Wonder Woman Inspired Batgirl to Become Oracle

Despite her unfortunate shooting in DC Comics, Batgirl was encouraged to evolve into Oracle thanks to the words of the inspirational Wonder Woman. In a story set before Batman: The Killing Joke, Diana, along with the magic hero Zatanna, take Barbara Gordon out for a night of fun. To make sure it’s a night Batgirl remembers, the Princess of Themyscira imparts a legendary story to the young hero that would influence Barbara in the years after her destined tragedy.

After serving as a member of the Bat-Family for over two decades, Barbara Gordon was infamously shot by the Joker in The Killing Joke. While paralyzed from the attack, she later adopted the moniker of Oracle and became one of the superhero community’s premiere computer and technical experts. Her time as Oracle showed Barbara’s resilient spirit in the face of adversity and one comic shows who she may have picked that up from.

Brave and the Bold #33 by J. Michael Straczynski, Cliff Chiang, Rob Leigh, and Trish Mulvihill shows Zatanna experiencing a premonition of Batgirl being shot, though she doesn’t know the exact time, place or circumstances. Knowing that any attempt to prevent the event from occurring could make the situation worse, Zatanna teams up with Wonder Woman to take Barbara out for a ladies’ night. The trio hit the town for their night of drinking, dancing and living it up without the stresses of their heroic duties. The weight of knowing what fate awaits Barbara weighs heavily on the other two heroes, but as the night winds down, Diana takes time to give her friend some words from a tale that Barbara takes a keen interest in.

At an early breakfast, Wonder Woman tells Barbara a story about the Oracle of Delphi and the important role similar visionaries played. While Barbara observes that the predictions of the soothsayers could only lead to ruin by trying to change the future, Diana makes a point that the Oracles’ true value of wasn’t in their sightseeing abilities but as communicators of information. The figures’ perception of what was happening and the advice they offered were valued components of kingdoms. Diana mentions that the burden of being an Oracle was heavy, often marked by tragedy, but were necessary to making the world better.

Barbara goes on to face her destiny and the story ends with her acting as Oracle, prepping for another night as Gotham’s central information dispatch. Though she solemnly remembers the night with her friends in dreams, she’s able to carry her weight easier by relating her role to the ancient Greek figures. While Barbara would eventually go back to being Batgirl, the tale told by Wonder Woman helped Gordon find meaning in heroism once again by becoming Oracle.

About The Author