History Characters / Batgirl

[[caption-width:232:[[note]]Click here to see Barbara as Batgirl:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/BatgirlBarbara4_31.jpg[[/note]]]]

[[caption-width:250:[[note]]Click here to see Stephanie as Batgirl:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/steph_batgirl_large2.jpg[[/note]]]]
[[caption-width:202:[[note]]Click here to see Stephanie as Robin:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Stephanie_Brown_Batgirl_5926.png[[/note]]]]

* RelationshipRevolvingDoor: Her relationship with [[{{Nightwing}} Dick Grayson]]. Since the 90s, they've been an OfficialCouple, have broken up, and then later engaged. Said engagement was [[{{Retcon}} retconned]] when plans to kill off Dick were shelved. Since then, they've been AmicableExes, up until the [[{{New52}} New 52]], which has them as ChildhoodFriends with UnresolvedSexualTension.

* * AudienceSurrogate: Similar to Tim, a big part of Steph's popularity is how easily readers can relate to her as a character, especially teenaged girls.
* BlackSheep: Batman alternated between accepting and training her to treating her like one of these so often that it's a wonder the poor girl's head didn't explode. Now that Oracle has accepted her, she'll hopefully be able to put that phase behind her.

* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Simultaneously the Girly-Girl to Cass, and the Tomboy to [[{{Supergirl}} Kara]]; Steph's a fairly tomboyish girl, but Cass is far-less feminine.

* RelationshipRevolvingDoor: Her relationship with [[{{Nightwing]] Dick Grayson]]. Since the 90s, they've been an OfficialCouple, have broken up, and then later engaged. Said engagement was [[{{Retcon}} retconned]] when plans to kill off Dick were shelved. Since then, they've been AmicableExes, up until the [[{{New52}} New 52]], which has them as ChildhoodFriends with UnresolvedSexualTension.

* RelationshipRevolvingDoor: Her relationship with [[{{Nightwing]] Dick Grayson]]. Since the 90s, they've been an OfficialCouple, have broken up, and then later engaged. Said engagement was [[Retcon retconned]] when plans to kill off Dick were shelved. Since then, they've been AmicableExes, up until the [[{{New52}} New 52, which has them as ChildhoodFriends with UnresolvedSexualTension.

* UnresolvedSexualTension: In the {{New52}}, her relationship with [[{{Nightwing}} Dick Grayson]] is a perpetual WillTheyOrWontThey.

** It's acknowledged in story as well. Tim Drake quit the job after Batman tricked him into some convoluted training exercise involving a false future. Alfred thinks Batman just took Stephanie in to make Tim jealous (not helped by the fact that he compares everything she does by how Tim would do it).

[[/folder]]

Batgirl is one of a number of characters acting as a DistaffCounterpart to {{Batman}} and/or Robin. The character has served as an ensemble and background character in numerous Bat-titles and has also independently starred in two self-titled series. The first series featured Cassandra Cain, the second "official" Batgirl, the current ongoing series features Stephanie Brown, formerly known as the Spoiler.

Tropes regarding the current series can be found at ''{{Batgirl}}''.

!!The various women to use the identity and name of Batgirl are (In Chronological Order):
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/betty_kane.png
1) The first Bat-Girl (note the hyphen, not used by any other Batgirl) was Betty Kane, debuting in ''Batman'' #139 (1961). She was the niece of [[{{Batwoman}} Kathy "Batwoman" Kane]], a DistaffCounterpart to Batman who'd been introduced in 1956 as a LoveInterest for the Dark Knight to ward off perceptions of HoYay. Betty was the counterpart to Robin, gaining a (mostly one-sided) crush on Dick Grayson and his alter ego. She joined her aunt in fighting crime. Robin [[GirlsHaveCooties did not appreciate]] his counterpart, regarding her with a mixture of disinterest and distaste.

Batwoman and Bat-Girl were [[BrotherChuck summarily dumped]] from the Bat-titles in 1964 as part of the new editor's cutting away some of the high silliness that had accumulated during TheInterregnum. Years later, when Dick Grayson had become Nightwing, "Bette" Kane showed up in the ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'' series as [[ContinuityNod Flamebird]], a part-time costumed heroine with a crush on him. She's popped up every so often for brief appearances with the Titans, but avoiding a deep look at her continuity. Recently, the Interregnum-era stories have been brought back into continuity, albeit with the more outlandish ones being retconned into hallucinations that Bruce had during an exceptionally troubling phase in his life. The original Batwoman and Bat-Girl in particular have been confirmed as having been real.

!!!Tropes exhibited by the Betty Kane Bat-Girl include:
* ActionGirl / FauxActionGirl: Betty's level of competency varied wildly by the needs of the story--but usually she needed rescuing from whatever jam she and Batwoman had gotten themselves into this time.
* AllLoveIsUnrequited
* DistaffCounterpart
* HairOfGold
* MagicSkirt
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http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/batgirl1.jpg
2) By 1966 the ''Series/{{Batman}}'' live action television show was on the air, and the producer asked DCComics to create a new female hero character for the comics that would then also appear on the show to boost viewership by women. The new Batgirl was Barbara Gordon, the adult daughter of Batman's ally Commissioner James Gordon. She had a doctorate in library science and was the head librarian of Gotham Library, in addition to being a skilled acrobat with judo training. Barbara was blessed with an eidetic memory and a gift for invention (or adapting available technology) as she designed and built all of her gadgets independently of Batman. Why would a woman with all that going for her name herself "-girl"? It was still TheSixties.

In story, Barbara Gordon had created a "Batgirl" costume for herself to go to a masquerade ball, showing her personality by spending the time and effort to make it fully workable as a crimefighting outfit as well as a costume party winner. On the way to the party, Barbara saw a crime in progress by Killer Moth, and wound up helping Batman and Robin solve the case after an initial misunderstanding or two. Thrilled by the adventure, Batgirl opted to take up heroing full time.

Unlike her predecessors, who were seen as a distraction or annoyance by the Dynamic Duo, and were never allowed to tackle cases by themselves, Batgirl was treated as an almost-equal by Batman, and mostly worked on solo adventures in a ''Detective Comics'' backup feature. This both reflected the effects of the Women's Liberation movement of the time and was appreciated by them. Eventually, Barbara Gordon was elected to Congress and became a part-time costumed heroine operating in Washington, D.C. She continued to guest star in other series and had a recurring feature in the short-lived ''Batman Family'' series.

But by the late 1980s, interest in the character had waned, and Barbara Gordon was shot and crippled by the Joker in ''TheKillingJoke'' [[StuffedInTheFridge in hope of pushing her father over the edge]]. There was a final ''Batgirl Special'' explaining that she'd officially retired from superheroing sometime before that event. However, this traumatic event energized Barbara's fanbase, including some of DC's creators.

A mysterious hacker and information broker named "Oracle" began appearing in ''SuicideSquad'', eventually revealed to be the now wheelchair-bound Barbara Gordon, who refused to let her crippling injuries keep her down. Oracle quickly became a formidable force in the DCUniverse, although her most memorable accomplishment was creating the ''BirdsOfPrey'' hero agency.

As of September 2011, Barbara is back as Batgirl in a new #1.

Many adaptations of the Batman material have made Barbara much younger at the time she became Batgirl, and much more Batman's sidekick.

!!!Tropes exhibited by the Barbara Gordon Batgirl include:
* ActionGirl
* BadassBookworm
* CombatStilettos (though in Batgirl: Y1 she switched to flats after her heel broke on her first mission)
* DefectiveDetective: Jason Bard, Barbara's LoveInterest in her ''Detective Comics'' days, was a private eye and Vietnam vet with a trick knee that often took him out of the action when Batgirl appeared.
* DistaffCounterpart
* HotLibrarian
* MayDecemberRomance: Not as big a deal in more recent stories (where both characters are well into their twenties) as in older ones (where they're in their teens), but Barbara is significantly older (probably by about 5 years) than Dick Grayson.
* RedheadedHero

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http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/huntress_as_batgirl_super2.gif
3) Helena Bertinelli, better known as the Huntress, briefly took up the Batgirl mantle during the ''No Man's Land'' event. Batman forced her to stop using the costume as he felt Helena's attitude and behavior were inconsistent with his standards. She went back to being the Huntress, and later joined the Birds of Prey.

!!!Tropes exhibited by the Helena Bertinelli Batgirl include:
* ActionGirl
* AntiHeroSubstitute
* IdentityImpersonator
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http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/batgirlcover.jpg
4) A character introduced in ''No Man's Land'' in 1999, Cassandra Cain became Batgirl with the assistance of Oracle and Batman. In her backstory, Cassandra was raised by her father, notorious assassin David Cain, to have body language as her "native tongue," allowing her to read people's movements and emotions from the tiniest of clues. With the addition of constant martial arts training, Cain hoped to turn Cassandra into a superhuman assassin. The training had the side effect of making Cassandra unable to understand spoken or written language. However, when Cain had Cassandra kill a human being for the first time she read the victim's dying agonies and understood on a primal level what death was, and silently vowed never to kill again, escaping from her father.

Cassandra Cain was the first Batgirl to get her own continuing solo title, the first major arc of which had her confront a psychic who "rewires" her brain to understand spoken language so that he can communicate with her more effectively. Unfortunately for Cassandra, this also shut off her ability to read body language, her one real advantage over most of her opponents. The second arc of the series had her relearn this skill with the help of [[DragonLady Lady Shiva]], who later was revealed to be Cassandra's mother, unknown to her at the time. Even once Cassandra was able to understand verbal language, she had difficulty learning to speak and more difficulty with reading.

While the ''{{Batgirl}}'' title was a decent seller, it was not quite up to Bat-family levels and it was decided to end the series. A lot of rumors on the internet say this decision was meant to clear the way for the new [[{{Batwoman}} Kate Kane Batwoman]], who DC planned to make a major push on in conjuction with the ''52'' series, but this has yet to receive any sort of official confirmation. The character was not in limbo long, as ExecutiveMeddling made Cassandra the [[FaceHeelTurn new villain]] of the ''Robin'' series, with nearly a one hundred eighty degree turn in her characterization, skillset and competency. This did not go over at all well with the fans, among the strongest reactions being the creation of ''CassToons''.

Eventually, it was revealed that Cassandra's new personality was the result of being [[BrainwashedAndCrazy drugged by Deathstroke]], which was either an AuthorsSavingThrow or VoodooShark, depending on how willing a given reader was to swallow it. A new ''Batgirl'' miniseries was put out to try to justify the changes and cement her HeelFaceTurn, but it was written by the same author as the much-despised ''Robin'' plotline, and did not sell well.

Despite reestablishing her as a hero, DC decided to separate Cassandra from the Batgirl persona and had her renounce the identity in the first issue of a new ongoing series, replaced by Stephanie Brown (See below). DC then declared that 2010 was a "big year" for Cassandra, but fans have called LyingCreator since her only appearance was in ''Red Robin #17'' as a crime fighter in Hong Kong. In this comic Tim gave her back her old costume and said that he hopes she will wear the symbol. GailSimone had said that she would appear in ''BirdsOfPrey'', but unfortunately [[http://www.606studios.com/bendisboard/showpost.php?p=7631969&postcount=8 this was not able to happen]] despite her efforts, once again leaving fans gnashing their teeth. It was later revealed that Cassandra was barred from appearing in Birds of Prey due to her being used in ''Red Robin'' and the upcoming ''Batman: Gates of Gotham'' mini-series, which of course caused the fandom to cautiously rejoice once again.[[http://dcwomenkickingass.tumblr.com/post/3965397198/gates-of-gotham-to-feature-return-of-cass-cain-to]]. Fans were cautiously optimistic that this means she will play an active role in the upcoming ''Batman: Incorporated'' by GrantMorrison, and that optimism paid off. As of issue #6, Cassandra is now an agent of Batman Inc. under the new identity of '''Blackbat'''.

A quick side note: Cassandra briefly took on another identity, Kasumi, in the ''JusticeLeague Elite'' title.

!!!Tropes exhibited by the Cassandra Cain Batgirl include:
* AbusiveParents
* ActionGirl
* AntiHeroSubstitute: Subverted in the original series. Cassandra's outfit and backstory scream this when contrasted with Barbara Gordon's, but she is very much TheCape.
* AuthorsSavingThrow: The revelation that she [[FaceHeelTurn turned]] because she was being drugged by Deathstroke. It still left a lot of holes in the story, but at least it stopped treating ''her'' as the bad guy.
* BigEater: At least after really tough fights.
* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: Super body language reading. Moreover, her TrainingFromHell allows her to perform such feats as throwing a Batarang, then racing ahead of the missile and catching it before it hits the target.
* CombatStilettos: {{Deconstructed}}. Cass tries on Babs outfit and immediatly stumbles when trying to fight in the heels.
* CorruptionOfAMinor
* CuteBruiser: She was the Batman Family's BigGuy.
* CuteMute: During her initial appearances.
* DragonLady: During her FaceHeelTurn.
* DyingToBeReplaced: She does not ''die'', but the writers had her abandon being Batgirl solely because they wanted to transfer the mantle to Stephanie Brown. It is eventually revealed that this is part of [[XanatosRoulette a plan]] by Bruce Wayne [[BatmanGambit to force Stephanie to mature both personally and as a crime-fighter]].
* FaceHeelTurn
* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: Sample exercise from her childhood training program? Getting shot, then being punished if she flinched. The lessons stuck.
* MissingMom: Lady Shiva, who she knew for a while before finding out their relation.
* NameOfCain
* NoSocialSkills: What with her upbringing, it would be odder if she did ''not'' have trouble interacting.
* TheQuietOne: After gaining the ability to speak, but before her FaceHeelTurn. Somewhat restored after her HeelFaceTurn.
* PutOnABus: As of the new Batgirl series, and for a while her last appearance was on one of Oracle's monitors boarding a plane, destination unknown. Ultimated ended up CommutingOnABus to ''Batman: Incorporated''.
* TapOnTheHead: Often applied by Cassandra to Stephanie.
* TrainingFromHell: First nine or so years of her life were spent doing this.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: In the early 2000's writer GailSimone [[http://www.adherents.com/lit/comics/Batgirl.html pitched an idea for the direction of Cassandra Cain's series if she had taken over as its writer]]. Cassandra, after saving a Protestant minister from a vicious robbery, would continuously visit him in the hospital and, over time, become a devout Christian and convert after seeing the strength of his personal devotion and willingness to forgive his attackers. Her activities would shift to a protective role over the more downtrodden members of Gotham society, the transients and homeless and runaways, and she would switch to an all-white costume. Eventually she would become known as "Angel of the Bat" instead of Batgirl. Gail, a self-professed atheist whose comics often exemplify her "liberal" viewpoints, said that her intention was to represent a part of society that is extremely neglected in comics, as almost all depictions of religious or conservative figures was as dogmatic, prejudiced and stupid characters. She wanted an example of the transformative power of faith and felt that, even if it did not match her own beliefs, it would be a good exploration of the character. Instead, Cass made an apparent FaceHeelTurn and became a leader of the League of Assassins. As Simone put it, apparently, becoming a Christian is more controversial than becoming a serious murderer.
* XanatosRoulette: It is revealed in a one-shot issue of the Stephanie Brown ''Batgirl'' series that Cassandra Cain abandoned the Batgirl identity on the orders of Bruce Wayne, who planned for the title to pass to Stephanie [[BatmanGambit to force her to personally and professionally mature]].

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5) About the same time as Cassandra Cain's FaceHeelTurn, a new "Batgirl" was seen in Gotham City in the ''Birds of Prey'' arc "Headhunt". Upon closer examination, this turned out to be a teenager named Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe, who had inherent superpowers, including teleportation. Barbara Gordon tries to straighten the young lady out by stressing the dangers of a poorly-trained hero fighting crime (including showing what turn out to be faked autopsy photos of Stephanie "Spoiler" Brown). Charlotte gave up the Batgirl identity, but then adopted the codename "Misfit" and Oracle was forced to start training the girl for her own and everyone else's safety.


http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/misfitbatgirl.png
!!!Tropes exhibited by the Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe Batgirl include:
* CatchPhrase - "Darrrrrrrrrrk Vengeance!" (despite being a bright, bubbly girl)
* IdentityImpersonator
* IdiotHero
* KidHero
* RedheadedHero
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6) As of 2009, a new ''Batgirl'' series has started with a new Batgirl: Stephanie Brown, aka Spoiler and Robin IV. As shown in the first issue, Cassandra Cain has retired as Batgirl (but the [[WordOfGod author]] says she's not out of the picture...oops, now she is because DC has "big plans for her"...) and Stephanie decides to use the costume instead. Barbara Gordon finds out about this and at first tries to stop her, but after seeing a demonstration of her bravery vows to guide and help her. The series is LighterAndSofter than many of the other Bat-related titles currently being published by DC, but is an embodiment of the TropesAreNotBad ideal: Its [[PluckyGirl upright and cheerful protagonist]] still faces the same horrors and challenges facing any hero, but perseveres without ever losing her positive outlook.


http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/steph_batgirl_large2.jpg

!!!Tropes exhibited in the Stephanie Brown Batgirl series include:
* ActionGirl
* AlwaysSecondBest: [[CharacterDevelopment She began to shine once she assumed the Batgirl title]], but Stephanie has a long history of failing to measure up against her compatriots. In particular, she and Cassandra Cain (The Batgirl to precede her, and with whom Stepahnie had one of the friendliest relationships amongst the superhero community) would frequently spar and train together, each occurance only demonstrating how far ahead of her Cassie actually was.
--> '''Stephanie:''' When my dad was mad at me he'd lock me in the closet—what did yours do?\\
'''Cassandra:''' Shot me.\\
''(Both laugh hysterically) ''\\
'''Stephanie:''' Oh, man. [[AlwaysSecondBest I can't beat you at anything.]]
* AuthorsSavingThrow: The revelation that she had not in fact died at the hands of Black Mask, but had been [[HesJustHiding smuggled out of the country by Leslie Thompkins]]. It was a blatant RetCon, but it salvaged Thompkin's character and reversed the StuffedIntoTheFridge of Steph's original death.
* BlueEyes
* CasualDangerDialogue: Stephanie has mastered the art of the SeinfeldianConversation while facing her own impending doom.
* CharacterDevelopment: The theme of the series seems to be growing up in both the literal and figurative sense, with Stephanie Brown going to college and also approaching superhero work with a more mature and developed attitude.
* {{Determinator}}: Despite everyone telling her to quit, despite everything bad happening to her, she keeps going. Especially evident in the fear gas scene.
* GenreSavvy: Stephanie really is a product of her generation, with all the TV and movie knowledge that implies. She is ever-aware of the cliches that occur, and are expected to occur, in whacky situations. This leads to frequent {{Lampshade Hanging}}s, such as quoting the ChekhovsGun maxim verbatim, and even commenting on tropes that she herself has not yet experienced.
* GogglesDoNothing: Her thigh belt was revealed to be empty. apparently just there for aesthetics.
* HairOfGold
* HotAmazon: Once she finishes beating to a pulp a train hijacker in issue #9, he can only comment how beautiful she is.
* IncorruptiblePurePureness: Stephanie has never once lost [[PluckyGirl her positive, upbeat attitude]], never [[DarkerAndEdgier descended to the same levels as the people she fought]], and also never so much as cheated on a test. She is the only Bat-character to never {{angst}} or approach psychosis because of her affiliation with the icon.
* InsistentTerminology: Barabara originally refused to call Stephanie "Batgirl" for a variety of reasons, both personal and professional, and it was when she finally did that helped Stephanie accept that she had earned the name.
* LegacyCharacter: She picks up the immediate mantle from Cassandra Cain, becoming the third "real" Batgirl in current continuity, but she also struggles with the even larger burden of living up to Barbara's original legacy. This is exacerbated by the fact that Barbara [[TheObiWan serves as her mentor.]]
* LesYay: Apparently, {{Supergirl}} watches ''those'' types of college movies. You know, the ones with {{Pillow Fight}}s 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]].
--> '''Supergirl:''' "Aren't you gonna...you know..."\\
'''Batgirl:''' "Not unless you wanna see my bra."\\
'''Supergirl:''' "Does it have a bat on it?"
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: You could rename this trope Pulling a Stephanie Brown.
* OneOfUs: Within the series, Batgirl likes Supergirl all the more because she is able to follow the TechnoBabble explanation for their current crisis and has a sufficient grasp of grammar to realize that "BFF" is ''already'' plural.
* OvershadowedByAwesome: Stephanie is probably a more skilled martial artist than any person in the entirety of the Real World, but considering she lives in ''Gotham'' she keeps being humbled and humiliated by Batman and people with superpowers.
* PluckyGirl: One of Stephanie's crowning characteristics is no matter what crap is loaded on top of her, she remains cheerful and pops back up.
* PrecociousCrush: Stephanie has become somewhat infatuated with the detective that is shaping up to be [[CommissionerGordon her contact with the local police]], but the age difference (And the implication that he has some serious relationship baggage) will probably preclude any sort of actual relationship.
* SecretIdentity: Batgirl is really Stephanie Brown, freshman at Gotham University and formerly the Spoiler and Robin.
* SmokeOut: She ''is'' a Bat...
* {{Squee}}: Stephanie herself squee's relatively often, as she is a teenager who has managed to remain [[PluckyGirl light-hearted and chipper]] despite the traumas in her own life. When the possiility of a team-up with the BirdsOfPrey comes up she is ''ecstatic''.
* TookALevelInBadass: Referenced, but did not occur within her series. She is more self-assured, confident and competent than she ever was as either Spoiler or Robin, and is complimented on such by Bruce Wayne himself, but this dramatic change took place before the start of her tenure as Batgirl, and her improvements within the series are only incremental increases due to regular training and experience.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Steph and her mom eat waffles at pretty much every meal. It is apparently her mom's way of bonding. Heck, even Damian was seen eating them with Steph more than once!
* YouFightLikeACow: WittyBanter is a necessity in any life-or-death situation, and Stephanie always remembers to prompt somebody when it is their turn for a quip.
--> '''Batgirl:''' "Little late but nice effort."

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'''FOOTNOTE:''' For those of you trying to keep track, that's four Batgirls that "count" (Bette, Babs, Cass and Steph) and two that don't (Huntress and Misfit).
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<<|ComicBooks|>>

* GooglesDoNothing: Her thigh belt was revealed to be empty. apparently just there for aesthetics.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: In the early 2000's writer GailSimone [[http://www.adherents.com/lit/comics/Batgirl.html pitched an idea for the direction of Cassandra Cain's series if she had taken over as its writer]]. Cassandra, after saving a Protestant minister from a vicious robbery, would continuously visit him in the hospital and, over time, become a devout Christian and convert after seeing the strength of his personal devotion and willingness to forgive his attackers. Her activities would shift to a protective role over the more downtrodden members of Gotham society, the transients and homeless and runaways, and she would switch to an all-white costume. Eventually she would become known as "Angel of the Bat" instead of Batgirl. Gail, a self-professed atheist whose comics often exemplify her "liberal" viewpoints, said that her intention was to represent a part of society that is extremely neglected in comics, as almost all depictions of religious or conservative figures was as dogmatic, prejudiced and stupid characters. She wanted an example of the transformative power of faith and felt that, even if it did not match her own beliefs, it would be a good exploration of the character.

* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Steph and her mom eat waffles at pretty much every meal. It is apparently her mom's way of bonding. Heck, even Damien was seen eating them with Steph more than once!

Faced with accusations of CharacterDerailment and DidNotDoTheResearch, DC editorial backpedaled and it was revealed that Cassandra's new personality was the result of being [[BrainwashedAndCrazy drugged by Deathstroke]], which was either an AuthorsSavingThrow or VoodooShark, depending on how willing a given reader was to swallow it. A new ''Batgirl'' miniseries was put out to try to justify the changes and cement her HeelFaceTurn, but it was written by the same author as the much-despised ''Robin'' plotline, and did not sell well.

* FaceHeelTurn: [[AtopTheFourthWall Linkara]] listed her Turn has the ''worst'' example of a hero becoming a villain [[CharacterDerailment because of how completely it disregarded her history and character]].

* UnfortunateImplications: Many people can not help but notice that the Asian Cassandra Cain was replaced as Batgirl by the [[HairOfGold blond-haired]], [[BlueEyes blue-eyed]] Stephanie Brown.

* BlueEyes: Stephanie has classic, beautiful blue eyes. However, this combined with HairOfGold (See Below) lead to some UnfortunateImplications when Stephanie [[LegacyCharacter inherited the Batgirl identity from Cassandra Cain]], as DC Comics replaced one of their few Asian superheroes with one of the classic archetypes of Western beauty.

* HairOfGold: Stephanie has long, bright blond hair and, true to [[HairOfGold the trope]], is [[IncorruptiblePurePureness pure]], [[PluckyGirl upbeat]] and innocent. However, this combined with BlueEyes (See Above) lead to some UnfortunateImplications when Stephanie [[LegacyCharacter inherited the Batgirl identity from Cassandra Cain]], as DC Comics replaced one of their few Asian superheroes with one of the classic archetypes of Western beauty.

Batwoman and Bat-Girl were [[BrotherChuck summarily dumped]] from the Bat-titles in 1964 as part of the new editor's cutting away some of the high silliness that had accumulated during TheInterregnum. Years later, when Dick Grayson had become Nightwing, "Bette" Kane showed up in the ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'' series as [[ContinuityNod Flamebird]], a part-time costumed heroine with a crush on him. She's popped up every so often for brief appearances with the Titans, but avoiding a deep look at her continuity.

'''FOOTNOTE:''' For those of you trying to keep track, that's one out-of continuity "Bat-Girl" (Bette Kane), three in-continuity Batgirls that "count" (Babs, Cass and Steph) and two that don't (Huntress and Misfit).

Despite reestablishing her as a hero, DC decided to separate Cassandra from the Batgirl persona and had her renounce the identity in the first issue of a new ongoing series, replaced by Stephanie Brown (See below). DC then declared that 2010 was a "big year" for Cassandra, but fans have called LyingCreator since her only appearance was in ''Red Robin #17'' as a crime fighter in Hong Kong. In this comic Tim gave her back her old costume and said that he hopes she will wear the symbol. Fans are cautiously optimistic that this means she will play an active role in the upcoming ''Batman: Incorporated''. GailSimone had said that she would appear in ''BirdsOfPrey'', but unfortunately [[http://www.606studios.com/bendisboard/showpost.php?p=7631969&postcount=8 this was not able to happen]] despite her efforts, once again leaving fans gnashing their teeth. It was later revealed that Cassandra was barred from appearing in Birds of Prey due to her being used in ''Red Robin'' and the upcoming ''Batman: Gates of Gotham'' mini-series, which of course caused the fandom to cautiously rejoice once again.[[http://dcwomenkickingass.tumblr.com/post/3965397198/gates-of-gotham-to-feature-return-of-cass-cain-to]]

* PutOnABus: As of the new Batgirl series, and for a while her last appearance was on one of Oracle's monitors boarding a plane, destination unknown. May end up CommutingOnABus with ''Batman: Incorporated''.

Despite reestablishing her as a hero, DC decided to separate Cassandra from the Batgirl persona and had her renounce the identity in the first issue of a new ongoing series, replaced by Stephanie Brown (See below). DC then declared that 2010 was a "big year" for Cassandra, but fans have called LyingCreator since her only appearance was in ''Red Robin #17'' as a crime fighter in Hong Kong. In this comic Tim gave her back her old costume and said that he hopes she will wear the symbol. Fans are cautiously optimistic that this means she will play an active role in the upcoming ''Batman: Incorporated''. GailSimone had said that she would appear in ''BirdsOfPrey'', but unfortunately [[http://www.606studios.com/bendisboard/showpost.php?p=7631969&postcount=8 this was not able to happen]] despite her efforts, once again leaving fans gnashing their teeth.

Batwoman and Bat-Girl were [[BrotherChuck summarily dumped]] from the Bat-titles in 1964 as part of the new editor's cutting away some of the high silliness that had accumulated during TheInterregnum. Years later, when Dick Grayson had become Nightwing, "Bette" Kane showed up in the TeenTitans series as [[ContinuityNod Flamebird]], a part-time costumed heroine with a crush on him. She's popped up every so often for brief appearances with the Titans, but avoiding a deep look at her continuity.

Despite reestablishing her as a hero, DC decided to separate Cassandra from the Batgirl persona and had her renounce the identity in the first issue of a new ongoing series, replaced by Stephanie Brown (See below). DC then declared that 2010 was a "big year" for Cassandra, but fans have called LyingCreator since her only appearance was in ''Red Robin #17'' as a crime fighter in Hong Kong. In this comic Tim gave her back her old costume and said that he hopes she will wear the symbol. Fans are cautiously optimistic that this means she will play an active role in the upcoming ''Batman: Incorporated''.

Despite reestablishing her as a hero, DC decided to separate Cassandra from the Batgirl persona and had her renounce the identity in the first issue of a new ongoing series, replaced by Stephanie Brown (See below). DC then declared that 2010 was a "big year" for Cassandra, but fans have called LyingCreator since her only appearance was in ''Red Robin #17'' as a crime fighter in Hong Kong. In this comic Tim gave her back her old costume and said that he hopes she will wear the symbol. Fans are cautiously optimistic that this means she will play an active role in the upcoming ''Batman: Incorporated'', and GailSimone has confirmed that Cassandra will be showing up in the BirdsOfPrey in an upcoming storyline.

* AndTheFandomRejoiced: The reaction to the news that the character will be guest-starring in the fan favorite BirdsOfPrey series.

1) The first Bat-Girl was Betty Kane, debuting in ''Batman'' #139 (1961). She was the niece of [[{{Batwoman}} Kathy "Batwoman" Kane]], a DistaffCounterpart to Batman who'd been introduced in 1956 as a LoveInterest for the Dark Knight to ward off perceptions of HoYay. Betty was the counterpart to Robin, gaining a (mostly one-sided) crush on Dick Grayson and his alter ego. She joined her aunt in fighting crime. Robin [[GirlsHaveCooties did not appreciate]] his counterpart, regarding her with a mixture of disinterest and distaste.

2) By 1966 the Batman live action television show was on the air, and the producer asked DCComics to create a new female hero character for the comics that would then also appear on the show to boost viewership by women. The new Batgirl was Barbara Gordon, the adult daughter of Batman's ally Commissioner James Gordon. She had a doctorate in library science and was the head librarian of Gotham Library, in addition to being a skilled acrobat with judo training. Barbara was blessed with an eidetic memory and a gift for invention (or adapting available technology) as she designed and built all of her gadgets independently of Batman. Why would a woman with all that going for her name herself "-girl"? It was still TheSixties.