Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Titans season 3, episode 3.
Titans season 3 has introduced the longtime Batman character Barbara Gordon, whose backstory includes time as both Batgirl and Oracle. The particularly dark portrayal of Gotham in Titans has led to some of the traditional Batman supporting cast already being dead. This has meant some changes to Barbara Gordon’s story, though much of her origin story remains the same.
Titans season 3 takes place several months after the end of the second season and demonstrates that Dick Grayson/Nightwing was able to establish a successful Titans team in San Francisco. When Jason Todd is apparently murdered by the Joker, Grayson returns to Gotham to help Bruce Wayne but ends up staying and transferring the Titans to Gotham after Wayne steps down from his Batman mantle and flees the city. In this iteration of the DC timeline, Commissioner Jim Gordon has been killed by Mr. Freeze and his daughter Barbara has taken his place, serving as the Titan’s connection to the police force.
Barbara Gordon was introduced in Detective Comics #359 and season 3 of the original Batman TV show in 1967 in an attempt to appeal to more of a female audience. She first appeared as Batgirl, a consistent sidekick to Bruce Wayne’s Batman, while her civilian identity saw her put her doctorate in library science to use as the head of Gotham City Public Library. The success of the character lead to Barbara Gordon appearing in a wealth of other comics, including Justice League of America and Superman.
In 1988, Barbara Gordon effectively retired from the role of Batgirl. Alan Moore and Len Wein came to the conclusion that the character was now effectively done and could be written out, and the controversial The Killing Joke saw her shot through the spine by the Joker. Comic writers Kim Yale and John Ostrander disliked the way she was treated in the comic and worked to revive Barbara Gordon under the new title Oracle, a paraplegic who used her extensive knowledge of computer systems and eidetic memory to become an invaluable resource for Batman. Eventually, she cuts ties with Batman and becomes the leader of the Birds of Prey.
Barbara Gordon’s origin in Titans seems to have remained largely unchanged as she is still the daughter of Jim Gordon and is wheelchair-bound after being wounded by Joker. While the comics iteration of the character was paralyzed by a spinal injury, the Titans Barbara has lost a leg instead. This choice could have been influenced by the excellent casting of Savannah Welch in the role. It seems likely that Barbara spent time as Oracle in this timeline, and her role as police commissioner pays homage to that character as she remains a key source of information for the Titans. It is unclear whether she has spent time working with the Birds of Prey in this iteration. While she would still call on members of the group for help at times after she stepped down as team leader, it is unlikely that this will happen in Titans as none of those characters have been introduced so far.
Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon have had an on-again-off-again relationship throughout the comics, and season 3 episode 3 “Hank and Dove” hints that this idea might be revisited. Barbara in Titans echoes Donna Troy in season 2 as both are characters that have stopped being superheroes in attempts to make a more direct difference. Her introduction in this season is key. While Batman and many of his allies are motivated towards crime-fighting by a need for vengeance, Batgirl has always had her vigilante roots in altruism. This is likely to play a key role in how Nightwing eventually responds to Jason Todd becoming Red Hood and his murder of Hawk.