Mary Elizabeth Kane , better known as Bette Kane , is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics . The character first appeared in the 1960s as "Betty Kane", the Bat-Girl . Her name was later modified to "Bette Kane", and she assumed the role of Flamebird .
174-532: The original Bat-Girl first appeared in Batman #139 (April 1961) as Betty Kane , the niece of Kathy Kane, also known as Batwoman . After discovering her aunt's dual identity, Betty convinced Batwoman to train her as her sidekick. Batwoman and Bat-Girl were created to be romantic interests for Batman and Robin , respectively, as well as crime-fighting associates. Bat-Girl appeared seven times between 1961 and 1964, but then disappeared in 1964 (along with Batwoman, Ace
348-584: A phoenix , with Cyborg later telling him how proud he is of him. In the final issue of this incarnation of the Titans, Superboy-Prime and his Legion of Doom attack Titan's Tower. Raven stops Kid Flash just before he can kill Inertia . Then she reveals her soul-self to Headcase, terrifying and defeating him. After the Legion of Doom is defeated and Superboy-Prime is bound to the Source Wall , Beast Boy and Raven have
522-636: A sensei , memorizing maps and blueprints of the city, excelling in academics to skip grades, and pushing herself to become a star athlete. DC officially retired the hero in the one-shot comic Batgirl Special #1 (July 1988), written by Barbara Kesel . Later that year, she appears in Alan Moore's Batman: The Killing Joke . In this graphic novel, the Joker shoots and paralyzes Barbara Gordon in an attempt to drive her father insane, thereby proving to Batman that anyone can lose their minds after having "one bad day". She
696-450: A "not-a-date". During this, Raven reveals that since she faced her brothers, she has begun to feel as if she is losing control and slipping back under the thrall of her father's powers. Although Beast Boy rejects the idea, he is blind-sided as Raven gives in to her darker side, under the influence of her half-brothers' coaxing. Using her teleporting powers, she and the Sons of Trigon vanish, leaving
870-560: A Singaporean-American dancer named Alysia Yeoh . In Digital Issue #42 (collected in Print Issue #14), Harley Quinn tells Pamela Isley about encountering "the Belle of the Bog ", who appears to be a vampire version of Batgirl. DC Comics Bombshells Annual #1, published on 31 August 2016, reveals that Barbara Gourdon was a French fighter pilot during World War I. After she lost her boyfriend during
1044-483: A Tyrannosaurus Rex underneath a bridge and hits his head, instantly aborting the transformation). His power also enables him to radically alter his body structure and take forms of animals without limbs, like snakes, or those without skeletons like a jellyfish. In two notable instances, he has even taken the form of multiple individuals simultaneously (a swarm of fireflies and a mass of barnacles). Beast Boy's transformations have not been limited to Earth life forms. When on
1218-468: A bat. She was like a pesky girl version of Robin. I knew we could do a lot better, so Julie and I came up with the real Batgirl, who was so popular she almost got her own TV show." Yvonne Craig portrayed the character in the show's third season. Barbara Gordon and her alter ego Batgirl debuted in Detective Comics #359, "The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl" (1967). In the debut story, while driving to
1392-461: A brief time in the 1970s, Betty had joined the west coast version of the Teen Titans under her Bat-Girl moniker. Though "Bat-Girl" does not exist in the post-Crisis universe, her team did; therefore, a new version of the character was necessary. In Secret Origins Annual #3 (1989), the official post-Crisis history of Titans West was revealed. Instead of Betty Kane's Bat-Girl, fans were introduced to
1566-752: A brilliant peer and a partner in the war on crime, the same way he would a male." Historian Peter Sanderson observed that Barbara Gordon's Batgirl reflected the Women's liberation movement of the 1960s. During the 1980s, Barbara Kesel , after writing a complaint to DC Comics over the negative portrayal of female characters, was given the opportunity to write for Barbara Gordon in Detective Comics . Robin Anne Reid , in Women in Science Fiction and Fantasy: Overviews (2009) wrote that "Kesel's version of Batgirl established her as
1740-532: A certain amount of abuse from his parents, consequently becoming increasingly reclusive. Garfield contracted a rare illness called Sakutia, which is lethal to every species except the West African green monkey. To save his life, his father used an untested science experiment to change him into a West African green monkey for 24 hours so that the virus could die out. The serum had the unintended effect of permanently turning his skin, eyes, and hair green and granting him
1914-462: A character separate from Batman and Robin: a woman motivated to do what men do, but alone and in her own way. Her Secret Origins (1987) and Batgirl Special (1988) countered the victimized and objectified presentation of Barbara Gordon/Batgirl in Alan Moore's acclaimed The Killing Joke (1988)." She notes that Kesel's interpretation of the character emphasized her intelligence, technological skill, and ability to overcome fear. Gail Simone included
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#17330845213262088-437: A child), Caulder himself, Thunder and Lightning using the weapon, and also cuts Warblade's head off. As Deathstroke chooses an already injured Beast Boy as his next victim, a desperate Terra tries to stop him in fear of losing Gar. But her attempt falls short as she is stabbed and burned by Deathstroke's Abeo Blade. As a horrified Garfield sees Terra burning right before his eyes, pure rage takes command of him as he transforms into
2262-411: A cliffhanger ending to the first issue that offers a nifty [segue] into the new world of Barbara Gordon and Batgirl." The New York Times critic George Gene Gustines wrote: "Unlike some of the other DC comics I read this week, Batgirl achieves a deft hat trick : a well-shaped reintroduction to a character, an elegant acknowledgement of fundamental history and the establishment of a new status quo. This
2436-454: A costume ball dressed as a female version of Batman, Barbara Gordon intervenes in a kidnapping attempt on Bruce Wayne by the supervillain Killer Moth , attracting Batman's attention and leading to a crimefighting career. Although Batman insists she give up crimefighting because of her gender, Batgirl disregards his objections. In her civilian identity, Dr. Barbara Gordon is a career woman with
2610-454: A couple, although there are hints that she deeply regrets this but views it as a necessity for Beast Boy's safety. After Beast Boy is once again rejected by Raven, Cyborg gives him a talk about his need to act like a clown while around his old friends, telling him that if he ever wants to get on with his life, he needs to forget about the past and move forward. Still depressed, Gar goes to San Francisco after being asked to fill in for Owlman at
2784-468: A deep inner pain. Logan has suffered many hardships in his life, some described previously. Other notable incidents include: during his time with the New Teen Titans, Garfield's stepfather was discovered to have been driven mad by the helmet which was central to his powers, and when Garfield fell in love with Terra , a girl with earth-manipulating powers and fellow Teen Titans member, who turned out to be
2958-431: A deep mark on him, but later when Batman talked to him, he convinced Beast Boy that despite everything, he saved the world and is still a hero. Beast Boy has the ability to morph and transform into any animal that he has seen himself or has seen in an illustration (as is the case when he shapeshifts into an animal such as an extinct dinosaur). These transformations take only 1 second and Beast Boy has demonstrated that he
3132-555: A demonic beast, to act as keys to open a portal to Trigon's realm. Raven uses her own power to influence greed in others to make her half-brothers steal what little power Trigon had left. The portal is closed, and Trigon's sons, believing they have gained great power, leave the scene, returning Gar to normal. Following this, the team has settled themselves down at Titans Tower (supposedly the New York base), where they attempt to recover from recent events. Raven and Beast Boy go out together on
3306-423: A distraught Beast Boy behind to warn the others. The Titans are later able to save Raven, using a gem that she had entrusted to Donna Troy. The gem carried a piece of her pure-soul self, which then cleansed the evil of Raven. Afterwards, Raven gave Beast Boy and the rest of the team similar magical items in case she should ever be corrupted again. Raven later turns down Beast Boy's attempts to reconcile completely as
3480-646: A doctorate in library science, as well as being head of the Gotham City Public Library, "presumably one of the largest public libraries in the DC Comics version of reality." She was given a regular back-up slot in Detective Comics starting with issue #384 (February 1969), alternating issues with Robin until issue #404, after which she had the back-up slot to herself. Frank Robbins wrote nearly all of these back-ups, which were penciled first by Gil Kane and later by Don Heck . Barbara Gordon's Batgirl exceeded
3654-606: A dramatic Batcave confrontation with the villain Bane; Batgirl broke hers when she was ambushed in her home and shot in the spine by the Joker, never given a chance to fight]. Less than a year later, Batman was fine. Batgirl—now named Oracle—was in a wheelchair and remained so for many years." Beast Boy Beast Boy ( Garfield Mark "Gar" Logan ) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics . He has also gone under
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#17330845213263828-510: A female character, Kathy Kane the Batwoman , appeared in 1956 as a love interest for Batman. In 1961, DC Comics introduced a second female character as a love interest for Robin. Betty Kane as "Bat-Girl" arrived as the niece of, and Robin-like sidekick to, Batwoman, first appearing in Batman #139 (April 1961). The creation of the Batman family , which included Batman and Batwoman depicted as parents, Robin and Bat-Girl depicted as their children,
4002-465: A form of dyslexia that hampers her abilities to read and write. Despite Cain's disability, author Andersen Gabrych describes the character's unique form of language as the key factor in what makes Cain an excellent detective; the ability to walk into a room and "know" something is wrong based on body language. During "Silent Running", the first arc of the Batgirl comic book series, Cassandra Cain encounters
4176-446: A generation of comics readers will be experiencing for the first time ...Barbara Gordon leaping, fighting, and swinging over Gotham. Now, when citizens of that city look up, they are going to see BATGIRL. And that is absolutely thrilling." In the new, revised continuity, the events of The Killing Joke took place three years before the current storyline, and while it is established she was paraplegic during that time, Barbara Gordon
4350-713: A guest appearance in Batman Family #16 (March 1978), and as one of the attendees at Donna Troy and Terry Long's wedding in Tales of the Teen Titans #50 (February 1985). In the post-Crisis DC Universe , the character known as Batwoman was erased from existence (although her alter ego, Kathy Kane, was revealed to have existed and was murdered by the League of Assassins ). Batwoman's niece, Betty Kane, disappeared as well. Unlike her aunt, Betty's removal from history would not last long. For
4524-515: A masked adventurer herself. Training to Olympic -levels in gymnastics and martial arts , she created the identity of Flamebird (and a costume that resembled her pre-Crisis Bat-Girl identity) and joined Titans West in hopes of catching Robin's eye. While flattered, the driven young hero was not sure how to deal with her obsession and avoided her, much to her dismay. After briefly giving up her heroic persona, Bette found that neither winning tennis tournaments nor achieving perfect grades in school matched
4698-487: A new team of Teen Titans, acting as mentors to the former members of Young Justice. During the events of the Infinite Crisis , Beast Boy assembles a team of past and present Titans to battle Superboy-Prime . Despite a valiant effort, the Titans are easily defeated by the impossibly powerful Superboy-Prime . Beast Boy is present as a member of the team during the events of the 2005–2006 storyline " Infinite Crisis ". In
4872-620: A new version of the character was introduced in Batman: Shadow of the Bat #83 during the multi-title story arc "No Man's Land" (1999). In Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #120 (1999), the new Batgirl is revealed to be Helena Bertinelli, an established DC comics superhero alternatively known as the Huntress. Bertinelli is eventually forced to abandon the mantle by Batgirl. No Man's Land also marks
5046-620: A party thrown for the Gotham City Police Department , and attempts to chat her up, only to be blown off. According to Kate's father, Bette looks up to her and likes spending time with her. In Detective Comics #862, Bette is seen hunched over on her bed, staring at her Flamebird costume and asking Kate how to "let go of the past". Bette is kidnapped by a crazed serial killer known as the Cutter, and awakens bound and gagged in his workshop. The Cutter plans on removing Bette's ears as part of
5220-407: A period. Brown is the fourth in-continuity Batgirl and the second Batgirl to star in her own ongoing Batgirl comic book series. In September 2011, following the company-wide relaunch, Barbara Gordon stars in a new Batgirl series—one of The New 52 titles featuring the company's most iconic characters. The conclusion of the limited series Flashpoint (2011) establishes a new continuity within
5394-486: A plan to create a perfect woman through the use of stolen body parts. Batwoman rescues Bette from the killer and accidentally reveals her identity. At the end of the story, Bette is seen in her Flamebird outfit, telling Kate that she wants to become her new partner. Kate eventually agrees to train Bette, and gives her a capeless grey military outfit and the codename Plebe. Later still, Bette acquires pyrotechnic technology and adopts
Bette Kane - Misplaced Pages Continue
5568-601: A psychic who "reprograms" her brain, enabling her to comprehend verbal language, while simultaneously losing the ability to predict movements. This issue is resolved during the second arc of the series, "A Knight Alone", when Batgirl encounters the assassin Lady Shiva who agrees to teach her how to predict movement once again. Six years after its debut, DC Comics cancelled the Batgirl comic book series with issue #73 (2006), ending with Cain relinquishing her role as Batgirl. When DC Comics continuity skipped forward one year after
5742-631: A reporter (Iris West in The Flash), a lawyer (Jean Loring in The Atom), and even the head of an aircraft company (Carol Ferris in Green Lantern). Shiera Hall was merely a secretary at the Midway City Museum, but as Hawkgirl she was a police officer on her native planet Thanagar and an equal partner to her husband Hawkman (Carter Hall) in their superheroic exploits. Then there was Zatanna, bravely traversing
5916-503: A rescue mission in the Vegan system to free Starfire , he easily transformed into a Gordanian, one of the green-skinned alien warriors native to the system, to sneak Robin and Cyborg onto a warship. In the "Who is Wonder Girl?" story arc , he was able to infiltrate another alien world after being shown a green-skinned creature native to the planet; he had some difficulty with this change, claiming that Earth-animal forms he knew instinctively, but
6090-506: A result of his rapidly changing genetic structure and mass, Beast Boy has an increased healing factor comparable to that of the Creeper and Deathstroke , allowing him to heal from bullet wounds, burns, and broken bones in a matter of seconds, and in some story lines regrow entire limbs. He cannot change or return to a form if the space he occupies is too small and he cannot normally break through confines (as seen when he attempts to transform into
6264-453: A second printing. Calvin Reid of Publishers Weekly states in a review of the first issue: "The artwork is okay though conventional, while Simone's script tries to tie up of the end of the previous Barbara Gordon/Oracle storyline and setup up the new Batgirl. Her formula: murderous villains, blood splattering violence and high flying superheroics mixed with single-white-female bonding ...plus
6438-549: A similar character called Mary Elizabeth "Bette" Kane, also known as Flamebird . This was an in-joke, as the team of " Nightwing and Flamebird" had a history in the Silver Age continuity as a pair of supporting characters in the Superman books. Bette was now a very driven and somewhat spoiled Los Angeles debutante and tennis prodigy. After seeing Robin on the news, Bette vowed that she would gain his attention and favor by becoming
6612-608: A slightly different history. Here she is also the murderer of Harper Row's mother, an ally of Batman. She called herself Orphan for a while and became part of the Batman family as well as the Outsiders. She later shares the name Batgirl with her friend Stephanie Brown. Stephanie Brown was formerly known as the Spoiler and then as the first in-continuity female Robin until her apparent death in 2006. Following her return to comics in 2009, she assumed
6786-419: A small part of that seed still remains within him, which Trigon's sons manipulate, using the demonic energies to open the portal to Trigon's realm. According to Marv Wolfman and George Pérez , the reason Garfield is never seen shapeshifting into other humans, although his powers should allow it, is because any human he turns into would be green and there would be no point for him to use that ability unless he
6960-639: A spy working for the assassin Deathstroke the Terminator and who is eventually killed. Despite all his struggles, Garfield is friendly, humorous and upbeat. Like most of the other founding members of the New Teen Titans (including Nightwing ), he considers the group to be his family and the people to whom he will always be closest. Though he often grapples with being taken seriously and an inferiority complex, Garfield loves and trusts his former teammates completely. Seeking to resume his acting career, Changeling leaves
7134-477: A strong bond with each other during imprisonment in a place named The Colony, where Harvest forces super-powered teenagers to fight each other and undergo experiments to find the strongest among them. The selected few are intended as a team to serve the organization N.O.W.H.E.R.E. in perfidy. It was in one of their experiments that Gar revealed his powers for the first time in The New 52 continuity. In this place Beast Boy
Bette Kane - Misplaced Pages Continue
7308-461: A subject that is generally overlooked in comic books. She also explained the method of the character's recovery is based upon real life experiences in that "some of the best real world work in the field of mobility rehabilitation is coming from South Africa. People have been talking about this as if it's some sort of mystical thing like returning from the dead, but there are treatments and surgeries that can restore mobility in some cases. Barbara's spine
7482-407: A superhero convention. After causing a scene by attacking a man dressed in a Deathstroke mask , Gar leaves the convention in a huff, only to stumble upon a massive battle between the Teen Titans and Cinderblock . Despite protests from the team's struggling leader Wonder Girl , Beast Boy shows true leadership by saving the life of Bombshell and stopping Static from making a suicidal charge against
7656-424: A talk about her difficulty in reading Solstice 's emotions, and their encounter with Headcase. Eventually, Raven starts to open up about her true feelings. While it was her inner darkness that scarred her entire life, she was even more frightened of what her love for Beast Boy might cause her to do. Beast Boy makes it clear he doesn't want to escape from any part of her. Touched, Raven decides that she needs to embrace
7830-485: A tennis match, Gar is possessed by a Tengu , but is freed by Japanese superhero Bushido . Following a failed attempt to recreate "Titans West" as "Titans L.A.", as recounted in Titans Secret Files #2 (October 2000), Garfield rejoins the main team. Following the apparent death of Donna Troy , the Titans and Young Justice both disband. Moving back to San Francisco , Cyborg, Starfire, and Beast Boy decide to form
8004-504: A transphobic caricature. In response, the creative team issued a joint apology and revised the issue for the subsequent collected edition, Batgirl Vol. 1: The Batgirl of Burnside . On March 13, 2015, DC Comics released 25 Joker-themed variant covers for its various monthly series for release that June, in celebration of the character's 75th anniversary. Among them was a cover to Batgirl #41 by artist Rafael Albuquerque that took its inspiration from The Killing Joke . The cover depicts
8178-472: A werewolf and delivers Deathstroke a hard blow in the face which tears off his mask and bloodies his nose and mouth. Still in berserk state Beast Boy turns into a dinosaur and lashes at Deathstroke, causing the support beam to collapse and bury him in a pile of rubble. After that Deathstroke leaves an unconscious and bloodied Beast Boy on the ground believing that he is dead. After the battle with Beast Boy, Deathstroke proceeds and stabs Rose and then Fairchild with
8352-472: A whole, and focus on the earlier part of the careers of each of our iconic characters." Barbara Gordon is biological daughter of James Gordon and Barbara Eileen Gordon in this continuity. Wayne also stated that " The Killing Joke still happened and she was Oracle. Now she will go through physical rehabilitation and become a more seasoned and nuanced character because she had these incredible and diverse experiences. Dan DiDio , Co-Publisher of DC Comics explained
8526-451: Is Jon Lane Kent (the son of Superman and Lois Lane of this timeline) went on rampage killing all metahumans, also states that Superboy is the clone of Jon Lane Kent, and finally tells Red Robin that his future self entrusted on him as Garfield was able to know his name, a thing that no other Titan knew, and that was all part of future Tim's plan to use Garfield as the source of this information for his past self, so he might be able to change
8700-399: Is a must-buy series." Earning a B+ rating in a review from Entertainment Weekly , Ken Tucker writes that Simone "[takes] her Birds of Prey storytelling powers and focuses them on the newly revived Barbara Gordon as Batgirl. The result is a burst of exhilaration, as Barbara/Batgirl revels in her new freedom even as she encounters a so-far not-terribly-chilling villain called Mirror." Since
8874-476: Is a student attending Burnside College in the trendy Burnside neighborhood of Gotham City . The comic was praised for its fun, fresh approach to the character and for Batgirl's realistic new costume design. In 2021, DC's Infinite Frontier relaunch presented a new status quo, where Barbara has returned to the role of Oracle, suiting up as Batgirl only occasionally. For the most part, she supports Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown to operate as Batgirls, sharing
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#17330845213269048-527: Is actually running the team, with Gar even going so far as to call Cyborg (who is now a member of the Justice League ) for help behind Cassie's back. During the final battle with Holocaust, Cyborg arrives with Superboy and Kid Flash in tow, and, close to defeat, Holocaust desperately tries to kill all of the Titans by using his pyrokinetic abilities to burn the building they are in to the ground. Beast Boy ultimately rescues his teammates by transforming into
9222-798: Is an exceptional athlete, trained for strength and endurance, and has worked as a professional tennis player. She has also trained in several forms of martial arts, with kickboxing as her specialty. As such, while she is a formidable martial arts opponent and combatant, she is not among the top tier or elite of DC's martial artists. Like Robin, Flamebird has a utility belt containing a grappling hook with line, gas grenades, gas mask, flares, flashlight, radio/transmitter, handcuffs, bird-shaped throwing blades (Bird-A-Rangs), and an emergency medical kit. She increased her arsenal by equipping her mask with lenses capable of emitting powerful bursts of blinding light, and created bird-like bolas that can electrocute anyone tangled in them. As Plebe, Batwoman's sidekick, Bette
9396-559: Is capable of rapidly changing his form with little or no effort expended. As a corollary to this power, he can transform back into his default form if an external force, like magic, transforms him into an animal. His power enables him to completely alter his body mass, being able to take the shape of animals far larger and heavier than himself, such as an elephant, a hippopotamus, or a Tyrannosaurus rex (though until recent stories, such larger forms would physically exhaust him), or smaller and lighter animals such as mice, arachnids and insects. As
9570-451: Is defended by Terra from being attacked by other super-powered prisoners, returning the favor later when Terra is in danger. Once free of the Colony, Terra and Beast Boy separated from the rest of their fellow Ravagers, hiding together in a cave. Later Beast Boy started having nightmares with the remaining Ravagers all covered with blood. It was later revealed that the one causing his nightmares
9744-437: Is deployed as a plot device to cement the Joker's vendetta against Commissioner Gordon and Batman. In 2006, during an interview with Wizard , Moore expressed regret over his treatment of the character, calling it "shallow and ill-conceived". He stated prior to writing the graphic novel, "I asked DC if they had any problem with me crippling Barbara Gordon—who was Batgirl at the time—and if I remember, I spoke to Len Wein , who
9918-583: Is first reintroduced through a passing reference in Red Hood and the Outlaws #1. The reference includes Cyborg , Garth , Nightwing , Lilith and a new unseen character named Dustin, who are established to be members of a team that Starfire seemingly no longer remembers. The first appearance of Beast Boy in The New 52 shows him as a member of the new superhero team The Ravagers , led by Caitlin Fairchild. Beast Boy
10092-515: Is given a starring role in DC's Batman Family comic book which debuted in 1975. The original Robin, Dick Grayson , became her partner in the series, with the two frequently referred to as the "Dynamite Duo: Batgirl & Robin". Batgirl meets Batwoman in Batman Family #10, when the retired superhero briefly returns to crimefighting (before the Bronze Tiger murders Kane). The two fight Killer Moth and
10266-571: Is one of the teens in training. Beast Boy once again joins the Teen Titans led by Damian Wayne along with Starfire, Raven, and Kid Flash. Following Dark Nights: Metal and Justice League: No Justice , the breaching of the Source Wall causes the powers of many of Earth's metahuman population to become erratic. In Beast Boy's case, he occasionally transforms into a monstrous, hulking version of himself, often going on rampages until he can regain his senses. Wanting to assist other metahumans affected by
10440-491: Is reanimated as a Black Lantern . She attempts to lull him into a false sense of security, but Gar ultimately attacks her and severs her arm after her fellow Lanterns attack the other Titans. After the Blackest Night ends, Beast Boy and Wonder Girl lead the Titans to the city of Dakota after Static is kidnapped by a metahuman crime lord named Holocaust . Throughout the rescue mission, Beast Boy and Wonder Girl clash over who
10614-422: Is red instead of his traditional color green. The decision to change Beast Boy to the color red was because of a relation to "The Red", the extradimensional power source of Animal Man 's abilities, and while it wasn't revealed how the change occurred, it can be assumed it was due to the experiments done to Beast Boy and the hundreds of young metahumans held captive by the shadowy organization N.O.W.H.E.R.E.. Also in
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#173308452132610788-437: Is shot by the Joker and left paraplegic . Although she is reimagined as the computer expert and information broker Oracle by editor Kim Yale and writer John Ostrander the following year, her paralysis sparked debate about the portrayal of women in comics , particularly violence depicted toward female characters. In the 1999 storyline " No Man's Land ", the character Helena Bertinelli , known as Huntress , briefly assumes
10962-490: Is soon cancelled due to lawsuits from both Star Trek and Space: 1999 . During its run, Garfield joins the West Coast team of the Teen Titans (known as Titans West) and is later part of the New Teen Titans assembled by Dick Grayson (Robin) and Raven . By this time, Garfield has taken the name Changeling . This name change is not explained until a later flashback revealed that a new version of an old Doom Patrol enemy,
11136-550: Is stripped of her outfit and gadgetry, wearing a nondescript grey military outfit. Her martial arts prowess however is being improved by Batwoman's tutelage. Later, as Hawkfire, her costume features gold plated elements and she carries a wrist-mounted flamethrowing device. Since enrolling at West Point , she would have received the same sort of military training conducted there, which among other things would require instruction in firearms, boxing , Modern Army Combatives , and battlefield tactics. Batgirl#Betty Kane Batgirl
11310-481: Is suddenly teleported to the Justice League Watchtower where Garfield, now labeled as Beast Man (and green), confronts them and informs that he is the last Justice Leaguer standing. He also shows the others that he along with Rose Wilson , are training superpowered teenagers to become a team themselves. In a private conversation with Red Robin, Gar reveals the events that led to the situation of this future
11484-578: Is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics , depicted as female counterparts and allies to the superhero Batman . The character Betty Kane was introduced into publication in 1961 by Bill Finger and Sheldon Moldoff as Bat-Girl , and was replaced in 1967 by Barbara Gordon , who became the most iconic Batgirl. The character debuted in Detective Comics #359 (January 1967) by writer Gardner Fox and artist Carmine Infantino , introduced as
11658-404: Is written as having regained her mobility after undergoing experimental surgery at a South African clinic. Although she resumes her work as Batgirl one year after her recovery, she continues to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder , causing her to hesitate in battle when exposed to gunfire that could result in suffering new spinal damage. The character also exhibits survivor guilt due to
11832-584: The DC Rebirth event. The relaunch restores elements of the Pre- Flashpoint DC continuity while maintaining elements of The New 52 as well. Among the new titles and creative teams announced, volume 5 of Batgirl written by Hope Larson and volume 1 of Batgirl and the Birds of Prey written by Julie Benson and Shawna Benson were included. In the critically celebrated fifth volume of Batgirl , Barbara Gordon
12006-563: The Legion of Super-Heroes feature in Adventure Comics #324 (September 1964) as part of a team called the Legion of Super-Outlaws, which was made up of characters suggested by fans and designed by John Forte . Thomas Reimondo was credited for the suggestion of this Beast Boy. He was one of the young super-heroes of the planet Lallor , who turned villain and was killed off in #339 (December 1965), just after Garfield Logan's first appearance in
12180-548: The Batgirl Special specifically to retire the character and set her in place for The Killing Joke . Gail Simone included the character's paralysis in a list of "major female characters that had been killed, mutilated, and depowered", dubbing the phenomenon " Women in Refrigerators " in reference to a 1994 Green Lantern story where the title character discovers his girlfriend's mutilated body in his refrigerator. Following
12354-565: The Batman television series in 1967, Barbara Gordon's Batgirl has been listed among fictional characters that are regarded as cultural icons. Author Brian Cronin, in Was Superman A Spy?: And Other Comic Book Legends Revealed (2009) notes that following her 1967 debut, "Batgirl was soon popular enough to appear regularly over the next two decades and Yvonne Craig certainly made an impression on many viewers with her one season portraying young Ms. Gordon." In 2011, IGN ranked Barbara Gordon 17th in
12528-508: The Batman franchise , including television, film, animation, video games, and other merchandise. Dan DiDio , co-publisher of DC Comics, expressed that Barbara is the best-known version of the character. Following the accusations of a homoerotic subtext in the depiction of the relationship between Batman and Robin as described in Fredric Wertham 's book Seduction of the Innocent (1954),
12702-456: The Cavalier , and learn each other's secret identities. Batwoman retires once again at the conclusion of the story, leaving Batgirl to continue crimefighting. Although this series ended after three years of publication, Batgirl continued to appear in back-up stories published in Detective Comics through issue #519 (October 1982). Crisis on Infinite Earths , a limited series published in 1985,
12876-599: The Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline, Betty Kane was retconned out of existence. Mary Elizabeth "Bette" Kane is a reinvented version of the Betty Kane character during the Silver Age. As her original characterization was retconned out of existence during the Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline, a discrepancy arose where her Bat-Girl character had joined the West Coast version of the Teen Titans, but simply disappeared. The character
13050-615: The Justice League . Hoping this would lead to a formal invitation to rejoin the team, Bette was crushed to learn they did not need (or want) her assistance. A short time later, Gar " Beast Boy " Logan found himself alone in Los Angeles after the team neglected to ask him back. Landing himself in a bit of trouble by an impostor framing him for various crimes, Gar asked former teammate Bette for help. Having been recently chastised for her dedication (or lack thereof) to crime-fighting by Robin (now in his adult Nightwing identity), Flamebird seized
13224-868: The United States House of Representatives . She moves to Washington, D.C. , intending to give up her career as Batgirl, and in June 1972 appeared in a story entitled "Batgirl's Last Case." Julius Schwartz brought her back a year later in Superman #268 (1973) in which she has a blind date with Clark Kent , establishing their friendship, and fights alongside Superman . Batgirl and Superman team up twice more, in Superman #279 and DC Comics Presents #19. Batgirl also guest-starred in other Superman related titles, such as #453 of Adventure Comics and in Superman Family #171, where she teams up with Supergirl . The character
13398-530: The extraterrestrial imp Bat-Mite and the "family pet" Ace the Bat-Hound , caused the Batman-related comic books to take "a wrong turn, switching from superheroes to situational comedy". DC Comics abandoned these characters in 1964 when newly appointed Batman-editor Julius Schwartz judged them too silly and therefore inappropriate. Schwartz had asserted that these characters should be removed, considering
13572-452: The " Trinity War " event. As a result, the Titans got separated and tossed in the time stream. Due to this, Red Robin , Wonder Girl and Superboy were sent 20 years in the future and Red Robin decides to lead the rest to the Batcave of the future to get answers. They get there only to see that almost everything in there is destroyed, including the deaths of Batman and Alfred. Then the group
13746-497: The 2006 - 2007 weekly series 52 , following the death of Superboy , Wonder Girl and Robin , Cyborg , and Starfire leave the team, and Beast Boy takes the role of leader. Beast Boy recruits new Titan members, but the new teenage superheroes are more interested in their fame than seeking true justice. When Steel calls the Titans for help, most of the Titans abandons the team, leaving only Beast Boy, Raven, and Zatara . Beast Boy manages to recruit Aquagirl , and Offspring , and
13920-585: The Abeo Blade finishing his job. Later it is revealed that the Abeo Blade was not a weapon meant to but instead a teleportation device, sending Terra, Rose and the other Ravagers except Beast Boy back to the Colony once again. As part of the deal Harvest gives Rose and Terra to Deathstroke. As an almost dead Beast Boy is left on the remains of the facility he is approached by Raven . After being touched by her, Beast Boy awakens and asks if Harvest sent her to retrieve him. She apologizes stating that she brought him into
14094-469: The Arsenal (from DP #113, August 1967), the identity this time assumed by Gar's ex-guardian Nicholas Galtry, mocked the name "Beast Boy" so much that he ruined it for him. He remains with various incarnations of the team and forms a close friendship with Cyborg. Garfield's character is often used as comic relief through his joking and "wise cracking". However, this is only a facade, as he uses humour to hide
14268-408: The Bat-Hound , Bat-Mite , Vicki Vale and (temporarily) Alfred ) when the new Batman editor, Julius Schwartz , decided she and other characters did not fit the new direction he intended to take the series. It has been suggested by scholars that the characters of Batwoman (in 1956) and Bat-Girl (in 1961) were introduced in part to refute allegations of homosexuality in Batman comics; specifically,
14442-414: The Batman family. Revising the character history and motivation, Julius Schwartz created Barbara Gordon. This character held the role of Batgirl from 1967 to 1988 when she was retired by DC editorial decision. The character's role was changed to a paraplegic source of information for all members of the Batman family and codenamed the "Oracle". She was later restored as Batgirl during The New 52 relaunch of
14616-517: The Batman related comic books had steadily declined in sales, and restored the Batman mythology to its original conception of heroic vigilantism. Bat-Girl, along with other characters in the Batman Family, were retconned out of existence following the 1985 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths . However, even though Bat-Girl did not exist in the Post- Crisis continuity, a modified version of
14790-568: The Black Canary offers her a spot on the new Birds of Prey roster. She declines the Canary's invitation, suggesting that Katana take her place instead. Series writer Duane Swierczynski has stated that Batgirl will join the team in issue #4. He commented that while she "is an essential part of this team", she is not the focus of the series, as she is hesitant to be associated with the other characters because of their status as outlaws. In October 2014,
14964-590: The Chief and make him step down as the Doom Patrol's leader. Beast Boy stays with his old team, saying that they still need him; however, he does answer a call from Raven to help the Titans combat Titans East . Raven later hints that she still loves Garfield and offers to help him heal after the battle with Deathstroke, but Garfield remains uncertain. In Titans vol. 2 #1 (2008), Gar is attacked by Trigon , who floods his room with fire and brimstone. In retaliation, Gar joins
15138-720: The Conqueror and sends out starfish spores of his own to free humans infected by the Necrostar. After Beast Boy sends the Necrostar to a distant nebula by the help of Cyborg, Doctor Hate (a being created by Amanda Waller back in "Knight Terrors") knocks Cyborg unconscious and seemingly erases Beast Boy's memories from Garro. Garro's spores spread across the world, infecting people and transforming them into feral humanoid animals. Donna Troy tries to use her Lasso of Persuasion on Garro in an effort to restore Beast Boy's mind, but Amanda transports Chester Runk, who has ability to create black holes into
15312-455: The DC Universe, with all characters regressing to an earlier age and stage in their careers, while remaining in a modern timeline. DC Senior VP of Sales, Bob Wayne, explained that with each of their titles reverting to issue #1, "our creative teams have the ability to take a more modern approach—not only with each character, but with how the characters interact with one another and the universe as
15486-436: The Doom Patrol, Garfield has a romantic relationship with a girl from his high school named Frost. After he saves her from Galtry (then using the alias "Arsenal"), the relationship dissolves. Later, Beast Boy is deeply affected by the deaths of the Doom Patrol. He later uses both his lime green skin and shape-shifting powers to play an extraterrestrial character on a science-fiction television series, Space Trek: 2020 , but it
15660-624: The Earth-Two counterpart to Bat-Girl, and that after the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Flamebird had replaced Bat-Girl on the sole remaining Earth. Flamebird, along with most of the Justice Society , disappeared when Earth-Two was reborn. In the Villains United special, Flamebird (and the other heroes who vanished to Earth-Two) had made it back to "New Earth" at some point after Infinite Crisis #6. She
15834-481: The History of Comic Book Heroines (2009), author Mike Madrid states that what set Barbara Gordon as Batgirl apart from other female characters was her motivation for crime-fighting. Unlike Batwoman who preceded her, "she wears his symbol on her chest, but she is not his girlfriend or faithful handmaiden." Because of the fact she does not pursue a romantic interest in Batman, "Batgirl is a female Batman can actually regard as
16008-413: The Joker standing next to a tearful Batgirl, who has a red smile painted across her mouth. The Joker has one hand holding a revolver draped over Batgirl's shoulder and is pointing to her cheek with the other hand, as if gesturing to shoot her. The cover quickly drew criticism for highlighting a dark period in the character's history, especially when juxtaposed with the youthful, more optimistic direction of
16182-533: The Logan estate will be exposed when Garfield reaches maturity and receives his inheritance, and thus plots to kill Garfield. The villains he hires to kill Garfield are stopped by the Doom Patrol ; Elasti-Girl and her husband Steve Dayton expose Galtry's embezzlement and adopt Garfield. Garfield later joins the Doom Patrol. His uniform includes a purple cowl, and he takes the code name Beast Boy . During his tenure with
16356-672: The November 1965 issue of Doom Patrol . This Beast Boy was allowed a last-minute reformation and heroic death. Created by writer Arnold Drake and artist Bob Brown, the Garfield Logan with whom readers would become more familiar made his first appearance in Doom Patrol #99 (November 1965). As a young child, Garfield Logan lived with his scientist parents in Africa, who were developing "reverse evolution" to bring back extinct creatures. He received
16530-557: The Ravagers team are Terra , Thunder and Lightning and a new character Ridge. In The New 52 , the Ravagers are a group of super-powered teens who have escaped the plans of Harvest in The Culling . The team was formed after the Teen Titans and the Legionnaires stuck in the present day were abducted by Harvest, and then later stopped the villain and escaped. Beast Boy and Terra develop
16704-483: The Silver Age, a female character was introduced as a love interest for Robin. Betty Kane as "Bat-Girl" was depicted as the niece of, and Robin-like sidekick to, the original Batwoman. In 1964, however, editor Julius Schwartz asserted that Bat-Girl and other characters in the Bat-Family should be removed considering the decline in sales and restored the Batman mythology to its original conception of heroic vigilantism. During
16878-464: The Source Wall like himself, he joins Nightwing's new incarnation of the Titan's, joining with Raven, Miss Martian , Donna Troy, and Steel . Following a confrontation between the Titans and Mother Blood, Beast Boy gains control over his new transformation. During a battle against a parasitic alien entity known as the "Necrostar", Beast Boy transforms himself into a "Garro", a creature that resembles Starro
17052-639: The Teen Titans in Cartoon Network 's eponymous series , voiced by Greg Cipes , who also provides the character's voice in Teen Titans Go! and Young Justice: Outsiders . Gar Logan made his live adaptation debut in the DC Universe and HBO Max series Titans , played by Ryan Potter . Beast Boy will appear in Beast Boy: Lone Wolf, with Cipes reprising the role. Drake spoke on the genesis of
17226-579: The Titans and moves to Los Angeles to live with his screenwriter cousin Matt. Failing to find any serious work, Gar attempts to clear his name after having been framed for a series of murders around the city. He eventually discovers that the real culprit is Gemini , the daughter of his old Doom Patrol foe Madame Rouge . Blaming Gar for her mother's death, Gemini reveals that she has hired a pair of mercenaries known as Fear and Loathing to kidnap Tim Bender and Vicky Valiant, Gar's former Space Trek: 2020 co-stars. With
17400-516: The Titans in their fight against Trigon and his sons in New York City. Succeeding their first encounter and battle against Trigon, Beast Boy decides to leave the group to assist Bunker who decides to see his recently awaken boyfriend who was in coma. After the departure of the two, the Titans confront Johnny Quick , a member of the Crime Syndicate to arrive from Earth-3 at the conclusion of
17574-501: The Top 100 Comic Books Heroes. Cassandra Cain's Batgirl has become one of the most prominent Asian characters to appear in American comic books, and her understated sexuality is notable as being contrary to the common sexual objectification of female characters, especially those of Asian descent. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, before the feminist revolution, Schwartz's leading ladies included
17748-450: The ability to metamorph into any animal of his choice, which also shared his pigmentation. His parents later died in a boating accident; to this day, Garfield believes he could have prevented their deaths. After he is rescued from two kidnappers who forced him to use his powers to help them in their crimes, Garfield is left under the care of a court-appointed guardian, the despicable Nicholas Galtry. Galtry realizes that his embezzlement from
17922-547: The ability to speak. No matter what form he takes, his skin, hair, and eyes remain green, making most of his animal forms easy to distinguish from real animals of that species. (In the DC-Marvel crossover with the X-Men, his attempt to infiltrate Darkseid's forces and stop him from recreating Dark Phoenix, was frustrated by the fact that Darkseid's minions are not green.) In the early comics, his coloration would change to that appropriate to
18096-410: The adventures she shared with Batgirl are retroactively described as having been experienced by Power Girl . In Secret Origins (vol. 2) #20 (1987), Barbara Gordon's origin is rebooted by author Barbara Randal. Within the storyline, Gordon recounts the series of events that led to her career as Batgirl, including her first encounter with Batman as a child, studying martial arts under the tutelage of
18270-415: The alias Changeling . Created by writer Arnold Drake and artist Bob Brown , he is a shapeshifter who possesses the ability to transform into any animal he chooses. The character first appeared in Doom Patrol #99 (November 1965) and is usually depicted as a member of the Doom Patrol and the Teen Titans . Beast Boy has appeared in numerous cartoon television shows, TV, and films, including as one of
18444-453: The animal form he had taken, with only his head remaining green. When Raven implanted Garfield with an evil seed of her father Trigon, he began to transform into more demon-like creatures. Eventually, he found himself more comfortable in these horrific shapes than as a human, and stayed shifted. After becoming completely corrupted by the evil seed, he was used by Raven and Trigon, but eventually returned to normal. Titans vol. 4 #4 reveals that
18618-436: The bound and gagged actors in tow, Gemini attempts to flee, only to be defeated by the combined might of Beast Boy (who had decided to return to this code name at this time) and his former Titans West teammate Bette Kane . Once again in the public eye, Gar decides to ignore his newfound celebrity status and resume his superhero career. Along with Bette and Matt, Gar purchases a new apartment. While accompanying Bette to Tokyo for
18792-483: The character stating, "we wanted to have a character who could assume many different animal forms, and also wanted a kid in the strip, someone the kids could relate to. They were starting to talk back to their elders. They were starting to make their elders earn their respect. So Beast Boy was an attempt to picture what I thought was happening among some of the young people." The first DC Comics shapeshifter named Beast Boy, unrelated to Garfield Logan, first appeared in
18966-472: The character's paralysis in a list of "major female characters that had been killed, mutilated, and depowered", dubbing the phenomenon " Women in Refrigerators " in reference to a 1994 Green Lantern story where the title character discovers his girlfriend's mutilated body in his refrigerator. Simone highlighted the gender difference regarding the treatment of Batman and Batgirl regarding paralysis by stating that "[b]oth had their backs broken [Batman broke his in
19140-503: The character, Mary Elizabeth "Bette" Kane, introduced as the superhero Flamebird , continues to appear in DC Comics publications. Schwartz stated that he had been asked to develop a new female character to attract a female viewership to the Batman television series of the 1960s . Executive producer William Dozier suggested that the new character would be the daughter of Gotham City's Police Commissioner James Gordon, and that she would adopt
19314-484: The character. The Elseworlds imprint takes the company's iconic characters and places them in alternate timelines, places and events making heroes "as familiar as yesterday seem as fresh as tomorrow". As Batgirl, Barbara Gordon has made several appearances in Elseworlds comics since 1997. The character is given starring roles in the noir -style storyline Thrillkiller (1997), its sequel Thrillkiller '62 (1998), and
19488-570: The codename Hawkfire . As Hawkfire, she tries to rescue cousin Beth Kane from the clutches of the Department of Extranormal Operations , but is herself captured. A Bat-Girl looking similar to Betty Kane is revealed to have existed in the past in Batman #682, and later reappears in Batman, Inc. #4 (April 2011). As in pre-Crisis continuity, she is the younger protege of the first Batwoman, Kathy Kane (who reappears in post- Infinite Crisis continuity as
19662-543: The course of the future. After that Garfield with Rose's help, rescue an injured and unconscious Jon Lane, due to a clash with Kon. Now with Jon Lane treated but still unconscious, even though Gar and Rose express their desire to kill him for all the things he has done, they put in action a plan that involves changing the places of Kon and Jon Lane as the Superboy, dressing the latter in a copy of Kon's costume as another attempt to avoid those terrible events from happening again. With
19836-480: The decision by stating that "she'll always be the most recognizable [Batgirl]." Series writer Gail Simone stated: "For many years, I got to write the character as Oracle, and there is to this day, no character who means more to me. This is classic Barbara as she was originally conceived, with a few big surprises. It's a bit of a shock, to be sure, but we’re doing everything we can to be respectful to this character's amazing legacy, while presenting something thrilling that
20010-503: The dimensions in her search for her missing father (as chronicled in the recent DC trade paperback Zatanna's Quest). Barbara Gordon initially conformed to hackneyed stereotypes as a dowdy librarian, but her transformation into Batgirl could be seen in retrospect as a symbol of the emerging female empowerment movement of the 1960s. (Moreover, by the 1970s Barbara had given herself a makeover even in her "civilian identity" and ran for Congress.) In The Supergirls: Fashion, Feminism, Fantasy, and
20184-460: The earlier Bat-Girl and Batwoman characters in popularity, and readers requested for her to appear in other titles. Although some readers requested that Batwoman also continue to appear in publication, DC responded to the fan-based acclaim and criticism of the new character in an open letter in Detective Comics #417 (1971), stating: "I'd like to say a few words about the reaction some readers have to Batgirl. These are readers who remember Batwoman and
20358-534: The enduring claim that Batman and Robin were homosexuals. Later in 1977 Batwoman and Bat-Girl were revived and were regarded to have been inactive for several years. Bat-Girl became a member of the Teen Titans West in Teen Titans #50 (October 1977). However, the original Teen Titans series was cancelled with issue #53 (February 1978) and the Teen Titans, including Teen Titans West, were disbanded. After this, Bat-Girl only appeared two more times during this era;
20532-490: The entire DC publication line in 2011. This was also the case with the DC Rebirth (2016). After the suicide of her psychopathic brother James Gordon Jr., Barbara ponders her role as Batgirl, becomes Oracle and continues to support the Batman family behind the computer screen, with the option to occasionally return to the role of Batgirl. Above all, she takes on the role of mentor for Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown, who now share
20706-763: The event of his death, handed over the Batgirl mantle to Stephanie Brown, the former Spoiler and the fourth Robin. After declining an offer from Tim Drake to reclaim the Batgirl mantle from Stephanie, Cassandra rejoined the Batman Family under the new identity of the Blackbat. She currently acts as the Hong Kong representative of Batman Inc. Stephanie Brown does take the mantle of Batgirl after Cassandra Cain gives Brown her costume under Batman's orders. Eventually, Barbara Gordon approves of Brown as her newest successor — and she gives Brown her own Batgirl costume and becomes her mentor for
20880-407: The events of the limited series Infinite Crisis , Cassandra Cain is revived as the leader of the League of Assassins , having abandoned her previous characterization as an altruist . The character's progression from hero to villain angered some of her fans and was accompanied by heavy criticism. Cain reprised her role as Batgirl in the " Titans East " (2007) storyline of Teen Titans , where it
21054-438: The fact she has made a full recovery from her paralysis while others have not. Series writer Gail Simone stated that while the character is "one of the smartest and toughest women in comics ...One thing the book is truly about, is that the after-effects of something like PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) or other trauma-related syndromes, can strike even very smart, very intellectually tough people, even soldiers and cops",
21228-451: The first African American character to be portrayed as Batgirl. In the alternate history DC Comics Bombshells universe, there is no singular Batgirl. Instead, there exists a group of young female vigilantes known as " the Batgirls ", whose ranks consist of a Batwoman fan named Harper Row , an African American mechanic named Kathy Duquesne, a young Caucasian girl named Nell Little, and
21402-489: The first Batgirl to star in an eponymous monthly comic book series, as well as one of the most prominent characters of Asian descent to appear in American comics. The series was cancelled in 2006 and Cassandra Cain abandoned the role of Batgirl shortly thereafter. Years later, Cassandra rejoined the Batman family under the moniker the Blackbat. In The New 52 , Cassandra reappeared in the comic series Batman and Robin Eternal with
21576-503: The fray much sooner than she expected. Raven mind-controls him and teleports them to New York, where she uses him as her minion in the battle of her father Trigon and the Teen Titans . Beast Boy, under Raven's influence, pulls the Titans and Psimon away from the fight. When Psimon kills the police reinforcements, Beast Boy sees it and squeezes him, resulting the both of them to cancel out each other's powers and rendering them unconscious. After regaining consciousness Beast Boy sides with
21750-407: The girlfriend of Tim Drake aka Red Robin before they break up. Eventually she shares the title Batgirl with her friend Cassandra Cain. For a brief time during 1999's No Man's Land storyline, Helena Bertinelli assumed the mantle of Batgirl. After violating Batman's code against extreme violence, she was stripped of the mantle and returned to her alias of the Huntress. After Cassandra Cain abandoned
21924-465: The identity of Batgirl. When Dozier and producer Howie Horowitz saw rough concept artwork of the new Batgirl by artist Carmine Infantino during a visit to DC offices, they optioned the character in a bid to help sell a third season to the ABC television network. Infantino reflected on the creation of Batgirl, stating "Bob Kane had had a Bat-Girl for about three stories in the ’50s but she had nothing to do with
22098-413: The ill-fated team Titans L.A.). None of the recruits took the event seriously except for insane and uninvited former Titan Duela Dent , who crashed the party and was subdued by Bette. Around the same time, she and Beast Boy both served on an ad hoc Young Justice team, which she hoped would raise their public profiles; however, the team only lasted for one mission. Content to remain a hero on her own, Bette
22272-519: The introduction of Cassandra Cain in Batman #567 (1999). Depicted as a martial arts child prodigy , Cassandra Cain is written as a young woman of partly Asian descent who succeeds Helena Bertinelli as Batgirl, with the approval of both Batman and the Oracle. The first Batgirl monthly comic was published in 2000, with Cassandra Cain as the title character. Raised by assassin David Cain , Cassandra Cain
22446-453: The late 1960s and 1970s as a supporting character in Detective Comics , in addition to guest appearances in various titles such as Justice League of America , World's Finest Comics , The Brave and the Bold , Adventure Comics , and Superman . In the early-1970s, Batgirl reveals her secret identity to her father (who had already discovered it on his own) and serves as a member of
22620-650: The middle of Garro's body, activating Runk's abilities and seemingly killing them both. Despite this Garro's spores are still active. The Titans later realized that the spores contained Beast Boy's consciousness and by destroying them they would slowly indirectly killing him. After managing to free all the mutated humans from the spores, they collect them in the Titans Tower, where the spores slowly reformed back into Beast Boy, who has lost most of his consciousness. The Titans managed to make Beast Boy regain his memories by fusing his old self with his current body. The events left
22794-407: The monthly Batgirl title underwent a soft reboot with the new creative team Brenden Fletcher (writer) Cameron Stewart (writer, layouts), Babs Tarr (artist) and Maris Wicks (colors). The first six-issue story explored Barbara Gordon's attempt to start a new life as a PhD student in the hip Gotham borough of Burnside. While seemingly light and engaging compared to Gail Simone's darker preceding run,
22968-488: The most prominent characters of Asian descent to appear in American comics. The series was canceled in 2006, at which point during the company-wide storyline " One Year Later ", she is established as a villain and head of the League of Assassins . After receiving harsh feedback from readership, she is later restored to her original conception. However, the character Stephanie Brown , originally known as Spoiler and later Robin, succeeds her as Batgirl after Cassandra Cain abandons
23142-483: The new Titans team, wearing a costume similar to his old Changeling uniform. In later issues, the group is attacked by the Children of Trigon, who use Garfield's suppressed anger and rage against Raven, who is also affected in the same manner. The two attack the other, but the fight is eventually broken up when the Titans begin to recover from the attack. Raven's three half-brothers then use her and Gar, transforming him into
23316-469: The new arc ultimately dealt with Babs' inability to fully escape her earlier trauma and the villain was revealed as her own brain scans, an algorithm similar to the Pre- New 52 Oracle. While the reboot was highly praised for its fun, energy, innovative use of social media, and particularly for Tarr's art, issue #37 caused controversy with its depiction of a villain named Dagger Type, which some critics saw as
23490-462: The new team aid Steel on a raid on Lexcorp . Beast Boy also participated in World War III . Due to Beast Boy's effort, the Teen Titans returns to its normal state after Wonder Girl and Robin's return. While the events of Infinite Crisis unfold, details of Beast Boy's life "One Year Later" are revealed in the current Teen Titans comic book. Teen Titans vol. 3 #34 (May 2006) shows scenes from
23664-741: The niece/adoptive daughter of police commissioner James Gordon . Batgirl operates in Gotham City , allying herself with Batman and the original Robin , Dick Grayson , along with other masked vigilantes . The character appeared regularly in Detective Comics , Batman Family , and several other books produced by DC until 1988. That year, Barbara Gordon appeared in Barbara Kesel 's Batgirl Special #1, in which she retires from crime-fighting. She subsequently appeared in Alan Moore 's graphic novel Batman: The Killing Joke where, in her civilian identity, she
23838-499: The one-shot comic Elseworld's Finest: Supergirl & Batgirl (1998). In 2005, DC Comics launched its All Star imprint—an ongoing series of comics designed to pair the company's most iconic characters with the most acclaimed writers and artists in the industry. Similar to Elseworlds , All Star is not restricted to mainstream continuity and establishes a fresh perspective for the latest generation of readership. According to Dan DiDio , "[t]hese books are created to literally reach
24012-399: The opportunity to better herself and her reputation, becoming more level-headed and boosting her crime-fighting arsenal. However, the design of her outfit as an adult has similarities to that of Dick Grayson's Nightwing outfit, with a red tunic and gold V running across the chest. After Bette helped Gar clear his name, his cousin Matt attempted one last recruitment drive for Titans West (dubbing
24186-695: The original Batwoman, but with a revamped origin). Despite her initial Post-Crisis origin retcon, Bette Kane has regained her prior history using the Bat-Girl identity in her younger years prior to becoming Flamebird. In the DC Rebirth relaunch, Bette has enrolled at the United States Military Academy , seeming to be a yearling, or sophomore, cadet. She keeps in contact with Kate Kane and Julia Pennyworth , and even briefly visits Kate in Gotham. Flamebird
24360-410: The other Bat-girls from years back ... They were there because romance seemed to be needed in Batman's life. But thanks to the big change and a foresighted editor, these hapless females are gone for good. In their place stands a girl who is a capable crime-fighter, a far cry from Batwoman who constantly had to be rescued [by] Batman." Batgirl continued to appear in DC Comics publications throughout
24534-441: The positive feelings inside her rather than just her negative ones. Beast Boy assures her this is part of being human, and points out, "I think you've worried enough about the bad....so why don't we focus on the good for a change?" With that, they share a heartfelt kiss to renew their relationship and ultimately embrace their love for each other. In September 2011, The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity. In this new timeline, Garfield
24708-442: The release of the graphic novel, comic book editor and writer Kim Yale discussed how distasteful she found the treatment of Barbara Gordon with her husband, fellow comic writer John Ostrander . Rather than allow the character to fall into obscurity, the two decided to revive her as a character living with a disability—the information broker called the Oracle. Eleven years after the editorial retirement of Barbara Gordon as Batgirl,
24882-573: The rest of the Doom Patrol help the Titans fight off the Brotherhood of Evil , who have managed to clone the Brain . The clone is a failure, however, and Monsieur Mallah ends up tearing his head off so that he can preserve his master's brain. After returning, Beast Boy is infuriated to discover that the Chief has been manipulating them and trying to do the same to Kid Devil . Garfield and his partners stand up to
25056-501: The return of Red Robin and Wonder Girl, now with Raven at their side, the plan is fulfilled as the three Titans departed with Jon Lane instead of Kon. Right after they leave, Rose questions Garfield if it was the right thing to do, after stating that he puts "way too much faith in the Titans", like he has always been which Gar responds: "I damn well hope so Rose. I damn well hope so". It is also revealed that in this timeline Rose and Garfield are wife and husband and their daughter named Red,
25230-443: The role of Batgirl until she is stripped of the identity by Batman for violating his stringent codes. Within the same storyline, the character Cassandra Cain is introduced. Cain is written as the daughter of assassins David Cain and Lady Shiva and takes the mantle of Batgirl under the guidance of Batman and Oracle. In 2000, she became the first Batgirl to star in an eponymous monthly comic book series, in addition to becoming one of
25404-455: The role of Batgirl. She maintained this position until 2011, the relaunch of the DC imprint under The New 52 . The character reappeared in the DCU in Batman (vol. 3) #28, as the Spoiler. Stephanie reappears in the series Batman Eternal , where she again goes by Spoiler in an attempt to thwart her father's machinations. After DC Rebirth , she joined Batman's new team of vigilantes where she became
25578-512: The role, a mystery character appeared as the new Batgirl in the Birds of Prey comic. Possessing superpowers, the teen claimed the empty mantle in an attempt to honor the character. However, Barbara Gordon quickly dissuaded the teen from continuing in the role. Charlie Gage-Radcliffe acquiesced, but modified her costume and changed her name to the Misfit. While Barbara Gordon and Cassandra Cain have both been
25752-560: The role. Stephanie Brown became the featured character of the Batgirl series from 2009 to 2011, prior to DC's The New 52 relaunch, which established Barbara Gordon recovering from her paralysis following a surgical procedure and starring as the title character of Batgirl once again. Barbara later returned to the Oracle role with Infinite Frontier in 2020, and currently operates as both Batgirl and Oracle, with Cassandra and Stephanie also serving as Batgirls. The Barbara Gordon version of Batgirl has been adapted into various media relating to
25926-554: The rooftop thrills of the hero biz. She attempted several times to reunite the Titans West team, most notably after a journey into the afterlife with Hawk and Dove , but was unsuccessful. Dove noted that Bette was essentially a very lonely person, basically desperate for company and contact with others. Bette again gave up her obsession with the Titans until malfunctioning former Titan Victor Stone collected her, along with all former Titans everywhere, in an attempt to protect his soul from
26100-428: The seemingly unbreakable villain. With Beast Boy's help, the Teen Titans defeat Cinderblock, with Gar leaving and telling them to take all the credit. Upon returning home, Beast Boy decides to take Cyborg's advice about moving forward, resolving to move to San Francisco and take over the leadership of the Teen Titans. During the events of the 2009–2010 storyline " Blackest Night ", Beast Boy faces Terra again after she
26274-464: The series at the time. The hashtag #changethecover drew dozens of posts on Twitter and Tumblr asking DC to not release the variant. DC ultimately withdrew the cover from publication at the request of Albuquerque, who stated, "My intention was never to hurt or upset anyone through my art...For that reason, I have recommended to DC that the variant cover be pulled." In March 2016, DC Comics announced it would be re-launching all of its monthly titles under
26448-975: The series relaunch in September 2011, Batgirl has remained within the top 30 of the 300 best-selling monthly comic book publications sold in North America. Monthly estimated sales figures are as follows: Batgirl #1 with 81,489 copies (ranked 12th overall), Batgirl #2 with 75,227 (ranked 14th), Batgirl #3 with 62,974 (ranked 18th), Batgirl #4 with 53,975 (ranked 23rd), Batgirl #5 with 51,327 (ranked 26th), and Batgirl #6 with 47,836 (ranked 30th). The hardcover edition of volume 1, Batgirl: The Darkest Reflection , which collects issues #1–6, made The New York Times Best Seller list , alongside Animal Man: The Hunt , Batman & Robin: Born to Kill , Batman: Detective Comics , Wonder Woman: Blood , Batwoman: Hydrology , Green Lantern: Sinestro . Additionally, Barbara Gordon makes an appearance in Birds of Prey #1, where
26622-499: The series was cancelled prior to publication. Alternate versions of Batgirl aside from Barbara Gordon have also appeared in publications by DC Comics. In Batman Beyond Unlimited #18 (set in the continuity of the animated series Batman Beyond ), the new Batgirl is a 15-year-old girl named Nissa . In Batgirl: Future's End #1 (Nov. 2014), set in an alternate future, a trio of Batgirls include Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown and newcomer Tiffany Fox —the daughter of Lucius Fox and
26796-453: The specific poisons and toxins produced by specific snakes. He also gains the ability to survive or otherwise live in the same hostile environments some animals can, as seen in one comic where he morphs into a parasitic worm to become resistant to the stomach acid and immune system of Brother Blood when he dived into the villain's intestinal tract to retrieve Raven's chakra. While in animal form, Beast Boy retains his human intellect, memories, and
26970-449: The subject of academic analysis regarding the portrayal of women in comics , commentary on Barbara Gordon's Batgirl has focused on her character's connection to the women's liberation movement , doctoral degree and career as a librarian, while analysis of Cassandra Cain's Batgirl has focused on the character's double minority status as a woman and a person of color . Since her debut in DC Comics publication, and fueled by her adaptation into
27144-464: The team in their campaign against the organization of N.O.W.H.E.R.E. as meanwhile Harvest has sent Rose Wilson and Warblade to recapture them. As the series progresses Beast Boy and Terra start developing romantic feelings for each other as Beast Boy finally finds someone who cared for him in the middle of the countless tortures and painful experiments he has suffered back in the Colony. Later, Terra opens up her feelings for Gar teasing him: "Why in
27318-413: The team to a place in Los Angeles. There the team is confronted by Superboy and Niles Caulder . Caulder is introduced as a long time known of Fairchild and is also implied that Caulder has known Beast Boy although their connection has not been explored. Later Fairchild and Caulder introduces the team to a deep underground science and engineering facility, which provides headquarters and combat training for
27492-598: The title of Batgirl. During the No Man's Land storyline, Cassandra Cain was given the role of Batgirl under the guidance of Batman and Oracle. Written as the daughter of assassins David Cain and Lady Shiva, she is trained from early childhood to read human body language instead of developing verbal and written communication skills as part of her father's conditioning to mold her into the world's deadliest assassin. However, after committing her first murder, she vows to never again use her martial-arts prowess to kill. In 2000, she became
27666-595: The title. Various alterations of Barbara Gordon as Batgirl have appeared in storylines published in and out of mainstream continuity titles. Variants of the character within continuity often appear in stories which involve time travel, such as the crossover limited series Zero Hour: Crisis in Time , a follow-up story preceded by the 1985 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths which altered mainstream continuity. Notable imprints of DC Comics such as Elseworlds and All Star DC Comics have also featured alternate versions of
27840-592: The war, she traveled to Louisiana and did indeed become a vampire. In 2021, Barbara Gordon is one of the main protagonists in Batman '89 . While working in Gotham's police department, she dates Harvey Dent . She assumes the role of Batgirl in the second series, Echoes . In 2022 Daphne Blake from Scooby-Doo became a temporary Batgirl in The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries . Batgirl has officially been represented by four different characters – and two claimants – beginning with her introduction in 1961. During
28014-487: The widest audience possible, and not just the comic book audience, but anyone who has ever wanted to read or see anything about Superman or Batman." An alternate Barbara Gordon was adapted into Frank Miller's All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder (2005) as a teenage Batgirl. In addition, another variation of the character had been set to star in an eponymous All Star Batgirl title, written by Geoff Johns ; however,
28188-417: The world haven't you tried to kiss me yet?" as they share a passionate kiss. After the kiss they become a couple. With Rose and Warblade having difficulties in capturing the Ravagers, Harvest makes a deal with Deathstroke to hunt down the Ravagers and attack each one using a special weapon called the Abeo Blade. Succeeding in invading Caulder's place, Deathstroke manages to "kill" Ridge (in his human form -
28362-439: The year between the conclusion of Infinite Crisis and One Year Later , from the damaged Cyborg's POV . Garfield leads the Teen Titans , before quitting the team following his breakup with Raven. He then rejoins his original team, the Doom Patrol , saying that the team doesn't need his help and that Robin can handle leadership. He is also feeling uneasy about remaining in a team without Cyborg. After Cyborg awakens, Beast Boy and
28536-511: Was Brother Blood as he was targeting the one who could be used as a key to his master gain access to The Red. Due to his connection with The Red, Beast Boy was the only one who could sense the evil intents of Brother Blood and therefore the key Blood was looking for. After sensing his presence, Beast Boy convinced Terra to help the remaining Ravagers who were captured by Blood to be used as a sacrifice in his ritual and they eventually manage to stop and defeat Blood. After those events Fairchild led
28710-545: Was among the many heroes gathered to fight off the invasion of Metropolis by the Society . Teen Titans vol. 3 #38 reveals that Flamebird briefly served on the Titans during the year-long gap . Following the events of Infinite Crisis , it is revealed that Bette is the cousin of current Batwoman, Kate Kane. In Detective Comics #856, Bette moves to Gotham City to enroll in Gotham University. She encounters her cousin at
28884-499: Was discovered that she had been influenced by a mind-altering drug administered by supervillain Deathstroke the Terminator . Following the conclusion of the storyline, DC Comics has restored Cain's original characterization as a superhero and the character has been given a supporting role in the comic book series Batman and the Outsiders . Following the events of Batman's disappearance , Cassandra, acting under her mentor's orders in
29058-448: Was not severed. That makes her a candidate." Prior to its release, Batgirl #1 sold out at the distribution level with over 100,000 copies printed in its first run according to Diamond Comic Distributors . Along with Action Comics #1, Justice League #1, Batman #1, Batman and Robin #1, Batman: The Dark Knight #1, Detective Comics #1, Flash #1, Green Lantern #1, and Superman #1, retailers were required to order
29232-403: Was not taught spoken language, but instead was taught to "read" physical movement. Subsequently, Cain's only form of communication was body language. The parts of the character's brain normally used for speech were trained so Cain could read other people's body language and predict, with uncanny accuracy, their next move. This also caused her brain to develop learning functions different from most,
29406-472: Was our editor on the project", and following a discussion with then-Executive Editorial Director Dick Giordano, "Len got back onto the phone and said, ‘Yeah, okay, cripple the bitch.'" Although there has been speculation as to whether or not editors at DC specifically intended to have the character's paralysis become permanent, Brian Cronin, author of Was Superman A Spy?: And Other Comic Book Legends Revealed (2009) noted that DC had hired Barbara Kesel to write
29580-410: Was reintroduced as Bette Kane and the alias of Flamebird . Following Infinite Crisis , the character's past as Batgirl was hinted at as being a part of continuity. However, that reference included a revamped origin of the character and it may or may not have been the current Bette Kane. During the run of the Batman television series, DC editorial was approached about adding a female character back into
29754-581: Was successful in the transformation. When he pursued Madame Rouge in revenge for her role in killing his foster mother, Rita Farr , he began transforming into creatures that do not exist, products of his subconscious rage against the villainess. While an animal, he gains all of the physical abilities, attributes, and characteristics of said animal, such as greatly enhanced superhuman strength (a gorilla), superhuman speed (a cheetah), and enhanced durability (a turtle), and abilities such as flight (various birds), and aquatic breathing (various fish). He can even gain
29928-450: Was turning into someone like the Hulk. In the series Tales of the Teen Titans , it is implied that Garfield also has unexplored psionic abilities. Although Mento's psionic helmet is only capable of amplifying its user's psionic abilities, Garfield was shown to successfully use it to trick the Teen Titans into perceiving him as Slade. He maintains great proficiency in hand-to-hand combat, and
30102-583: Was unheard from until she was captured by a Brainiac -worshipping cult leader in Oregon and eventually rescued by Oracle's covert team of female operatives in Birds of Prey . She fought Doctor Light alongside the majority of heroes who had once been members of the Teen Titans. Flamebird appeared in Infinite Crisis #4 to fight Superboy-Prime . In this storyline, it was indicated that Flamebird had originally been
30276-583: Was written to reduce the complex history of DC Comics to a single continuity . Although Batgirl is a featured character, her role is relatively small—she delivers Supergirl's eulogy in issue #7 of the 12-part series. The conclusion of Crisis on Infinite Earths changed DC Universe continuity in many ways. Following the reboot , Barbara Gordon is born to Roger and Thelma Gordon, and she is Jim Gordon's niece and adopted daughter in post - crisis continuity. Post- Crisis , Supergirl does not arrive on Earth until after Gordon has established herself as Oracle, and many of
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