Character Profiles - Heroes - Oracle/Barbara Gordon
Alter Ego: Barbara Gordon
Occupation: Crime Fighter/Information Broker
Marital Status: Single
Known Relatives: James Gordon (uncle/adoptive father), Barbara Gordon (aunt and adoptive mother), James Gordon, Jr. (cousin and adopted brother), Roger Gordon (father, deceased), Thelma Gordon (mother, deceased), Sarah Essen (step-mother, deceased)
Group Affiliations: Batman Family, Seven Soldiers of Victory, Suicide Squad, JLA
Base of Operations: Mobile
Height: 5ft 11in
Weight: 148lbs
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Red
First Appearance: As Batgirl:
Detective Comics #359 (January 1967)
As Oracle:
Suicide Squad v1 #23 (January 1989)
Created By: Gardner Fox,
Carmine Infantino
Barbara Gordon's career as Oracle began almost accidentally. In the months following her crippling encounter with the Joker, she'd hidden herself away from the world, going out only for her physical and emotional therapy sessions. But the woman who had been Batgirl quickly got tired of being afraid and feeling useless. She used her researcher's talents from her job as a librarian and a grant from the Wayne Foundation to begin anew, this time using computers as her library, community and her battlefield.
Her first case as Oracle was solving one of the GCPD cases that her father was driving himself nuts with. Someone was using computers to steal money, and Barbara decided to help without anyone realizing it was her. While on the case Barbara slowly started to rediscovered herself. She couldn't let her life go down the drain despite what her condition was. With Batman's help, she was sent to train with the martial arts master, Richard Dragon in Escrima, the Philippine art of stick fighting. While learning this discipline honed her body and her confidence anew, it also helped her to discover her new path.
One night she had a dream where she spoke to the wise Oracle who told her to become a hero once more. This time however she did something no other person had done to help the world. Oracle made her "on-line" debut helping the Suicide Squad as a mysterious hacker who had invaded the squad's database, and she eventually became a member of the team (under the alias "Amy Beddoes") and the Squad's leader Amanda Waller's second-in-command. When the Suicide Squad ended, Oracle continued with her work as a free-lance.
She became more and more interesting and useful as personal computers and the Internet became more prevalent in everyday life and has emerged as the premiere investigator and information broker in the DCU. The super heroes of the world come to her to handle the tasks too big for their superpowers and she has always come through to them. Physically confined to a wheelchair, she is intellectually unrestricted by any barriers. She is a presence throughout the world, watching, tracking, and getting involved, via her operatives and allies, where she believes her and their combined skills could help out. And she "sits" at the round table, taking her place amongst the DCU pantheon as the JLA's resident Athena, the goddess of wisdom.
During No Man's Land, Barbara managed to maintain both her databases and her health by tailoring her skills to the radically altered circumstances of Gotham City, and she took it upon herself to keep the history of this extraordinary époque in the life (or death) of one of the two most famous cities in comic book history. Towards the end of that story arc, she gave her blessing to the ascendancy of a young, nameless girl, trained as an assassin but with a code of honor as strict and unyielding as that of the Batman's own to the role of Batgirl.
Although Barbara is crippled, she has gotten the chance to put on the Batgirl suit one more time and fight crime. However, she's never gotten the chance to keep it. Barbara Gordon originally only became the Internet broker known as Oracle and joined the Suicide Squad for only one thing. Her legs back. She figured that if she helped them they'd return the favor by giving back her legs. However it never came about, and instead Barbara decided to live in the wheelchair and be happy with the way things are.
Although Barbara is in a wheelchair, which doesn't mean that Batgirl is dead. The first time she was "resurrected" was when the murderous Hank Hall AKA Monarch became the villain known as Extant and gained the power to change time to anyway he chose. Converging timelines, he brought Batgirl back from the dead. Only problem was Oracle was around at the same time, which got very confusing for Batman, so he went to Superman, but because of the timeline crisis, thousands of other Batmen from other eras showed up as well. Before, Extant was defeated; Batgirl was killed one more time when she was shot with a blast of energy into her spine.
Another time she was offered her legs was when the demon Lord known as Neron went around making bargains with meta-humans, super-heroes, and villains for their souls in return. He went to her offering her legs back and the ability to be Batgirl again. Showing her what it would be like, Barbara refused the offer and Neron left her.
The Martian Manhunter again offered Barbara her legs when she was in the JLA. Although they could give her some sort of mechanical leg construct, she kindly said no.
The last time, Barbara was offered her legs back and become Batgirl, and although Barbara would have said no, this time she wasn't given the choice. The woman only known as Spellbinder hallucinated her and showed her life as if the Joker never shot her. Instead of Oracle teaming up with Black canary to become the Birds of Prey, Batgirl did and when the dream was over, Barbara was furious and beat up the Spellbinder sending her back to prison.
Another time Batgirl returned from the dead, but it had nothing to do with Barbara Gordon this time. When the Scarecrow induced Nightwing with fear serum. He saw an imaginary world that could never exist. In this world, Batgirl existed fighting crime.
During the period of time known as No Man's Land, Babs kept a record of what was happening in Gotham City by employing various teenagers to be her eyes and ears on the street. One of these teenaged agents was Cassandra Cain, who later saved Barbara's father's life. Seeing that Cassandra was one of the world's top martial artists, and knowing that Batman needed as many allies as possible during ths time, Barbara gave her blessing for Cassandra to become the new Batgirl. Barbara became Cassandra's guardian/mentor for a lengthy time period, teaching her how to become more human, since her father David Cain had only trained her to be a weapon and nothing else.
After Batman usurps her computers and satellites during his battle with Black Mask in "War Games", which result in the destruction of her home and headquarters in the clock tower, Barbara decides that it is time for her to move on, and leaves Gotham. She cuts ties with Batman, and after a temporary world trip with her team, moves to Metropolis.
Barbara becomes infected with a virus from Brainiac and discovers that she has cyberpathic powers and can psychically interact with computer systems. After she kills the virus, she loses those abilities. As a side effect of the virus, when she is operated on by Doctor Mid-Nite with the help of Superman and Cyborg, she discovers she can now move her toes. She underwent some rehabilitation subsequently, but still uses a wheelchair.
At long last, Barbara and Dick Grayson re-ignite their love affair. Barbara later ends the relationship when she feels Dick is being over-protective of her. In truth, Dick is being attacked in all areas of his life by the Blockbuster. She and Dick still love each other and remain in each other's lives. After the destruction of Blüdhaven by The Society, Dick proposes to her and Barbara accepts.
Their romantic reunion is cut short by the Infinite Crisis. Alexander Luthor's master plan of recreating the Multiverse relies in part on keeping the heroes of the world preoccupied with mass breakouts from every prison and mental institution in the country. In opposition, Oracle serves as a communication link between as many heroes as possible, assembling teams with the help of the Martian Manhunter. As the battle rages on in the heart of Metropolis, Oracle and the Martian Manhunter organize their counter-attacks until the rest of their allies arrive.
One Year Later:
A year after the events of Infinite Crisis, Oracle and her team continue to work in Metropolis and while Dick and Barbara's engagement was broken off for unknown reasons, she is again working with Batman although not on a regular basis as before. Instead she prefers to work primarily with her agents. Oracle is not immediately aware of Cassandra's retirement as Batgirl, nor her subsequent actions of taking over the League of Assassins. Cassandra becomes a touchy subject with Oracle shortly there after, to the point that she slaps a girl pretending to be Batgirl, for merely mentioning Cassandra's name.
Barbara continues to lead the Birds of Prey, even after Black Canary leaves, and is currently engaged in a battle with Spy Smasher who is trying to take down the Birds of Prey organization.
Click For More Info About Barbara as:
Batgirl
Parts of this bio came from:
Batgirls Of Gotham
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