| No one else does what Oracle does and even Batman, who relies on and trusts her as much as he does Robin, Nightwing, and Alfred, rates her unique abilities even ahead of his own. Time and again, he and the rest of the heroes at large, call on her to find the unfindable and solve the unsolvable, and time and again she comes through. |
| Nobody would have blamed her if she became the sad sack of the Batman family, the poor former Dark Knight Damsel (see Batgirl) who couldn't wiggle her toes, nevermind cartwheel across rain-slicked rooftops. She could have lived the role of the teary-eyed but valiant crippled orphan, trotted out every Christmas to wail "God bless us, everyone!" but for the other 364 days, left alone. But come on. This is Barbara Gordon we're talking about. This is the woman who deduced Gotham's best kept secret, battered most of Batman's Rogues Gallery, and had the Boy Wonder wrapped around her little finger. Her paralysis may have kept her out of the action for a while, but did you really think she'd be gone for good? That being said, I don't think Barbara really grew up until after she'd been shot. It often seemed that she was Batgirl just for kicks; her passion to fight crime as a moral decision was slower to develop. I'm not saying that drive to help those oppressed by violence wasn't there when she was Batgirl; but I do believe it grew much, much stronger after her accident. For the first time she personally experienced what crime could rob from a life. It was her moment in the alley. For months after her injury, she cocooned herself in her father's apartment. She felt violated, useless, and angry at what had happened to her. But Barbara's steely determination (second in the Bat family only to Batman's, I think) broke her out of her seclusion. With a grant from the Wayne Foundation she bought some computer equipment, and reconnected with the world in the same way you are doing now -- through the internet. With her research skills as a librarian, Barbara quickly learned how to maneuver in this strange new cyber-world. She made on-line contacts and learned how to track information on the web. Now that she'd regained a little confidence and ease with herself, Barbara determined to stop feeling so physically helpless. Despite her refusal to approach her family or friends for help, she gained one of them as a benefactor, anyway; an on-line acquaintance named "Matches" (Batman, natch) arranged for her to learn escrima, the Phillipine art of stick fighting, from martial arts master Richard Dragon. After the shooting, Barbara was flexing her detective muscles by secretly working on one of her father's cases, one involving computer-related crimes. At first she struggled to get back into crime-fighting mode, especially in such an odd forum as the internet. But one night, a dream gave her the inspiration she needed. In the dream, she found herself, as Batgirl, speaking to a robed, masked woman in a Greek temple. The woman -- like the mythical Oracle -- told her what she would need to know to continue her journey of self-discovery. It was time to mature into her own identity, use her new-found talents, and fight for her own causes. Waking up -- both literally and metaphorically -- Barbara knew what she must become: Oracle, the font of knowledge. Yes, a little hokey, but not everyone can have a bat fly through their window, can they? As personal computers and the Internet became a necessity in everyday life, Barbara Gordon's Oracle has become, without question, one of the most fascinating characters in the DCU. Physically confined to a wheelchair, she is intellectually unrestricted by any barriers. The superheroes of the world come to her time and again to handle the tasks too big for their superpowers. She is a presence throughout the world: watching, tracking, getting involved, via her operatives and allies, where she believes her and their combined skills could help out. Feeding on the mystery and magic of the original Delphic Oracle of ancient Greek mythology, Barbara has allowed very few members of the DCU to know her true identity. Much of the DCU, in fact, has no idea if Oracle is even a human being or machine, let alone the woman who used to be Batgirl. Even Commissioner Gordon, who quickly learned his daughter's earlier alter-ego, is unaware of the important role she now plays in the world. Barbara, as Oracle, became the premier information broker, hacker, and on-line detective for the superhero community. She worked with the Suicide Squad and then became one of Batman's most trusted team members. The Dark Knight has come to rely heavily on Oracle's information-tracking skills. She's also a member of the JLA (now in reserve) and has done freelance work for numerous heroes across the DC Universe. But the most exciting ventures in Barbara's life have to be her independent missions. She's created a network of operatives and allies across the world, directing the movements of these "hands and legs" from her high-tech Gotham apartment. Her most famous agent, Black Canary, has become a close partner and friend in their work as the Birds of Prey, but it's obvious that Oracle calls the shots. She's a great leader, who has the will and determination to get the job done herself if she has to, but knows how to direct others as well. But she still has titanium pride -- stubbornness, even -- that stops her from asking others for help until it's almost too late. She'll rush to rescue any of her friends and family at the merest hint of trouble, but feels compelled to rough out her own problems alone. Lately, however, in light of the sacrifices her extended family has made for her during No Man's Land and Blockbuster's Hunt for Oracle, Barbara has reluctantly begun to rely on them more. And she's even warming up to the amorous Dick Grayson. Despite all she's accomplished, Barbara still feels she has to prove herself. Somebody should tell her that she's already proven her worth a hundred times over. Her identity and her work are self-creations, instead of imitations of Batman's. Her blend of incredible intelligence, pride, humour, and strength make her one of the most unique women in the DC universe, fulfilling one of its most unique roles. She is, quite simply, irreplacable. |
| Oracle is Born: In "The Killing Joke", the Joker came to her house, and he blantly shot Barbara when she opened the door. He took pictures of her bleeding body, which appealed to his sick mind. Batman stopped him, but part of Barbara's spine had been shot away. Bound in a wheelchair, Barbara was upset and felt totally useless and helpless for a short period of time. She discovered the Internet before it gained publicity. She took refuge in the cyber-world, making friends and finding a certain amount of comfort. Her father was looking for a criminal named Interface. She found out Interface had a low meta-human talent--she could interface directly with computers--the ultimate hacker. Interface saw her in the street, and made it clear to Barbara that she didn't like her prying into her buisness. |
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| The Joker's bullet blew away part of Barbara Gordon's spine. No high-tech gizmos to save the day, no alien cyber-suits, no magic fingers to heal her broken back. She would never walk again. |