Batgirl
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Who is Batgirl?
Batgirl is an American comic book superhero created for DC Comics by writer Gardner Fox and artist Carmine Infantino. The first Batgirl was Betty Kane, Batwoman's niece, who was created as a romantic interest for Robin.
The character was revamped as Barbara Gordon, Commissioner James Gordon's daughter, who debuted months before her television premiere. After being paralyzed by the Joker in Alan Moore’s Batman: The Killing Joke (1988), she became Oracle, assisting other heroes with her computer network and hacking skills. Later, Cassandra Cain, the daughter of an assassin, took on the role, followed by Stephanie Brown. When DC rebooted its superhero line in 2011, Barbara Gordon returned as Batgirl.
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What is Batgirl's connection to Batman?
Batgirl's connection to Batman varies depending on the version of the character. The first Batgirl, Betty Kane, was introduced as Batwoman's niece and a romantic interest for Robin.
Later, Barbara Gordon became Batgirl, the daughter of Gotham City Police Commissioner James Gordon. She was portrayed as an enthusiastic crime fighter who matured to display a keen intellect and detective skills.
In another version, Cassandra Cain, the daughter of an assassin, was mentored by Batman and Oracle (Barbara Gordon) and assumed the Batgirl mantle.
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Who are some of the people who have taken on the Batgirl role in comics?
Several characters have taken on the role of Batgirl in DC Comics:
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Betty Kane The first teenage heroine in Batman’s extended family, she was Batwoman's niece and initially portrayed as a romantic interest for Robin.
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Barbara Gordon The daughter of Gotham City Police Commissioner James Gordon, she matured into a skilled crime fighter. After being injured by the Joker, she became Oracle, providing crucial information to other heroes.
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Cassandra Cain The daughter of an assassin, she sought to break free from her violent past and was trained by Oracle and Batman to become Batgirl. She later became Black Bat.
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Stephanie Brown Formerly known as the Spoiler, she took on the Batgirl identity after Cassandra Cain.
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What kinds of skills or abilities does Batgirl have?
Batgirl, created for DC Comics by writer Gardner Fox and artist Carmine Infantino, first appeared in Detective Comics no. 359 in January 1967.
Different iterations of Batgirl have appeared in DC Comics. Barbara Gordon, the daughter of Gotham City Police Commissioner James Gordon, matured to display a keen intellect, robust athleticism, and burgeoning detective skills. After an attack by the Joker, she became Oracle, developing a vast computer information network, along with a photographic memory and uncanny hacking abilities, which enabled her to ferret out information to help other heroes. Cassandra Cain was expertly trained in martial arts and other modes of combat.
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How has Batgirl contributed to fighting crime in Gotham City?
Batgirl, also known as Barbara Gordon, has significantly contributed to battling crime in Gotham City. Initially portrayed as an enthusiastic but inexperienced crime fighter, she matured to display robust athleticism, a keen intellect, and strong detective skills.
After an attack that left her paraplegic, she became Oracle, providing crucial support to other heroes by utilizing her hacking abilities, photographic memory, and vast computer network to ferret out information. As Oracle, she aided the Suicide Squad, Batman, and formed the Birds of Prey with Black Canary and Huntress.
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How has Batgirl's character changed in comics, TV shows, or movies over time?
Batgirl, created by Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino, first appeared in Detective Comics no. 359 (January 1967). The original Bat-Girl, Betty Kane, was created as a romantic interest for Robin.
Inspired by the Batman television series, a new Batgirl, Barbara Gordon, was introduced. By the 1970s, she had matured into a skilled crime fighter. Later, in Alan Moore’s Batman: The Killing Joke (1988), she was paralyzed by the Joker, leading her to become Oracle, a behind-the-scenes information crusader.
In 1999, Cassandra Cain became the new Batgirl, followed by Stephanie Brown in 2009. After DC's 2011 reboot, Barbara Gordon returned as Batgirl, no longer paralyzed, in a new series.
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Batgirl, American comic-strip superhero created for DC Comics by writer Gardner Fox and artist Carmine Infantino. Batgirl first appeared in Detective Comics no. 359 (January 1967).
The first teenage heroine to join Batman’s extended family was Betty Kane, niece of the costumed hero Batwoman. As Bat-Girl, however, she was little more than a romantic interest for Batman’s sidekick Robin. Inspired by the declining ratings of the Batman television series, show creators proposed the introduction of a less-formulaic, more-developed female character to draw new viewers. Julius Schwartz, editor of DC’s Batman comics, embraced the suggestion, and a new Batgirl (without the hyphen) debuted in Detective Comics several months before her premiere on television.
The new Batgirl was Barbara Gordon, the daughter of Gotham City Police Commissioner James Gordon. Her early appearances portrayed her as an inexperienced, if enthusiastic, crime fighter, but by the 1970s Batgirl had matured, displaying a keen intellect, robust athleticism, and burgeoning detective skills. After winning a seat in the U.S. Congress, Gordon relocated to Washington, D.C., although she still occasionally appeared as Batgirl. As Batman comic books grew grimmer throughout the 1970s and 1980s, it was felt that Batgirl’s existence weakened Batman’s, and Gordon hung up her cowl.
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By the time she resurfaced in Alan Moore’s graphic novel Batman: The Killing Joke (1988), revisions to the DC universe had made her the niece—not the daughter—of Commissioner Gordon. In that story, the Joker, Batman’s most-maniacal foe, exacted revenge on his enemy by rampaging against those close to him. The Joker shot Gordon, leaving her paraplegic. Some readers at the time accused DC Comics of misogyny, as this brutal attack on Batgirl followed the poignant but violent death of Supergirl in DC’s Crisis on Infinite Earths (1985). In reality, this tragic moment ushered in a new era for Gordon as a character. In Suicide Squad no. 23 (January 1989), she became Oracle, a behind-the-scenes crusader whose development of a vast computer information network, along with her photographic memory and her uncanny hacking abilities, enabled her to ferret out information to help other heroes. In addition to aiding the Suicide Squad, Batman, and others, Oracle ultimately joined with Black Canary and the Huntress to form the Birds of Prey.
A new Batgirl was introduced in Batman no. 567 (July 1999), when Gordon befriended a teenage girl who happened to be the daughter of a notorious assassin. Cassandra Cain had been expertly trained in martial arts and other modes of combat, but she wished to break free of her violent heritage. The intervention of Oracle and Batman helped reshape Cain’s destiny, and she assumed the mantle of Batgirl. Cain was briefly involved with the villainous League of Assassins, but it was later revealed that she had been drugged and under the mental control of the mercenary supervillain Deathstroke at the time. In Batgirl no. 1 (2009), Cain relinquished the Batgirl identity to Stephanie Brown, formerly the costumed crime fighter known as the Spoiler. Subsequently, in Grant Morrison’s Batman, Incorporated series, Cain adopted the name Black Bat to work as part of Batman’s international crime-fighting network. When DC rebooted its entire superhero line in 2011, Barbara Gordon—no longer paralyzed—returned to her costumed identity in a new Batgirl series.