Dr. Barbara "Babs" Gordon is the superheroine Batgirl; she has also been known as Oracle. Introduced as the librarian daughter of Commissioner James Gordon.

Barbara Gordon, daughter of police Commissioner James Gordon, is a college student attending Gotham State University. When Two Face sets up her father for taking bribes from Rupert Thorne, Barbara enlists the help of Batman to appear at a public rally for the Commissioner. When Batman dismisses the idea of making a "public appearance" Barbara takes matters into her own hands -- Barbara Gordon dresses in a Bat costume and attends the rally herself! When Robin spots the impostor, he chases after her. Grabbing the back of her cowl, he reveals her fiery red hair and thus "Batgirl" was born. With her gymnastic ability and innovative detective work she gains the respect of Batman and Robin. Barbara is similar in age to Robin, and the two share a flirtatious relationship.

Barbara Gordon takes after her father, James Gordon. Like the Commissioner, Barbara is a skilled crime fighter dedicated to wiping out Gotham City's lawbreakers. But Barbara's no cop, although she still wishes to be one. When Commissioner Gordon is framed by the notorious villain Two Face, Barbara dons a bat costume and finds that the uniform fits her better than she had first imagined. Whether they like it or not, Batman and Robin soon realize that they have a new red-headed ally named Batgirl. In her daily life, Barbara is a student at Gotham State University. Her academic skills are matched only by her gymnastic ability, which she utilizes to her full advantage as Batgirl. Batman and Robin learn to trust and rely on Batgirl's contribution to eradicating Gotham's criminal element.

In her daily life, Barbara is a student at Gotham State University. Her academic skills are matched only by her gymnastic ability, which she utilizes to her full advantage as Batgirl. Batman and Robin learn to trust and rely on Batgirl's contribution to eradicating Gotham's criminal element. Ironically, Barbara is also the girlfriend of d**k Grayson.

Barbara begins to develop an intense obsession with the Clown Prince of Crime, as she repeatedly hacks into the prison surveillance keeping tabs on Gotham's villan gallery mainly the Joker and even argues with Batman and the others that they should make an exception of him by killing the Harlequin of Hate.

Early on, Batman deduced the masked red-head who fought so hard to clear Commissioner Gordon could only be Gordon's daughter, Barbara. When d**k Grayson left Gotham, Batman found himself calling on Batgirl to work with him on special cases. Eventually, Batman told Batgirl the secret of his dual identity and granted her free access to the Batcave and all its technology. The Batcomputer quickly became her domain and now she even surpasses Batman, Robin and Nightwing in cyber-expertise.

Barbara lives in a private townhouse near Gotham's trendy Park Ridge. A service lift in Barbara's bedroom closet runs down to the secret basement where Barbara stores her Batgirl crimefighting gear. In addition to costumes and weapons, the basement also serves as garage for Batgirl's highly-advanced Batcycle, a gift from Batman.

Her double life as Batgirl sometimes puts Barbara at an emotional crossroads. As the daughter of the Police Commissioner, Barbara was raised with respect for law and order, but her actions as Batgirl technically label her a vigilante. If Batgirl were ever caught and unmasked, the scandal would certainly destroy Commissioner Gordon's career. Still, Gotham is a city that breeds an extreme kind of criminal and extreme crimefighters are needed to handle situations regular cops can't.

Barbara believes the good she does as Batgirl is worth the potential risk to herself and her father. She often takes on some of Batman's dangerous villains including Harley Quinn, Catwoman, and Poison Ivy. She is great friends with Kara In-Ze, also known as Supergirl, and has teamed up with her in the past, most notably when Livewire escaped and joined forces with Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn. Yet, later on, when her then-boyfriend, d**k Grayson, learned of her identity as Batgirl and got into an argument with Batman that he left Gotham and became Nightwing.

She still has feelings for the former boy wonder.

Quotes:

"Others may argue about whether the world ends with a bang or a whimper. I just want to make sure mine doesn't end with a whine."
- Barbara Gordon

"I can see Gotham's future. And without people like you and Pixie Boots and me, this place doesn't have much to look forward to. "
-Barbara Gordon (New Earth)

" If I may have your attention, please? I'm Barbara Gordon, daughter of police commissioner James Gordon, and my stepmother is lieutenant Sarah Essen Gordon. I realize every one of you also has a parent, child or spouse... and I can't stop you from trying to make your way through the chaos to your loved ones' sides. I will point out, however, that leaving here would constitute dereliction of duty -- and, as my father would put it, a sheer waste of manpower. The most sensible, if not emotional, course of action demands the coordination of our efforts right here, starting right now... ensuring the highest overall survival rate, given our admittedly limited powers and resources. If we help whomever we can from here... then the welfare of our loved ones will be entrusted to fate and the efforts of strangers. But my final point is this... it was fate that created this situation, and we're all in it together. The moment the earthquake struck... is the moment we all ceased being strangers. "
-Barbara Gordon (New Earth)

"I have to find another path. Divine my own future. One uniquely mine. Not a page from someone else's book. Not a fate that begins and ends on page one. "
-- Barbara Gordon