This is an in-universe article with out-of-universe material.
History
In September of 2005, Batgirl made her first appearance on the Kids WB animated series, The Batman. Coincidentally, she appeared in the premiere episode of season three, the same as her live-action predecessor Yvonne Craig did on the first Batman TV series. Voiced by Danielle Judovits, she was introduced in a two-part episode entitled "Batgirl Begins". The story title was derived as a wink towards the 2005 Christopher Nolan film, Batman Begins. This episode became significant as the first instance where the character of Batgirl was introduced in a film series or television program prior to that of Robin[[1]]. Robin's character was not introduced until the season four premiere episode "A Matter of Family".
In this series, the 16-year old [2]Barbara assumed the identity of Batgirl in order to rescue her father from the clutches of her former friend, Poison Ivy. During this adventure, she crossed paths with the Batman, and managed to rescue her father without revealing her secret identity. Batgirl insinuated her way into the Dark Knight's lifestyle, despite Batman's persistent discouragement over her chosen profession. She even succeeded in determining that Batman was actually Bruce Wayne, but Wayne managed to manipulate circumstances to ensure the safety of his secret identity.
For a brief period, Barbara dismissed her belief that Bruce and the Batman were one and the same. She continued to aid the Dark Knight against the likes of the Joker and Clayface, and even piloted the heavy duty Batbot armor. For all of his efforts however, Bruce could not convince Barbara to give up this risky lifestyle, and she constantly complained that Batman was keeping her "out of the loop". Before long, Barbara discovered that Batman had taken on an official partner – the young aerialist known as Robin. Barbara was infuriated, but Batman soon took her into his confidence and revealed his true identity to her. Bringing her down into the Batcave, he supplied her with a utility belt and Batgirl became one of Batman's official partners. She currently serves as a perfunctory sidekick, working alongside (sometimes reluctantly) her teammate, Robin.
Related
- 34 Appearances of Barbara Gordon (The Batman TV Series)
- 10 Images featuring Barbara Gordon (The Batman TV Series)
- Quotations by or about Barbara Gordon (The Batman TV Series)
- Character Gallery: Barbara Gordon (The Batman TV Series)
Footnotes