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Batgirl: Difference between revisions
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* The third series began publishing in 2011 and will feature Barbara Gordon as Batgirl. Despite her lengthy publication history, this is the first ongoing series to feature her as the title character. Its page can be found [[Batgirl 2011|here]].
== Betty Kane ==
▲=== The various women to use the identity and name of Batgirl are (In Chronological Order): ===
[[File:betty_kane.png|frame]]
Batwoman and Bat-Girl were [[Brother Chuck|summarily dumped]] from the Bat-titles in 1964 as part of the new editor's cutting away some of the high silliness that had accumulated during [[The Interregnum]]. Years later, when Dick Grayson had become Nightwing, "Bette" Kane showed up in the ''[[Teen Titans (Comic Book)|Teen Titans]]'' series as [[Continuity Nod|Flamebird]], a part-time costumed heroine with a crush on him. She's popped up every so often for brief appearances with the Titans, but avoiding a deep look at her continuity. Recently, the Interregnum-era stories have been brought back into continuity, albeit with the more outlandish ones being retconned into hallucinations that Bruce had during an exceptionally troubling phase in his life. The original Batwoman and Bat-Girl in particular have been confirmed as having been real.
* [[Action Girl]] / [[Faux Action Girl]]: Betty's level of competency varied wildly by the needs of the story--but usually she needed rescuing from whatever jam she and Batwoman had gotten themselves into this time.
* [[All Love Is Unrequited]]
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* [[Hair of Gold]]
* [[Magic Skirt]]
== Barbara Gordon ==
[[File:batgirl1.jpg|frame]]
In story, Barbara Gordon had created a "Batgirl" costume for herself to go to a masquerade ball, showing her personality by spending the time and effort to make it fully workable as a crimefighting outfit as well as a costume party winner. On the way to the party, Barbara saw a crime in progress by Killer Moth, and wound up helping Batman and Robin solve the case after an initial misunderstanding or two. Thrilled by the adventure, Batgirl opted to take up heroing full time.
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Many adaptations of the Batman material have made Barbara much younger at the time she became Batgirl, and much more Batman's sidekick.
* [[Action Girl]]
* [[Animal-Themed Superbeing]]
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* [[Stuffed Into the Fridge]]: Her injury in ''[[The Killing Joke]]'' is this, no question. It's been noted that she's not so much a ''character'' in that story as she is a plot device to cause Commissioner Gordon and Batman pain. Alan Moore is on the record saying that this was a case where DC probably should have reigned him in.
== Helena Bertinelli ==
[[File:huntress_as_batgirl_super2.gif|frame]]
* [[Action Girl]]
* [[Animal-Themed Superbeing]]
* [[Anti-Hero Substitute]]
* [[Identity Impersonator]]
{{break}}
== Cassandra Cain ==
[[File:batgirlcover.jpg|frame]]
In her backstory, Cassandra was raised by her father, notorious assassin David Cain, to have body language as her "native tongue," allowing her to read people's movements and emotions from the tiniest of clues. With the addition of constant martial arts training, Cain hoped to turn Cassandra into a superhuman assassin. The training had the side effect of making Cassandra unable to understand spoken or written language. However, when Cain had Cassandra kill a human being for the first time she read the victim's dying agonies and understood on a primal level what death was, and silently vowed never to kill again, escaping from her father.
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A quick side note: Cassandra briefly took on another identity, Kasumi, in the ''[[Justice League]] Elite'' title.
* [[Abusive Parents]]
* [[Action Girl]]
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* [[What Could Have Been]]: The miniseries "Batman: Gates of Gotham" was originally conceived as a solo story about Cassandra. The final product heavily featured her, but she had to share it with her brothers.
== Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe ==
5) About the same time as Cassandra Cain's [[Face Heel Turn]], a new "Batgirl" was seen in Gotham City in the ''Birds of Prey'' arc "Headhunt". First appearing in ''Birds of Prey'' #96 (September, 2006). Upon closer examination, this turned out to be a teenager named Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe, who had inherent superpowers, including teleportation. Barbara Gordon tries to straighten the young lady out by stressing the dangers of a poorly-trained hero fighting crime (including showing what turn out to be faked autopsy photos of Stephanie "Spoiler" Brown). Charlotte gave up the Batgirl identity, but then adopted the codename "Misfit" and Oracle was forced to start training the girl for her own and everyone else's safety.▼
[[File:misfitbatgirl.png|frame]]
▲
==== Tropes exhibited by the Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe Batgirl include: ====▼
* [[Animal-Themed Superbeing]]
* [[Catch Phrase]] - "Darrrrrrrrrrk Vengeance!" (despite being a bright, bubbly girl)
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* [[Kid Hero]]
* [[Redheaded Hero]]
{{break}}
6) As of October, 2009, a [[Batgirl 2009|new]] ''[[Batgirl 2009|Batgirl]]'' [[Batgirl 2009|series]] started with a new Batgirl: Stephanie Brown, aka Spoiler and Robin IV. As shown in the first issue, Cassandra Cain has retired as Batgirl (but the [[Word of God|author]] says she's not out of the picture...oops, now she is because DC has "big plans for her"...) and Stephanie decides to use the costume instead. Barbara Gordon finds out about this and at first tries to stop her, but after seeing a demonstration of her bravery vows to guide and help her. The series is [[Lighter and Softer]] than many of the other Bat-related titles currently being published by DC, but is an embodiment of the [[Tropes Are Not Bad]] ideal: Its [[Plucky Girl|upright and cheerful protagonist]] still faces the same horrors and challenges facing any hero, but perseveres without ever losing her positive outlook.▼
== Stephanie Brown ==
[[File:steph_batgirl_large2.jpg|frame]]▼
▲
Early reports stated that Stephanie would be Spoiler post-reboot, but she has yet to appear in actual continuity. This originated from an attempt to fit Grant Morrison's "Batman: Leviathan Strikes!" into the New 52 continuity, but this got to be too complicated. They finally said "screw it," set the story in pre-Flashpoint continuity, and kept Stephanie as Batgirl for the duration.
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For tropes on the series itself see [[Batgirl 2009|here]]
▲[[File:steph_batgirl_large2.jpg|frame]]
▲==== Tropes exhibited by Stephanie Brown Batgirl include: ====
* [[Action Girl]]
* [[Always Second Best]]: [[Character Development|She began to shine once she assumed the Batgirl title]], but Stephanie has a long history of failing to measure up against her compatriots. In particular, she and Cassandra Cain (The Batgirl to precede her, and with whom Stepahnie had one of the friendliest relationships amongst the superhero community) would frequently spar and train together, each occurance only demonstrating how far ahead of her Cassie actually was.
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* [[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.
{{quote|'''Batgirl:''' "Little late but nice effort."}}
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