wounds.

Barbara had felt that Jason's death could have been prevented. But unfortunately, the heroes of Gotham mostly relied on their wit & physicality more than technology. Recognizing the world needed more than just the kind of superhero she had become acustomed to, Barbara devoted all her time to helping the heroes in another. She developed one of the world's most complex & powerful computer systems, becoming the hacker & information broker we know as "Oracle." Not only did she gather information & accumulate intel from traditional sources, she also was able to gain from government databases that were not so open to the public.

### 2007 - Present: Oracle

The next year, Barbara joined Dick & a few others in starting a covert team that would focus on missions that the Justice League & Titans could not conduct due to restrictions from the United Nation. While Dick led the team in the field, it was Babs who ran the mission from behind the scene. The year after that was another eventful one for the computer hacker. Her longtime boyfriend & future district attorney, Sam Young, proposed. Gotham was hit with its darkest hour after the Shadows orchestrated an earthquake to devastate the city. But in the midst of the chaos, she would form her own team called the Birds of Prey & recruit a young Cassandra Cain into the Bat's ranks.

As the years have gone on, one could argue that she made more of an impact as Oracle. She has become an invaluable resource not only to the Bat Family but to the Justice League & a variety of other superheroes. Outside of her technology skills, Oracle still is active in training & recruiting new members into their ranks (i.e. Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe). As for her personal life, Barbara did eventually win back her longtime love, leading to her & Dick getting married in 2018.

## Romantic Relationships

* Sam Young: Boyfriend (2006 - 2008); Fiancée (2008 - 2010)
* Ted Kord: Dated (2011)
* Dick Grayson: On & Off (2003 - 2006), (2011 - 2012); Boyfriend (2015 - 2017); Fiancée (2017 - 2018); Husband (2018 - )

 Powers & Abilities

* **Genius Level Intellect:** Barbara is a genius, possessing extensive knowledge in numerous different fields of study, making her an adept leader, detective, computer scientist, linguist & combatant. Although she is no longer on the field fighting criminals head to head, she has shown to be one of the most resourceful & greatest crime fighters. Oracle also has large databases on various superheroes and villains alike, utilizing the information she has attained in her investigations.
	+ ***Business Management***: In addition to everything else she does, Barbara is head of her own green energy company.
	+ ***Computer Operation*:** Her brilliance in computer science has allowed to direct the Birds of Prey by computer, hack the most well-protected systems, guard her own equipment from infiltration & access security footage as effective means of surveillance & to aid in her detective work, among seemingly limitless other uses. She is by far the most computer literate of the Bat-family & one of the most efficient users of computers worldwide. With her computer hacking skills, she is able to breach the highest security systems. Her skills are rivaled by none.
	+ ***Eidetic Memory*:** She doesn't forget anything.
	+ ***Interrogation*:** Barbara has picked up on interrogation skills from the two of the best investigators; her father James Gordon & mentor Batman.
	+ ***Intimidation*:** Don't let the wheelchair fool you, Barbara can still strike fear in the hearts of many.
	+ ***Investigation***
	+ ***Law*:** Barbara took a correspondence course in law, obtaining a Juris Doctor degree. After getting the basic degree, she took an extension course, earning a Master Degree of Law.
	+ ***Leadership*:** Many have noted that Barbara has a natural instinct to lead, able to capture everyone's attention & motivate them with a plan. She currently leads the Bird of Prey.
	+ ***Multilingualism*:** She is fluent in English, Japanese & Mandarin Chinese.
	+ ***Network*:** She has formed connections with numerous different superhero teams & individuals, often times assisting them when they require information & reference
	+ ***Occultism***
	+ ***Psychology***: She is currently working towards a degree in Forensic Psychology.
	+ ***Tactical Analysis***
* **Firearms:** Growing up with a cop father, she learned how to use a gun & later learned how to dismantle one by Batman. Since her paralysis, she keeps a gun handy on her.
* **Hand to Hand Combat/Martial Arts:** Barbara is a trained martial artist. She is skilled Boxing, Jujutsu, Karate, Dragon Style Kung Fu, Judo & Eskrima. After her paralysis, she trained herself to fight & protect herself from the wheelchair. Though she is confined to a wheelchair, this has not stepped her from using her skills when needed. as she has more than held her own in many fights.

### Weaknesses

* **Restricted Mobility:** She is paralyzed from the waist down after being shot by the Joker & uses a wheelchair. Because she still has sensation in this part of her body, there is a better chance of muscle recovery. Barbara has receive multiple medical treatments from the Wayne Foundation that have improved her feeling. However, she does not have any motor control below her injury.
* **Emotion:** Barbara has trouble being vulnerable with people. The only people who have or have been close to seeing this side of her are Dick, Dinah & Cassandra.

### Ratings

* **Intelligence:** 7 - Master / Elite
* **Strength:** 3 - Average / Basic; *formerly* 4 - Trained / Learned
* **Speed:** 3 - Average / Basic; *formerly* 4 - Trained / Learned
* **Occult:** 2 - Impaired / Below Average
* **Weapons:** 6 - Expert / Advanced
* **Range:** 4 - Trained / Learned
* **Strategy:** 6 - Expert / Advanced
* **Combat:** 4 - Trained / Learned; *formerly* 6 - Expert / Advanced
* **TOTAL:** 127 - Threat Level 3 / General Threat (Oracle); 161 - Threat Level 4 / Moderate Threat (Batgirl)

## Trivia

* Bruce has been working with Wayne Enterprises & S.T.A.R. Labs to find a way to cure Barbara's paralysis. She thinks it's because he partially blames himself.
* Her online screen name is MarpleMiss99.
* After years of back & forth, Dick & Barbara were in an official relationship right before she was shot by the Joker. Her paralysis put a damper on things & she decided to end the relationship.
* Barbara thinks a lot about the impact her actions have on the marginalized population of Gotham. She goes easy on the thieves & bandits that are criminals for lack of better choices. She was even able to understand some villains' issues. To sum it up, she can walk in others' shoes & reflect on her own actions.
* Her best friends are Kara Kent & Helena Bertinelli. She is also very close with Dinah Lance.
* Her & Kori are cordial at best, mostly because Barbara is the stepmother of Kori's daughter, Mar'i. Kori has always been jealous of Dick & Barbara’s close relationship but Barbara was also jealous of the intimacy between Dick & Kori.
* Though she operates with the Bat Family & Birds of Prey, she does have her own set of personal foes such as The Calculator, Velvet Tiger, Knightfall & Seer.
* During the Cataclysm, Jack Morelli snuck out by the baby for some fresh air. She is spotted by some of Joker's men & was forced to hide in an abandoned studio. She used the equipment to build her own radio & was able to reach Oracle. The hero was able to send Huntress to get her & take her back to her family. Unfortunately, Huntress ran into the Joker afterwards & almost died in the process.
* She sent the Birds to confront Charlotte about using the Batgirl mantle. They are all attacked by a gun-runner seeking revenge against the Birds. Charlotte helps the Birds in fighting im off. Charlotte is hit by a bullet & transports to Oracle's control room. Oracle refuses to train her & Charlotte leaves. Oracle tracked down Charlotte & offered her membership with the Birds.

## Notes

* Her relationship to Sam Young & Sam's career is a nod to the DCAU.
* To view the 2032 version of the character, click HERE.