Batgirl/Oracle
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(not Betty Kane Batgirl… Barbara Gordon Batgirl). First off, she glides into
the Silver Age as a librarian–the quintessential symbol of intelligence (she
could’ve been a literal rocket scientist and she wouldn’t be considered much
smarter), as well as the cherished daughter of Police Commissioner Gordon.
So not only is she well-read, but she’s also up on all the latest crime
stats and suspect leads.
Ever since her first appearance in 1967,
Batgirl’s been a firm staple in the DC heroine universe. She even ran for
Congress in place of her father during the ’70s… and won. Though a near-fatal
run-in with The Joker left her paralyzed in 1988, that only added to her
indispensable brainiac mystique.
Wheelchair-bound, she became Oracle in
1989, a veritable walking computer of superhero stats and facts. Dina Meyers
embodied her in the short-lived WB series, Birds of Prey, based on the
’90s comic of the same name.
But what sets Barbara Gordan aka Batgirl
aka Oracle apart from many other superheroines is that she pulls an intelligence
trifecta, taking on a young mentee–Cassandra Cain, an assassin’s daughter who
was never taught to speak–who’s currently being featured as Batgirl’s latest
successor.
You have to love her resolve and her longevity. This year
marks her 38th anniversary–and we’d just love it if she’s featured in middle
age as a kind of sage and guide in the vein of Professor X.
Where do you
see Oracle/Barbara Gordon in the future? Let us know.
