Line #3 YMMV/Batgirl


1	* AudienceAlienatingEra:
2	** Bette's time on the New 52 ''ComicBook/{{Batwoman}}'' title is seen as this by her fans. Let's see why: AdaptationalWimp, {{Flanderization}}, a CurbStompBattle that left her in a comatose state, an incredibly insensitive InterplayOfSexAndViolence, getting CutShort and subsequently PutOnABus. It's no wonder fans cheered for her return to her original Flamebird mantle in DC's Legion of Bloom.
3	** Cassandra's fans generally ''loathe'' the "Orphan" alias, which they see as distancing her from the Bat Family and the ParentalSubstitute relationship she had with Bruce and Barbara pre-Flashpoint. The fact that James Tynion IV confirmed that the name wasn't meant to be permanent but that he had been kept from changing it by his early removal from Detective Comics only made things worse.
4	* BrokenBase:
5	** Barbara's justification for staying paralyzed is either incredibly noble and a welcome sign of inclusionism by DC, or so hamfisted that it's plain offensive in its obvious pandering.
6	** Barbara reclaiming the title is either something that should have happened years ago or something that pushes her back and removes her character development; in both cases, it leads to discussions about what is more sexist, and the argument about what it means for the others.
7	** There's also the base breaking about which Batgirl is better fit for the title, Babs, Cass, or Steph.
8	** Whether or not Bette Kane counts as a Batgirl. This one has started occurring more recently as of 2023 due to Bette's return as Flamebird in the one-shot ''DC's Legion of Bloom'' after her AudienceAlienatingEra in ''ComicBook/{{Batwoman}}'' as Hawkfire.
9	* CantUnHearIt: Chances are the voice you picture when reading Barbara Gordon's lines are Creator/TaraStrong or Creator/KimberlyBrooks.
10	* CompleteMonster: See [[Monster/{{Batman}} here]].
11	* CrackPairing[=/=]CrossoverShip: Cassandra and ComicBook/CaptainAmerica. We're not kidding, it exists.
12	* DiagnosedByTheAudience: While the comic doesn't explicitly confirm it, given that Cass is shown to have severe learning disabilities, was initially mute early on, and [[NoSocialSkills frequently struggles in social interactions]], a very large portion of Cassandra's fandom believes her to be on the autism spectrum.
13	* EscapistCharacter: Batgirl fulfills the female power fantasy function in the Batman comics. Barbara Gordon is a beautiful, learned and mature woman and kickass fighter who owns a cool bike and all kind of fantastic toys for fighting crime.
14	* FanonDiscontinuity: Generally everything that Adam Beechen wrote for Cassandra Cain is ignored by the fandom due to him making several decisions that were widely reviled by her fandom, most infamously the decision to make her [[FaceHeelTurn evil]][[note]]though, in all fairness, that's not entirely Beechen's fault, as her being evil was a decision made by the [[ExecutiveMeddling editorial]] at the time[[/note]]. When Creator/ScottSnyder included her in ''Gates of Gotham'', he disregarded the senseless rivalry between Dick and Cassandra in favor of a brother-sister relationship.
15	* FirstInstallmentWins: Or in this case, second and more popular installment wins. Barbara Gordon is the only Batgirl who is known to people who don't read comics. This is largely due to the fact that Barbara is typically the only Batgirl to be featured at all outside of the comics, while Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown are more often than not, AdaptedOut.
16	* FriendlyFandoms: Supergirl fans and Batgirl fans tend to get along marvelously, perhaps because of the similarities between both heroines (both are distaff counterparts of famous male heroes, both have been looked down on by comic fans because of it, both were fridged for decades, replaced and eventually brought back). Or perhaps because they are always friends in every comicverse and even other media as the Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse, ''WesternAnimation/SuperBestFriendsForever'' or ''WebAnimation/DCSuperHeroGirls''. Regardless of the reason, Kara Zor-El fans use to be Barbara Gordon (and/or Stephanie Brown) fans too, and vice versa; and both fandoms respect each other.
17	* HarsherInHindsight: One of the featured blurbs on the cover of ''Detective Comics'' Issue #359 was a question wondering if Batgirl was a heroine or a villainess. While Barbara Gordon did not turn out to be evil, the second Batgirl and Barbara's successor — Cassandra Cain — would make a temporary FaceHeelTurn and become a cold-hearted assassin in the ''ComicBook/OneYearLater'' storyline due to being [[BrainwashedAndCrazy brainwashed]] by Deathstroke.
18	* LesYay:
19	** Bette and Lilith hang out a lot which makes sense considering Lilith founded Titans West and Bette keeps trying to restart it. However, there's a scene in ''ComicBook/Titans'' where it looks suspiciously like Bette and Lilith are sleeping together.
20	** Apparently, ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} watches ''those'' types of college movies. You know, the ones with pillow fights and [[SlumberParty Slumber Parties]], and she is just dying to reenact them with Stephanie. Later, [[ItMakesSenseInContext after Dracula appears]], Supergirl [[DressedInLayers rips off her top to reveal her costume beneath it]].
21	---> '''Supergirl:''' "Aren't you gonna...you know..."\
22	'''Batgirl:''' "Not unless you wanna see my bra."\
23	'''Supergirl:''' "Does it have a bat on it?"
24	** [[Comicbook/{{Supergirl}} Kara]] and Babs have gotten a fair quota of ShipTease since the Silver Age.
25	** Cassandra and Stephanie have gotten a fair share of this, especially in ''Future State''. Not only does Cass seem ''very'' angry and heartbroken that Steph has seemingly turned her back on the Bat, but they end the series embracing on a rooftop, looking at the sunrise.
26	* MyRealDaddy: Ever since her ongoing, most generally associate Stephanie Brown with Bryan Q Miller, the writer of her series, rather than Creator/ChuckDixon, her creator; though, Dixon is generally respected otherwise.
27	* ReplacementScrappy: Okay, ''Scrappy'' is admittedly not entirely accurate in the case of Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown, since both are well-liked by fans (though both are [[BaseBreakingCharacter divisive]]), but despite being popular in their own right, they were never able to match the widespread popularity of Barbara Gordon, who is still viewed as ''the'' Batgirl in the eyes of fans (especially amongst those who don't read the comics, as Babs is often the only Batgirl outside of the comics). Both are [[CreatorsPest also disliked by editorial and higher-ups]] (''especially'' by Creator/DanDidio), to the point that both are frequently AdaptedOut in adaptations (unlike the [[DoubleStandard various Robins]]) and would outright disappear from the comics for years when the ComicBook/New52 rebrand happened (though both would come back in ComicBook/{{Convergence}}), while Babs got the mantle back.
28	* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap:
29	** Wendy and her brother Marvin were heavy [[TheScrappy scrappies]] when they appeared in ''Comicbook/TeenTitans'', but [[AlasPoorScrappy their brutal exit from the series]] completely reversed fan opinion over night. Wendy's appearances in ''Batgirl'' have been well-received, with praise given for the development of her character as she adjusts to being a paraplegic and continuing to be an active crime-fighter.
30	** Stephanie herself counts, as many fans cried foul when she [[ReplacementScrappy took over for Tim Drake.]]
31	* TheWoobie:
32	** Stephanie maintains her enthusiasm despite the mistreatment she receives, both in-universe, and out.
33	** Cassandra is no slouch in the woobie department either. In her backstory alone she had quite possibly the most abusive childhood on the planet, which include being shot until she stopped reacting to the pain. After being traumatized by killing a man, she wanders the streets alone for ''ten years'' before being taken in by Oracle. As Batgirl, things get a bit better, but not by much: she ends up seemingly losing her best friend, fails to save several people, and ends up having fallings out with Batman, Oracle, and Robin at various points. And when she finally begins making friends in Bludhaven... ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'' happens, at about the same time that she's forced to seemingly kill her own mother.
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Context YMMV / Batgirl