Superhero Origins: Batgirl

Superhero Origins: Batgirl

She’s the third wheel of the dynamic duo. Welcome to Watchmojo.com, and today we will explore the origins of Batgirl.

As with most comic book characters, there are often re-imaginings and different versions to a character’s past. We have chosen to primarily follow the storyline which unfolded in 1961’s Batman #139, which was expanded upon in 1967’s Detective Comics #359”.

Not unlike Robin, several characters have occupied the role of Batgirl. The first of these was Betty Kane. She was introduced when the Cobra Gang captured the dynamic duo and their ally Batwoman in an energy beam. Swinging in through the window to rescue them, Batgirl turned off the device only to disappear as mysteriously as she arrived.

As it turned out, Batgirl was the niece of Kathy Kane, the millionaire behind the Batwoman identity. An astute young woman living with her aunt, Betty pieced together Kathy’s secret identity from her frequent absences, and was inspired to make her own costume and trail her on adventures.

Confronted, Kathy trained her niece in an attempt to stall her until she could return to her parents. However, Betty’s anxiousness got the better of her and she decided to prove herself her worth by going after the Cobra gang alone.

Captured, she managed make a signal that allowed the others to find their lair and save the day. Brought into the fold, she began a flirtatious relationship Robin, as the writers had introduced her to offset the growing suspicion that Batman and Robin shared more then just a cave together.

Eventually, Betty Kane transformed into the solo superhero Flamebird and the Batgirl was passed on to it’s most popular incarnation by Barbara Gordon, the daughter of commissioner Gordon.

Barbara Gordon was introduced as a brainy librarian with a brown belt in Judo. Unlike Betty Kane, she didn’t seek to become a hero, having crafted her costume for the policeman’s masquerade ball.

However, while driving to the party, she stumbled on an extortion attempt by the Killer Moth against Bruce Wayne. Leaping to his rescue, she took on the criminals while Wayne slipped away and re-emerged in his costume. By the time he got back, she had sent the bad guys packing and had ignited a newfound desire for danger and excitement. Thanking her, Batman explained that there was no need for her to protect Bruce Wayne, because he would see to that personally.

Unable to focus on her library work, due to a feeling of emptiness with her ordinary life, she decided to keep training and use Bruce Wayne’s love of rare books to squeeze her way back into his exciting life. Arriving at his mansion, she discovered Wayne’s murdered body. Putting on her costume, she leapt into action. However, the body she had discovered turned out to be a ruse by Batman to trick the Killer Moth.

The truth revealed, she helped Batman and Robin bring the super-criminal to justice. Impressed with her detective work and fighting skills, Batman welcomed her to the team. All the while, her father remained none the wiser and she was never let in on the true identities of her partners.

Following this, Batgirl was introduced to the television series in order to provide greater sex appeal in an effort to save the show from impending cancellation. Portrayed by Yvonne Craig, she appearing in its final season, she had just as much luck with her own unaired spin-off pilot “Batgirl”.

In the 1988’s classic “The Killing Joke”, the Joker paralyzed Barbara Gordon by shooting her on her doorstep, in an attempt to drive her father crazy. This shocking comic event transformed her into “The Oracle”, as she became devoted to gathering information for Batman in order to continue to help him fight evil.

In both the comics and the cartoons Barbara has continued to be shown under both roles, while the identity has come to be inhabited by other characters, infamously including Alicia Silverstone as Barbara Wilson, Alfred’s niece in 1997’s “Batman & Robin”.

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