The name Batgirl has existed in the DC universe for over sixty years, with multiple women donning the cape and cowl to bring justice to Gotham City and beyond. While Barbara Gordon is the most famous, having multiple comic book runs and has been adapted into animation, video games, and television series, multiple others have carried her legacy.
In the comic book multiverse, not only have there been Batgirls that have simply been given the torch, but alternate realities and time travel have given fans glimpses at alternate versions of the character. Some have gone on to be just as iconic as Barbara Gordon, while others faded into obscurity, for better or worse.
9Bette Kane
The Forgettable Sidekick To An Already Lackluster Superhero
Often forgotten by even longtime fans, Bette Kane, AKA Bat-Girl, was the sidekick of the first Batwoman, Kathy Kane. Both characters would end up being dropped by writers and later, Batwoman would be reimagined into Kate Kane, Bruce’s cousin and famousrepresentation of the LGBTQIA+ community, while Bette Kane would lose the Bat-Girl moniker and be given a new one: Flamebird.
As Bat-Girl, Bette was Kathy’s niece who discovered that she was Batwoman and was determined to be her partner in fighting crime. Neither character left an impression on readers, so most people forgot that Bette Kane was the original wearer of the Batgirl cowl.
8Barbara Gordon
Still The Definitive Batgirl Among Fans
When the Batman series starring Adam West was at its peak, a new character was introduced in both the series and the comics: Barbara Gordon, AKA Batgirl. This debut was impactful, as Batgirl appealed to female viewers and readers, adding more demographics. On top of that, Batgirl stood out because Barbara never had a sad backstory to turn her into a hero, she’s always just felt it was the right thing to do.
Since her first appearance, Barbara Gordon has evolved into one of the brightest minds in the DC universe and a tenacious fighter for justiceand a great ally for Batman. Even when a tragic event rendered her without the use of her legs, she became an expert hacker and information broker known as Oracle. However, she is still mostly known for being Batgirl, and for good reason: she’s smart, witty, cunning, and heroic.
7Helena Bertinelli
No Man’s Land Turned Huntress Into A Batgirl
When Gotham City was practically destroyed by an earthquake, resulting in theNo Man’s Landstoryline, Batman needed all the help he could get. Helena Bertinelli, more known for being Huntress, temporarily ditched her purple suit and crossbow to wear a Batgirl uniform. Helena felt that Gotham City needed to see the bat symbol to feel hope, and she even made a new suit that would be passed on to Cassandra Cain.
Batman is so impressed by Helena that he is willing to let her keep the Batgirl name and suit, as long as she obeys his rules. Sadly, Helena breaks the rules almost immediately and she quickly and returns to being Huntress. Some fans have been curious how different the Bat-Family would be today if Helena had stayed as the permanent Batgirl, since she was effective in the cowl.
6Cassandra Cain
Contender For The Best Version Of Batgirl
Often considered on par with Barbara Gordon, Cassandra Cain was born and raised as an assassin by two of the most heartless killers: David Cain and Lady Shiva. They raised her to be the perfect weapon, even to the point of damaging her body so that she couldn’t see faces and was mute, but she still managed to come out a good person in the end.
Cassandra Cain escaped her old life, not wanting to hurt innocent people, and was eventually adopted into the Bat-Family. For a good while, she was the new Batgirl while Barbara was still operating as Oracle. Some fans have even debated whether Cassandra was the superior Batgirl to Barbara Bordon before she took on the more distinguished moniker of Orphan.
5Harley Quinn
Accidentally Proved She Could Be Bat-Family Material
Only for a couple of issues, starting withHarley Quinn #10 in 2001, Harley Quinn disguised herself as Batgirl to hide from criminals who were hunting her. However, this caught the attention of Barbara Gordon, who rightfully was not happy that her moniker was being besmirched by Harley Quinn’s antics, resulting in Cassandra Cain and Tim Drake hunting Harley.
However, despite selfish intentions, Harley Quinn, with her gymnastic fighting style, proved to be effective as a Batgirl. It gave fans just a taste of what would come in Harley Quinn’s future, because she would later become an ally of the Bat-Familyand a famous anti-herofor Gotham City.
4Stephanie Brown
From Failed Robin To Worthy Batgirl Successor
Known for having a multitude of aliases, Stephanie Brown is the daughter of the famous supervillain Cluemaster. Stephanie stepped into the superhero scene as a vigilante/informant known as Spoiler. However, Bruce Wayne saw her potential and originally recruited herto be the first female Robinin the canon timeline, but it didn’t stick, so Barbara Gordon took Steph under her wing.
As a result, with Barbara Gordon as a more patient teacher, Stephanie became the third Batgirl to have her solo comic run. She had the wit and intelligence of Barbara with the edge and fun-loving nature of the Robins, allowing her to have a strong run as Batgirl. That changed when Barbara Gordon returned to action later on, resulting in Steph returning to the Spoiler name.
3Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe
The First Batgirl To Also Be A Metahuman
Before the DC universe rebooted with New 52, writer Gail Simone introduced a new Batgirl, who never got the chance to be fleshed out. Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe began as a Batgirl, breaking out into crime-fighting on her own before the Birds Of Prey took her in and Barbara was able to train her properly.
What sets Charlotte apart from all other Batgirls is that she is a metahuman, with the ability to teleport, regenerate, and use magic. This is what led to Barbara convincing Charlotte to later give up the Batgirl name, and she became better known as Misfit,who never got the chance to be rebootedwhen The New 52 started.
2Tiffany Fox
The Youngest And Brightest Batgirl Of An Alternate Future
Trading yellow for pink, twelve-year-old Tiffany Fox was introduced as Batgirl in 2014 during theFuture’s Endstoryline. Since Tiffany is the daughter of Lucius Fox, she inherited much of her father’s genius intellect to go along with her martial arts abilities.
Tiffany would go on to appear as a major character inthe game made by Telltale Games,Batman: The Enemy Within. If players made the right decisions, Tiffany would eventually evolve into a precursor to Batgirl, who assists Batman. If Telltale had been able to make a third game, she likely would have officially become Batgirl for that universe.
1Nissa
A Street-Level Vigilante Of The Cyberpunk Future
The first-ever Batgirl Beyond ofthe neon-lit cyberpunk future, Nissa is a fiery young student trained by an older Barbara Gordon to continue the mantle. However, Nissa keeps her jurisdiction small, focusing mainly on protecting Old Gotham from criminals and corrupt cops, since Batman Beyond is rarely seen in her area of Neo-Gotham.
While Nissa was given a nice showcase, having her saving Barbara Gordon, her tenure in the comics was disappointingly brief. Batgirl Beyond was only featured in a handful of comics and since then, Nissa has yet to return, despite fans enjoying what was presented with the character.
