The first photo from the upcoming Batgirl movie offered a glimpse of Leslie Grace in costume as Barbara Gordon and prompted immediate comparison to every other live-action incarnation of Batgirl. Surprisingly, while there have been many adaptations of the Batman comics, there have been relatively few attempts to bring Barbara Gordon to life. Of those, roughly half never donned a Batgirl costume, like the young Barbara Gordon briefly seen in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy and the Commissioner Barbara Gordon played by Savannah Welch in Titans season 3.
The first iteration of a live-action Batgirl came with Yvonne Craig's interpretation in the 1966 Batman television series, with a now-iconic purple bodysuit and gloves. Three decades would pass before another live-action incarnation of Batgirl would be created, with Clueless star Alicia Silverstone cast in 1997's Batman and Robin as Alfred Pennyworth's niece, Barbara Wilson. Whatever the reasoning behind the character's background change, Barbara Wilson was effectively Barbara Gordon in everything but name, being presented as a computer genius who also enjoyed underground motorcycle racing. Unfortunately, her costume was more concerned with highlighting Silverstone's curves than providing her with protection, resulting in her being body-shamed in much of the press for the film. Strangely, what some fans see as the best Batgirl adaptation ever got perhaps the least amount of attention upon its initial release, when Dina Meyer was cast as the Oracle version of Barbara Gordon in the 2002 Birds of Prey television series. Meyer donned a comics-accurate Batgirl costume for several flashback sequences, showing her in action before an attack by the Joker left her paralyzed. While the show only lasted one season, many Barbara Gordon fans still cite Meyer's take on the character as the best adaptation of Barbara Gordon ever presented.
The Batgirl costume worn by Leslie Grace in a photo posted to her Instagram account appears to be based on the costume Barbara Gordon first adopted during the 2014 Batgirl of Burnside storyline. The design by artist Babs Tarr proved to be popular with fans and cosplayers alike and has been adapted by other artists for Batgirl stories since then. However, despite perfectly capturing this design, some complained that Grace's costume looked cheap, apparently having been made from motorcycle leathers rather than Kevlar or Nomex. However, these criticisms seem to ignore that, when she first started out as a vigilante, Barbara Gordon did not have Bruce Wayne's money to draw upon, so it makes sense that her first costume might be a bit rough, much like the MCU Peter Parker's costume before he got his first Spider-Man Stark suit.
It also bears consideration that Barbara Gordon has been portrayed as a biker since her first appearance played by Craig, so it is logical that her costume might be designed from the perspective of someone who rides a motorcycle. Leslie Grace's Batgirl costume mimics the same color scheme as Craig's, with a purple bodysuit and gloves accented by a yellow cape and bat insignia. Ironically, these have long been seen as Batgirl's colors, despite the Batgirl of the comics at the time favoring a black bodysuit with a blue cape and cowl.
While the initial image is certainly reminiscent of the Craig-era, it remains to be seen whether the overall tone of the character shares further similarities with either Silverstone or Meyer's version. Given the relative paucity of live-action Batgirls, Grace's performance is certain to come under scrutiny – whatever direction the story takes. Leslie Grace may have her work cut out for her in matching Meyer's performance, but her costume is as accurate to the modern image of Batgirl as Meyer's was 20 years ago.
