Is Barbara Gordon Is Already Oracle in the DCEU?

Barbara Gordon's Batgirl was curiously absent from the proposed cast of new characters for the upcoming Birds of Prey movie. Could it be because she's already the hacker hero Oracle in the DCEU? Several signs suggest this might be the case.

The daughter of Gotham City Police Commissioner Jim Gordon, Barbara Gordon, has one of the most complex histories of any character in modern comics. Originally created for the live-action Batman television series in 1966, Barbara proved popular enough to be brought into the comic books one year later in Detective Comics #359. Her life would change forever following an attack by The Joker in the graphic novel The Killing Joke, which left her paralyzed. Barbara would later reemerge in Kim Yale and John Ostrander's Suicide Squad comic, having adopted the Oracle identity to aid the team as a white-hat hacker. She would go on to be a member of the Justice League but never had a comic of her own until Birds of Prey.

Conceived by editor Jordan B. Gorfinkel in 1996 as a series of specials, Birds of Prey centered upon the adventures of Oracle and her partner, superheroine/spy Dinah Lance (a.k.a. Black Canary). It became a full monthly comic in 1999, but was on the verge of cancellation before writer Gail Simone revitalized the series in 2003. Simone added the Mafia-focused vigilante Helena Bertinelli (a.k.a. Huntress) to the cast and went on to reshape the team with a rotating roster of DC Comics' heroines.

Given the central role that Barbara Gordon held in forming the Birds of Prey in two realities (the most recent incarnation of the group was formed in the DC Rebirth series Batgirl And The Birds of Prey, where Barbara regained her mobility and became Batgirl again), many fans were stunned when a supposed list of heroes who would be in the movie was reported and Barbara Gordon's name was conspicuously absent. This caused confusion, particularly when coupled with the on-going questions regarding the status of a Batgirl solo film centering on Barbara Gordon following Joss Whedon's departure from the project. What was more worrying was the inclusion of an unexpected name on the list of characters to be seen in Birds of Prey - Cassandra Cain.

This Page: Cassandra Cain is The DCEU's Batgirl, Not Barbara Gordon
Page 2: Theory: Barbra Gordon Is Already Oracle

Cassandra Cain is The DCEU's Batgirl, Not Barbara Gordon

First introduced during the Batman storyline No Man's Land in 1999, Cassandra Cain was Barbara Gordon's hand-picked successor to take up her mantle. The daughter of the assassins David Cain and Lady Shiva, Cassandra was raised by her father and trained from birth to become the perfect assassin. Cain did not speak to his daughter, nor teach her how to read or write, theorizing that with the only language she learned being body language, she would grow into a superior warrior. His theory proved correct, but he did not count on Cassandra's distressed reaction to her first "hit" at the age of eight nor her running away from home and living on the streets, where she was taken in by Barbara Gordon and offered a better life.

Cassandra Cain's presence in the Birds of Prey movie poses several interesting questions. On the one hand, it seems unlikely that Cassandra would be included if there was any intention of having Barbara Gordon be Batgirl. On the other hand, given their history together in the comics where Barbara acted as a foster mother of sorts to Cassandra, the fact that Cassandra is part of the Birds of Prey suggests that Barbara will be a presence in the film even if she's already passed on her mantle.

Given the relative ages of the characters in the DCEU compared to their comic-book counterparts, with a clearly older Bruce Wayne who has been at the vigilante act for decades, there's a fair chance that a Batgirl movie starring Barbara Gordon could still be a possibility. It could be handled as a retro-piece, in much the same manner as the upcoming Wonder Woman 1984. The current DC Comics timeline had Barbara Gordon taking up the Batgirl name shortly after Batman made his first appearance in Gotham City. As such, there's a fair possibility the solo Batgirl film could be an origin story for Barbara while allowing for an older Barbara Gordon to appear in a Birds of Prey movie set in the modern day DCEU, acting as a mentor to Cassandra Cain.

Page 2 of 2: Theory: Barbra Gordon Is Already Oracle

Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne with Robin Costume in Case in Batman v. Superman Dawn of Justice

There's Already Been One Horrifying Bat Family Attack

There was one particularly infamous image from Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice that prompted intense speculation from comics fans long before the film was released. This was a picture of a graffiti-covered Robin costume held in a display case in the Bat Cave. Based on the erratic handwriting and the use of the phrase "Joke's on you, Batman" it was implied this had been written by The Joker.

This raised several questions. Did Robin die at the hands of The Joker in the reality of the DCEU? If so, was it the second Robin, Jason Todd, who was killed by The Joker, as in the comics? If so, what happened to Dick Grayson, the original Robin? Did he become Nightwing in the DCEU? And what about all the other vigilantes normally associated with Batman, like Batgirl?

While the Justice League movie may have quietly retconned some of this backstory, it is still clear that something bad happened in Batman's past that has made him reluctant to work with other people. This is implied by some of his interactions with Wonder Woman, as they go about building a team together. It's also possible that Commissioner Gordon's remark about it being good to see Batman playing with others may have been worded in such a way so as to not directly reference absent loved ones.

Theory: Barbra Gordon Is Already Oracle

Considering all of this, one theory stands out above all others that explains all the available evidence - Barbara Gordon is already Oracle in the DCEU. Given Barbara's strong will and refusal to live an ordinary life when her intelligence gives her so many opportunities to help others, it is unlikely that she'd peacefully retire from crime-fighting. Even in the realities where she did give up being Batgirl, she continued to fight crime in some capacity, as in the reality of Batman Beyond where she followed her father to become the Commissioner of Gotham City's Police Department.

Given that Jim Gordon was still alive and kicking in Justice League, it seems far more likely - even ignoring the character's long history and her popularity in the Oracle role - that Barbara Gordon would appear in as Oracle in The DCEU, particularly in a Birds of Prey movie. This might also explain why we didn't see her in Batman v. Superman or Justice League - she was tied up with another team - or maybe she was no longer on speaking terms with her former mentor for some reason?

How Oracle Ties The DCEU's Bat-Movies Together

Heroes of Gotham City Robin Batman Catwoman Nightwing Superman Oracle Harvey Dent Commissioner Gordon Huntress

We know there was some grand epic battle between Batman and The Joker at some point in the past. Batman V. Superman didn't give us many details, but it was stated in Suicide Squad that The Joker and Harley Quinn had killed at least one Robin. Given that, might it be possible that the events of The Killing Joke might have played out in some fashion in this reality, with The Joker paralyzing Batgirl as part of his vendetta against Batman? It wouldn't be impossible and seems quite likely.

Assuming that happened, we now have a likely breakdown of Barbara Gordon's status in the DCEU. We also have a means of strengthening the connections between the various films set in Gotham City. Because Barbara Gordon has a unique status as the only character whose off-screen presence could have influenced the events of Batman v. Superman, Justice League and Suicide Squad.

Granting that there have been no direct references to Barbara Gordon existing in the DCEU so far, there's nothing to suggest she doesn't exist either. Moreover, there are numerous characters to whom she was closely tied in the comics that we know do exist in the movies. From her father to Batman and Robin, all the way to Amanda Waller.

This last point could also explain the mystery of Harley's involvement in Birds of Prey. Perhaps a revenge-minded Oracle would see Harley as the key to tracking down the man responsible for her paralysis. Amanda Waller provides exactly that connection, and would also make an excellent cameo for an "R-Rated girl gang film" Birds of Prey was pitched as. With Harley being the one person who has more reason to hate The Joker than Oracle, such a story would offer a great avenue for conflict, with the notoriously order-minded Oracle struggling to cope and keep-up with the chaotic Harley Quinn.