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[[File:Batgirl_2_9190.jpg|thumb|300px|What, this? Oh, it's nothing, just my gargoyle. Why, don't ''you'' have one? <ref>'Its a Grotesque. Gargoyles have water spouts'</ref> ]]
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''Batgirl'' was an ongoing monthly comic-book series written by Bryan Q. Miller with pencils and inks done by Lee Garbett and Trevor Scott. Running from 2009 to 2011, this series features Stephanie Brown as [[
Stephanie Brown herself is a teenager with what can only be described as a complicated relationship with the world of crime and superheroics in and around [[Batman|Gotham City]]. The daughter of the Cluemaster, a B-List [[Criminal Mind Games|Riddler knockoff]], Stephanie came to despise her father and crime in general because of the traumatic childhood his escapades created. She adopted the identity of 'the Spoiler' and, true to her title, went around and [[Spoiler|spoiled]] her fathers crimes. Soon she began fighting criminals apart from just her father and became one of the numerous costumed vigilantes operating in Gotham City. However, unlike the ''other'' vigilantes, [[Overshadowed by Awesome|she put the 'normal' in]] [[Badass Normal]]. Stephanie did not have the [[Crimefighting with Cash|technological support]] or [[Training
After the ''massive'' fan revolt began to die down [[DC Comics]] recognized that they had made a mistake [[Author's Saving Throw|and it was revealed that Dr. Thompkins had not let Stephanie die, but had faked her death and smuggled her out of the country for her safety]]. She eventually returned to Gotham City and resumed heroism as the Spoiler, but with continued opposition from the other established masked heroes of the city.
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The series ended in August 2011 with the [[New 52]] [[Continuity Reboot]] of the [[DC Universe]], after which a new ''Batgirl'' series was released featuring Barbara Gordon as the titular character. There has been no comment on whether or not the current story or characters will be continued in the new series, but there ''have'' been comments that indicate that Stephanie Brown and Cassandra Cain will still exist in the new DCU.
For the character page covering the Batgirl persona and the various women have worn the identity, see [[
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{{tropelist}}
* [[Action Girl]]: Stephanie herself, as well as [[Handicapped Badass|Barbara and Wendy]].
* [[Alpha Bitch]]: Jordanna, who might actually count as a friend of Stephanie, is also rude and teases anybody she thinks odd.
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* [[Always Someone Better]]: When [[Supergirl]] guest-stars in issue #14 she is better than Batgirl at seemingly everything. Apart from her natural superpowers, she also has a greater zest for college life than Stephanie ever had and can easily follow the [[Techno Babble|explanation for rampaging Draculas]] because she is of the science guild. However, unlike most examples of this trope, Stephanie likes her all the more because [[The Ace|she is just so awesome]].
* [[And the Adventure Continues...]]: The final line of the series is Stephanie's narration as she swings into the Gotham night for her next adventure.
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* [[Ascended Fangirl]]: In the [[Lotus Eater Machine|Black Mercy inspired visions]] of issue #24, the final panel shows Stephanie, now an adult woman operating as Knightwing, with her own Batgirl partner. This young woman is Nell, the child that Batgirl encountered numerous times throughout the series and was her biggest fan and ardent supporter.
* [[Badass Normal]]: Like the rest of the Bat-family, Stephanie relies on skill, training, determination (and plenty of gadgets) to triumph over creatures with abilities far beyond normal man.
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* [[Bat Signal]]: Batgirl responds to the primary signal, reasoning that it is the ''Bat'' signal, not the Bat''man'' signal. However, when she is suspected of murder the police lure her in by shining the signal and ambushing her when she answers.
* [[Battle in the Center of the Mind]]: Oracle and Calculator face off within Barbara's subconscious.
* [[Blue Eyes]]: Stephanie has classic, beautiful blue eyes.
* [[B-Movie]]: Stephanie and Supergirl [[Show Within a Show|go to]] a cliche'd, badly acted and cheesy ''[[Dracula]]'' film when Supergirl stops by one night for a visit.
* [[Buffy-Speak]]: "How else are we gonna solve the mystery of the thingy stolen by the invisible super-guy?"
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* [[Character Development]]: The theme of the series seems to be growing up in both the literal and figurative sense, with Stephanie Brown going to college and also approaching superhero work with a more mature and developed attitude. Wendy continues her character development that began after her brutal mauling in the [[Teen Titans (Comic Book)|Teen Titans]] series, where [[Superfriends|she and her brother Marvin]] were minor supporting characters that were [[The Scrappy|heavily disliked by fans]] until [[Alas, Poor Scrappy|their brutal exit from the series]]. She is coming to grips with being a paraplegic and reinventing herself as the superhero-in-training [[Playful Hacker|Proxy]] with the counseling and guidance of both Dr. Leslie Thompkins and Barbara Gordon.
* [[Chekhov's Gun]]: Stephanie [[Lampshade Hanging|actually quotes the maxim]], pointing out that nobody steals a gun unless they are planning to use it for something.
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* [[Cherry Tapping]]: Supergirl is so unimpressed by the Reapers that when she fights [[Super Speed|Slipstream]], she defeats him with an [[Offhand Backhand]] while ''checking her nails''.
* [[Children Are Innocent]]: Stephanie is a firm believer that kids should have a chance to ''be'' kids, and Damien Wayne's upbringing and current lifestyle disturbs her to no end. When she discovers that he does not even know how to ''play'', [[Tear Jerker|apart from causing her heart to break just a little bit]], she brings him to a moon bounce so that he get a start on learning how to be a child.
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* [[Damsel in Distress]]: Stephanie points out that [[Inverted Trope|Detective Nick Gage is the "damsel" in their relationship]].
* [[Dare to Be Badass]]:
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'''Barbara Gordon:''' "It's time for Wendy Harris to decide what she wants to do with her future. [[Hacker Cave|Firewall]] is upgraded and ready to go whenever you are. Batgirl will be out on patrol soon. You have the ability to be so much more than you believe you can be."<br />
'''Proxy:''' "Look, Barbara..."<br />
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* [[Flash Back]]: Frequently employed to [[How We Got Here|bring readers up to speed]].
* [[For the Evulz]]:
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'''Miranda:''' "Because we ''can''!" }}
* [[Fumbling the Gauntlet]]: While in Limbo Town, Stephanie is trying to strike up a conversation with a native witch, but when Stephanie tries to complement the witch on her bonnet and asks where she got it the witch interprets that as a questioning of her craftmanship skills. [[Sure Why Not|Stephanie says that yes, she is questioning her craftmanship skills]], provided that this will occupy at least two-minutes time. Unfortunately, the witch responds that she doubts Stephanie will ''last'' two minutes as Stephanie remembers "[[Wizard Duel|Oh. Right. Magic.]]"
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* [[Gone Horribly Wrong]]: The twenty-four Draculas [[Refugee From TV Land|running around campus]] sprung from a physics experiment that went in a direction other than planned.
* [[Good Cop, Bad Cop]]: She and Damian Wayne (Robin) play "Bad Cop, ''Worse'' Cop."
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* [[Grappling Hook Pistol]]
* [[Grenade Tag]]
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* [[Humongous Mecha]]: None have appeared in the series, but when going over Kryptonian weakness's Supergirl explains that, in addition to Kryptonite and magic, they are vulnerable to robots if they are big enough.
* [[Hypocrisy Nod]]:
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* [[Implausible Deniability]]: "I'm not a monster" is a pretty brash claim to make when you are [[Mind Rape|mind raping somebody]] ''[[Obviously Evil|at that very moment!]]''
* [[Incompatible Orientation]]: Stephanie began to develop a crush on Francisco, one of her classmates, and viewed herself as in competition with Jordanna for his affections. However, it turns out that he is already involved with someone else... (dramatic pause) a ''man!'' Jordanna already knew the whole story, but Stephanie only found out after she was dragged into his whacky family life as Batgirl.
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* [[Insistent Terminology]]:
** Barbara originally refused to call Stephanie "Batgirl" for a variety of reasons, both personal and professional, and it was when she finally did that helped Stephanie accept that she had earned the name.
** Klarion the Witch-Boy...[[Sting (music)||dum, dum...]]'''''[[Sting (music)||dum]]'''''
* [[Instant Awesome, Just Add Ninja]]: Wendy remembers the night that she and Stephanie first met (During a [[Crossover]] with ''[[Red Robin]]'') as the night with the ninjas. Stephanie herself simply describes them as "assassins."
* [[It Makes Sense in Context]]: The regular use of [[In Medias Res]] often means that the initial scenes of an issue can not be explained using information that readers currently possess, forcing them to wait for later panels (Or even ''issues'') to provide the proper context.
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* [[Jumped At the Call]]: Stephanie is one of the few superheroes in the DCU who ''loves'' her job and would not give it up. She is constantly told not to help, people explain all the problems and dangers that are inherent to the hero world, and they point out the personal benefits that come with not living a double life. Stephanie, however, will have ''none'' of it, and even if she has to do everything herself, with no help or appreciation from other heroes, she will not give up doing good.
* [[Just for Pun]]:
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'''Detective Nick Gage:''' "Uh...'Freeze!'" }}
* [[Killed Off for Real]]: {{spoiler|Clancy Johnson, a.k.a. "The Gray Ghost"}}
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* [[Laser-Guided Amnesia]]: When Oracle and the Calculator [[Battle in the Center of the Mind|are fighting within their minds]] Oracle "deletes" the Calculator's memories of her real identity. However, it is revealed in ''[[Birds of Prey]]'' [[Deconstructed Trope|that her messing with his mind has had some horrendous consequences that the Calculator believes will ultimately prove fatal]].
* [[Legacy Character]]: She picks up the immediate mantle from Cassandra Cain, becoming the third "real" Batgirl in current continuity, but she also struggles with the even larger burden of living up to Barbara's original legacy. This is exacerbated by the fact that Barbara [[The Obi-Wan|serves as her mentor.]]
* [[Lighter and Softer]]: A stark contrast to the [[Darker and Edgier]] stories we normally get from Gotham, helps that Steph is such a [[Plucky Girl]] and good person.
* [[Lotus Eater Machine]]: The [[For the Man Who Has Everything|Black Mercy]] makes an appearance in the series finale, issue #24.
* [[Medium Awareness]]: The narration captions seem to at least semi-realize they exist in a fictional story, as they occasionally refer to locales and events as they fit into the larger story.
* [[Me's a Crowd]]: The "[[Buffy-Speak|Silver Crab-Guy]]" member of the Reapers.
* [[Metaphorgotten]]:
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'''Barbara Gordon:''' "You get a litle lost there?"<br />
'''Stephanie:''' "You shoot from the hip, you don't always hit the mark." }}
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* [[Mythology Gag]]: The issue "Field Test" of the first arc of the series, ''Rising'', pit Stephanie against the villain [[Shock and Awe|Livewire]], a [[Canon Immigrant]] from the [[DCAU]] that first appeared in ''[[Superman: The Animated Series]]''. Livewire had also guest-starred in an episode of ''[[Batman: The Animated Series]]'' before being imported into the comics. This episode, "Girl's Night Out," which was her first appearance in Gotham City and any Batman related media, featured her fighting (and being defeated by) Batgirl.
* [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero]]: You could rename this trope Pulling a Stephanie Brown.
* [[The Obi-Wan]]: Barbara is Stephanie's.
* [[Obviously Evil]]:
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'''Oracle:''' "Says the maniac with his hands around my neck ''while he Mind-Rapes me''." }}
* [[Offhand Backhand]]:
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* [[Plucky Girl]]: One of Stephanie's crowning characteristics is no matter what crap is loaded on top of her, she remains cheerful and pops back up.
* [[The Pollyanna]]: Stephanie describes herself as such. Barbara's final line of the series is to affirm this belief.
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* [[The Power of Trust]]: When Detective Gage says that he trust Batgirl, even if he does not know exactly why, Stephanie actually says the word "[[Squee]]" in her internal monologue.
* [[Precocious Crush]]: Stephanie has become somewhat infatuated with the detective that is shaping up to be [[The Commissioner Gordon|her contact with the local police]], but the age difference (And the implication that he has some serious relationship baggage) will probably preclude any sort of actual relationship.
* [[Psycho Electro]]: Livewire, the [[Shock and Awe|electric]] villain Batgirl fights in in ''Rising'' arc.
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** In issue #23, Batgirl summons the [[Teen Titans (Comic Book)|Teen Titans]] assistance by shouting "[[Shazam]]!"
** Bombshell, a member of the [[Teen Titans (Comic Book)|Teen Titans]], has been experimenting with new catchphrases.
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'''Stargirl:''' "What's the 'blank' for?"
'''Bombshell:''' "I'll let you know when I'm done [[Fantastic Four|clobberin']]." }}
* [[Show Within a Show]]: Stephanie and Kara watch a [[B-Movie|cliched, badly acted and cheesy]] ''Dracula'' film when they decided to go out for Friday night.
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* [[Stalker with a Crush]]: The train hijacker Stephanie beats up in issue #9 begins asking her out midway through his beating, and he reappears in later issues in pursuit of her affections and calling himself "[[Batman: The Animated Series|The Grey Ghost]]."
* [[Stealth Hi Bye]]: "The Grey Ghost" has been "[[Stalker with a Crush|tracking]]" Batgirl for a week now, thinking that he had her totally unaware.
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'''Clancy Johnson (The Grey Ghost):''' "Gah! (''Drops binoculars'') Those were expensive!" }}
* [[Sting (music)|Sting]]: Klarion the Witch-Boy verbally inserts his own "dum, dum...'''''dum'''''."
* [[Stop Helping Me!]]: Batgirl wants to get Clancy Johnson to stop being the Grey Ghost before he hurts himself or gets somebody else hurt.
* [[Strange Minds Think Alike]]: Their thoughts were not very strange, but during the "The Flood" arc many of Batgirl's and Oracle's [[Inner Monologue]] narrations were identical copies of one another.
* [[Super Speed]]: Slipstream. However, when he and Batgirl fight she notices that, though his reflexes are fast, they are ''not'' superhumanly fast, and she is trying to figure out what that says about his powers.
* [[Suspiciously Specific Denial]]: When Batgirl wakes up in a hospital, being tended to by her own mother.
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* [[Talk to the Fist]]: All Stephanie was trying to do was complement a girl on her bonnet...
* [[Tastes Like Purple]]:
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'''Stephanie:''' "You say that like it's a bad thing." }}
* [[Tear Jerker]]: Stephanie does not care for Damien Wayne, the current Robin, even a little bit, but sometimes she can not help but hurt at the obvious issues he has from his childhood.
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'''Robin:''' (''While undercover'') "It's...I'm new...er...my name is...[[Batman|Bruce]]."<br />
'''Batgirl:''' (''Internal monologue'') My heart just broke for him a little. I must ''never'' let him know...[[With Friends Like These...|unless it keeps him from killing me one day]], [[But I Digress]]. }}
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* [[Television Portal]]: Isn't it just like [[Dracula]] to leap off the movie screen and start attacking audience?
* [[Tempting Fate]]: While waiting for Calculator to attack, Barbara Gordon comments that she ''hates'' waiting. However, when Calculator does attack mere moments later she immediately regrets her earlier thoughts.
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* [[That's What She Said]]:
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'''[[Supergirl]]:''' "[[That's What She Said|That's what she said.]]"<br />
'''Batgirl:''' "[[Casual Danger Dialogue|You're funny.]]"<br />
'''Supergirl:''' "[[Casual Danger Dialogue|I try.]]" }}
* [[Took a Level
* [[Trademark Favorite Food]]: Steph and her mom eat waffles at pretty much every meal. It is apparently her mom's way of bonding. Heck, even Damien was seen eating them with Steph more than once!
* [[Triple Shifter]]: Though she does more heroics in the daytime than [[Batman]], her primary hours of hero duty are still during the night. Since she also has a full class schedule at Gotham University this leaves her very little free time for sleeping. As with most triple shifters the severe health and psychological problems that come with sleep deprivation are not mentioned, but the comic does deal with her almost constant exhaustion and she frequently oversleeps for both school and hero activities.
* [[Troubling Unchildlike Behavior]]: Stephanie finds it extremely disturbing just how emotionally damaged Damian Wayne is, especially when she learns he does not know how to ''play''.
* [[Unexplained Recovery]]:
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{{spoiler|Cluemaster}}: "I could say the same about ''you''."
'''Batgirl:''' "I got better."
{{spoiler|Cluemaster}}: "So did I." }}
* [[Utility Belt]]: Stephanie's tenure as Batgirl is assisted by the usual assortment of gadgets and gear, but her costume actually seems to have enough pockets to carry it all. Unlike Batman, Robin and the previous Batgirl's, [[Hyperspace Arsenal|who managed to fit all their gadgets into a single belt]], Stephanie Brown's costume has numerous gadget-belts. These include the traditional waist-belt, but also a ring of pouches that wrap around her leg.
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* [[Wangst]]: In-universe, in the [[B-Movie|cheesy, over-acted]] [[Show Within a Show|movie the girls are watching]] the various Draculas will ''not'' stop whining about how alone they are. Or rather, how '''''ALONE!!!!!''''' they are.
* [["Well Done, Son" Guy|"Well Done, Daughter" Girl]]:
** Stephanie spends the early issues just looking for some validation and appreciation from Barbara, which she finally gets in issue #3. In that same issue, Scarecrow's fear gas revealed Stephanie's deep-rooted fears of being a failure as a superhero (to Batman) and as a girlfriend (to [[Robin|Tim Drake]]). In the Batgirl/Red Robin crossover in issue #8, her fears are assuaged when Tim tells her he is proud of what she has become.
** She looked up to Batman during her tenure as Robin, and even asked him for validation during her death scene in War Games. When Bruce returns, however, [[What the Hell, Hero?|she lets]] ''[[What the Hell, Hero?|him]]'' [[What the Hell, Hero?|have it]] instead of looking for his approval, as she recognizes that he was not a very good mentor/father figure.
** Damian Wayne's [[Comedic Sociopathy]] and hostility with Stephanie is clearly all driven by his desire for approval and acceptance from Batman, ''either'' Batman, and he views her as a clear threat to that approval. What makes it so painful, especially to Stephanie, is that he clearly has no clue that his efforts are just driving his father figures further and further away, as he constantly tries to impress them with violence and aggression when all ''they'' want is for him to learn compassion.
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* [[With Friends Like These...]]: Stephanie and Damian Wayne, the curent Robin, do ''not'' have a pleasant or cooperative relationship, and it verges right on the border of [[Divided We Fall]]. Only their ability to (so far) always pull success from the ashes has kept their relationship from actually turning violently hostile, and Robin still (frequently) makes reference to wanting to kill her. Stephanie ''does not think he is joking''.
* [[Witty Banter]]:
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* [[Wizard Duel]]: When Stephanie unintentionally insults the bonnet-making-craftmanship of a witch in Limbo Town she is challenged to a standard duel, to be conducted per the guidelines set in Alchan's Book of the Damned, Third Edition, Twice Removed.
* [[Working with the Ex]]: She helped out Tim Drake/Red Robin in Batgirl #8, in attempt to thwart the assassination of Leslie Thompkins. Cue awkwardness, passive aggressive banter (especially on Tim's side) and lots of [[Unresolved Sexual Tension|UST]]-- which almost caused them to hook up again but avoided by Stephanie thinking it was not good for her at the moment.
* [[You Fight Like a Cow]]: [[Witty Banter]] is a necessity in any life-or-death situation, and Stephanie always remembers to prompt somebody when it is their turn for a quip.
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:DC Comics Series]]
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[[Category:Comic Books of the 2000s]]
[[Category:Comic Books of the 2010s]]
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