0012 - Oracle (Barbara Gordon)
Occupation: Librarian, detective, former adventurer, congresswoman.
Known relatives: James Gordon (father), Eileen Gordon (mother), Sarah Essen Gordon (stepmother, deceased), James Gordon Jr. (brother).
Group affiliation: Birds of Prey, Gotham Knights, formerly Suicide Squad, Justice League of America.
Base of operations: Gotham Clock Tower, Gotham City, New Jersey
38 years ago: Barbara Gordon is born to James Gordon and his first wife, Eileen.
22 years ago: Barbara befriends Katarina Armstrong in high school, their friendship ending about a year later when Armstrong trips her on the running track during a race.
20 years ago: The first reports of a “Bat-Man” in Gotham City start coming in, and Barbara becomes obsessed.
18 years ago: Barbara eavesdrops on a conversation between her father and Batman, and her obsession only grows. She soon enrolls in self-defense classes, getting a black belt in a short amount of time.
Barbara applies for the Gotham City Police Academy, but is rejected by her father. To spite him, she fashions a feminine version of Batman’s costume to wear to a masquerade ball held by the GCPD. The newly christened “Batgirl” stumbles upon a scheme by Killer Moth, and played a crucial part in defeating the costumed criminal.
Batgirl soon befriends Batman and Robin, having a close working relationship with the latter.
Batgirl and Supergirl meet, working together to defeat Mr. Mxyzptlk.
Gordon gets a job at the Gotham City Public Library after graduating from Gotham University with a degree in Library Science.
15 years ago: Barbara meets private investigator Jason Bard, and the two begin dating.
13 years ago: Barbara runs for Congress and is elected, leaving Gotham City and Bard behind for Washington D.C, continuing her adventures as Batgirl during her downtime.
11 years ago: Barbara loses her bid for re-election, returning to Gotham and briefly rekindling her relationship with Bard. She participates in the fight against the Anti-Monitor with the rest of Earth’s heroes.
Barbara is shot in the spine by the Joker and paralyzed from the waist down, as part of the lunatic’s campaign to prove that just a single bad day can drive anyone mad.
Though confined to a wheelchair, Barbara is still determined to fight crime in her own way. She develops an advanced computer system and aids Amanda Waller’s Task Force X under the pseudonym of “Oracle.”
Oracle founds the Birds of Prey, an all-female team of superheroes including Black Canary and Huntress operating out of Gotham Clock Tower.
Oracle is asked by Batman to join the Justice League of America.
Gordon comes into contact online with Ted Kord, the Blue Beetle, and the two hit it off, forming a long-distance relationship.
7 years ago: During the aftermath of the cataclysmic earthquake that hit Gotham City, Barbara recruits Cassandra Cain as a field agent, noticing her talents in martial arts, and starts training her to be the new Batgirl.
Feeling used by Batman after his manipulation of her during a major gang war in Gotham, Oracle relocates her operations to Metropolis.
Gordon starts treatments with Dr. Pieter Cross to begin curing her paralysis, regaining a small amount of movement in her toes. She also starts using a special harness to walk for short periods of time.
Oracle joins forces with the rest of Earth’s heroes to bring down Maxwell Lord and the Brother Eye satellite after Lord murders Kord.
Gordon and Armstrong, under the alias of Spy Smasher, come into conflict when Armstrong attempts to take over the Birds of Prey.
Cassandra Cain steps down from the role of Batgirl, passing it to Stephanie Brown, who begins training under Barbara.
2 years ago: A psychopathic James Gordon Jr. returns to Gotham, kidnapping Barbara. She stabs him through the eye, holding him off long enough for Nightwing and her father to come to her aid.
1 year ago: Jason Bard returns, revealing himself to be in league with Hush. Oracle, Batgirl, and the Red Hood team up to defeat him.
Present day: Oracle and the Birds of Prey fight against the Joker after he kidnaps Barbara’s mother, saying he’ll release her if Barbara marries him.
My Nightwing post wasn’t as controversial as I thought it would be, so here goes nothing...
This is Barbara Gordon. Former Batgirl, current Oracle and Oracle for the foreseeable future. Yes, the Killing Joke still happens in this timeline, no, she doesn’t return to active duty, and yes, she’s roughly fifteen years older than in mainstream continuity. Deal with it.
This Babs takes a lot of inspiration from her pre-Crisis portrayal, which has been all but forgotten about these days. There, she was a fully grown librarian and a Congresswoman for a time (a plot that didn’t really amount to anything there, but certainly would send waves here - remember when Gabrielle Giffords was shot? That’s the impact The Killing Joke would have here, with Babs having only recently lost her bid for re-election). This also means she’s older than in canon, making a relationship with Dick Grayson impractical during her early years but in turn giving her a closer bond with Black Canary, her lesbian lover- I mean... well, just look at how Gail Simone writes them!
Aaaaanywayyyy.... Barbara, like Nightwing, is another one of those Bat-family characters who has branched out to the universe as a whole, truly becoming her own character apart from Batman’s aegis. She’s built her own network of operatives with the Birds of Prey, and serves as the chief information broker for the superhero community at large, being badass even though she can’t be in the field that often.
I also didn’t keep her entirely crippled - with some difficulty and the aid of a special harness, this Babs can traverse short distances on her own two feet, although she doesn’t usually leave the clock tower with it on - it’s a good compromise between leaving her permanently in the chair and having her disability handwaved away by super-science like in the New 52.
And don’t fret, New 52 Batgirl fans - I haven’t forgotten about Burnside or the stylish as hell Batgirl costume Babs wore there. I have plans for all that, just you wait.
Speaking of costumes... she wears comfortable civilian clothes as Oracle, appearing as that weird green translucent head when speaking digitally to those who don’t know her identity. That’s all I’ve got for her.
Next up: Hakwman and Hawkwoman!
