Batgirl

From 1967 to 1988 she was the superhero known as Batgirl; since 1988 she has been known as Oracle. Barbara Gordon was the most well-known Batgirl incarnation and mistakenly known as the first and original Batgirl in DC Comics.

History

Batgirl appeared in Detective Comics #359, January 1967 and created by Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino. Batgirl’s alter-ego was Barbara Gordon, the daughter of Police Commissioner James Gordon of Gotham City. She admired superheroes since she was a kid and decided how to become one. Since she was about thirteen years old, she has been skilled in espionage and has always had a photographic memory, which she got by studying maps and statistics. She spent high school and college doing gymnastics, judo and keeping fit. She has a master's degree in Library and Information Systems which makes her extra good at finding information. Her abilities and skills helped her keep on top of things like computers, technology and lead to her concluding day job as a research librarian.

Her first experience as a superhero started as an accident. She had decided to go to the masquerade ball dressed as a female version of Batman, as her idol. The villain, Killer Moth, interrupted the party as Barbara intervened in a kidnapping attempt on Bruce Wayne, attracting the attention of Batman and leading to a crime-fighting career. She tried fighting the evil and Batman was not pleased with her donning the cape and cowl and tried to convince her to stop, but she was too headstrong. Batman decided that it was better to train her than watch her inexperience and get killed.

As she had her crimefighting career, she still works in the morning and fights at night. She also had her personal life dating with men and the most popular partner was Jason Bard, a Vietnam veteran and turned private investigator. Her responsibility as Batgirl sometimes puts Barbara at an emotional crossroads. She was raised with respect for law and order as the daughter of the Police Commissioner, but her actions as Batgirl technically label her a vigilante. If Batgirl was ever caught and unmasked, the scandal would certainly destroy Commissioner Gordon's career. Still, Gotham is a city that breeds an extreme kind of criminal and crimefighters are needed to handle situations regular cops can not. Barbara believes the good she does, as Batgirl is worth the potential risk to herself and her father.

In the mid 1970s, Barbara revealed her secret identity to her father, who already had discovered it on his own. They 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 a superhero. However, due to the demands and the popularity of Batgirl, she and Superman teamed up, and also with Supergirl and became good friends. Batgirl became one of the main features in the “Batman Family” comic book where she and Dick Grayson as Robin, teamed as the Dynamite Duo. Soon they discovered each other's alternate identities as well. Batwoman also became her partner.

When she lost on her re-election bid, she then returned to Gotham City and took a social worker job, fighting villains including Lady Snake and the Velvet Tiger. Supergirl also visited Gotham and shared an adventure with her. Batgirl 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 the villain, and Batgirl continued to thrive.

The Crisis on Infinite Earths changed DC Universe continuity in a lot of ways. Barbara Gordon was now the daughter of Roger and Thelma and lived in Chicago. Her parents died when she was young, so she moved with the family of her Uncle Jim at Gotham City until the time she doubted that Jim Gordon dated her mother Thelma before she married Roger, and there is a strong chance that Jim Gordon is indeed her biological father, although he is not aware of that. When she became Batgirl, Batman and Robin had much more active role in her trainings.