Barbara Gordon

**Barbara Gordon**,also known as **Batgir**l and later the **Oracle**, is one of the major characters from the *DC* Comics.

Barbara Gordon was the first modern age Batgirl until she was brutally shot by the Joker, rendering her paralyzed from the waist down. Barbara reinvented herself as Oracle, providing intelligence to the DCU heroes and leading the Birds of Prey. She has recently become Batgirl once again to protect Gotham City.

In the AWA fics, Barbara is set to appear in a future AWA storyline.

## **Appearance**

Barbara has a slim yet fit frame, she has a long reddish-orange hair and has green eyes.

As Batgirl, Barbara wears a black head mask with two horns on top, she wears a black tight bodysuit with a yellow bat symbol on the chest area and a yellow utility with a bat-shaped buckle around her waist, yellow arm gloves and calf-high boots and a black & yellow cape.

## **Personality**

During her time as Batman's sidekick, Barbara had excellent detective skills, often solving cases independently without Batman, Robin or Nightwing. She had a bit of a caring side, such as when she cuddled Tim after the Joker tortured him. She was shown to be caring of her father, constantly putting her life on the line to save his, a good example would be before she was even Batgirl when he was replaced by a robot and she infiltrated the headquarters of H.A.R.D.A.C.

Barbara even showed an act of kindness to Harley Quinn, longtime enemy of Batman, when the two were dangling from a cliff and she tried to save her. Her failure to save her, however, did not prove fatal, as Harley would live to have grandchildren.

As Batgirl, she at first hid her identity from her father, mainly because she did not want him to have to worry about her. She used this as the same reason for not originally telling Nightwing, although their relationship ever since has become more complicated. When Batman took in Tim Drake as the new Robin, Barbara once again tried to care for him.

When she became commissioner of Gotham after her father, she could be hard and stern. Barbara had a tendency to keep grudges, such as when she kept a decade long grudge against Bruce for how he treated the people he claimed to care about. Barbara could also be forgiving, such as when she reunited with Bruce and Tim after the latter's transformation into a resurrected form of the Joker.

She seemed to have a hard time accepting new people for what they were, such as Terry when he first became Batman. Her feelings towards him practically all came from the strained relationship she had with his predecessor. Regardless, he would still help her.

## **Abilities**

### **Intellect**

Regardless of the version or universe, Barbara is always portrayed as someone with a genius level intellect. In the New 52 it has been shown how fast she can cross informations to get what she wants and how, during her life, people have always called her "talented", "decided", "obstinate" and "exceptional". Among the activities in which she stands out there are ballet, martial arts and science. She also has an eidetic memory. In issue #9 it is shown that she is also familiar with Kanji.

As Oracle, she was a genius, possessing extensive knowledge in numerous different fields of study, making her an adept leader, detective, computer scientist, linguist, and combatant. After the Joker shot her, causing her paraplegia, Barbara decided to continue fighting crime from behind the scenes. Although she is no longer on the field fighting criminals head to head, she has shown to be one of the most resourceful and greatest crime fighters on earth. 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; and access security cameras and footage as effective means of surveillance and to aid in her detective work, among seemingly limitless other uses. She has formed connections with numerous different superhero teams and individuals, often times assisting them when they require information and reference. Oracle also has large databases on various superheroes and villains alike, utilizing the information she has attained in her investigations.

### **Unarmed Combat**

Barbara is also a master martial artist. After her paralysis, Richard Dragon trained her to fight and protect herself from the wheelchair. She was once able to knock away Tarantula while in her wheelchair. As Batgirl, Barbara was also a skilled acrobat. In issue #0 of her New 52 title, she says she had been taking self-defense classes since she was six. She is trained in boxing, Dragon Style Kung Fu, Judo, stick fighting, and many more. Even when crippled, she more than held her own in many fights.

### **Sensitivity**

Barbara is the Bat Family member who thinks the most about the impact her actions may have on the marginalized population of Gotham. She wonders if the superhero game is the right path for the city. She goes easy on the thieves and bandits that are on this life for lack of better choices. She was even able to understand some villains' issues. To sum up, she can walk on others' shoes and reflect on her own actions, what makes her an unique member of the Bat Family.

Before the reboot, her relationship with both Batgirls, Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown, proved that she can be a real safe Harbor for the ones she cares about. The Birds of Prey, Bruce and even Tim did not hesitate before asking her help. She usually provided a great solution.

## **Trivia**

* The character was a popular comic book figure during the Silver Age of Comic Books, due to her appearances in the Batman television series and continued media exposure. She has achieved similar popularity in the Modern Age of Comic Books under the Birds of Prey publication and as a disabled icon. The character has been the subject of academic analysis concerning the roles of women, librarians and disabled people in mainstream media.
* The events of *The Killing Joke*, which led to the character's paralysis, as well as the restoration of her mobility, has also been a subject of debate among comic book writers, artists, editors and readership. Viewpoints range from sexism in comic books, to the limited visibility of disabled characters and the practicality of disabilities existing in a fictional universe where magic, technology, and medical science exceed the limitations of the real world.