What if DC had Barbara Gordon unmasked as Batgirl in a live TV Way ?

[Frontier]

I really don't know what would come from such a storyline. I like secret identities. But several have operated with known identities with no significant problems. I expect, as others have stated, the biggest blowback would be on Jim. I was also going to say that no one would buy him not knowing the identities of Batman and the others, but I'm not really sure was the current continuity is on how tied Batgirl is (was in the past) to the rest of them in the public eye.

I don't think it's so much an issue of that she couldn't operate with a known identity but that she would probably be in severe legal trouble if her identity were outed.

[Blue22]

If Gordon did know this whole time (which...again, he'd have to be an idiot not to and Jim is no idiot), for the sake of his career, he'd have to keep acting like he didn't. Of course even that might not be enough. Assuming he keeps his job, I doubt he'd be allowed to continue being the GCPD's Bat-liaison. I don't know how much that would really affect things since he's been out of action before and the police still left the Bats alone. But who knows? Maybe they change their minds.

[Frontier]

If Gordon did know this whole time (which...again, he'd have to be an idiot not to and Jim is no idiot), for the sake of his career, he'd have to keep acting like he didn't. Of course even that might not be enough. Assuming he keeps his job, I doubt he'd be allowed to continue being the GCPD's Bat-liaison. I don't know how much that would really affect things since he's been out of action before and the police still left the Bats alone. But who knows? Maybe they change their minds.

Things were civil with Batman and Commissioner Akins (who succeeded Gordon a little after No Man's Land happened) but it was a little testy at times and eventually really broke down after War Games to the point where he outlawed all vigilante's in Gotham.

[Tzigone]

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If most people couldn't even put two and two together about Batman's ID when Dick was outted, I'd have to call some serious bull if Barbara being unmasked puts the rest of the Batfam in any kind of danger

Fair enough, but I thought that was really dumb, too. Just completely unbelievable. But that is using more pre-boot reality, where Robin was a member of the Teen Titans, and especially with Robin in NTT. In that scenario, the Robin/Nightwing sameness was really overt (at least as it played out pre-COIE), even when Nightwing wasn't spending time in Gotham. I very much avoided the Batfamily between N52 starting and and Rebirth because it wasn't sounding appealing (adoptions erased, Steph and Cass gone at first, Tim's new backstory, Dick so much older when taken in, and the Dick and Babs de-aging I still don't like), so I'm murky on what the canonical public connection between Nightwing and the Bats was at the time.

I'm trying to develop a situation where the USUAL helpers of sorts will not be available to assist this time around. A true no-win scenario...

Given the realities of the universe, I don't think that truly exists. But have it.

[Restingvoice]

Fair enough, but I thought that was really dumb, too. Just completely unbelievable. But that is using more pre-boot reality, where Robin was a member of the Teen Titans, and especially with Robin in NTT. In that scenario, the Robin/Nightwing sameness was really overt (at least as it played out pre-COIE), even when Nightwing wasn't spending time in Gotham. I very much avoided the Batfamily between N52 starting and and Rebirth because it wasn't sounding appealing (adoptions erased, Steph and Cass gone at first, Tim's new backstory, Dick so much older when taken in, and the Dick and Babs de-aging I still don't like), so I'm murky on what the canonical public connection between Nightwing and the Bats was at the time.

Given the realities of the universe, I don't think that truly exists. But have it.

There's no clear canonical public view on the Wayne fam because there's not enough civilian appearance of the Wayne fam together. Emphasis on together. Bruce, Dick, Damian, and Tim hosted Bruce's New Gotham architecture announcement in Wayne Manor at the start of the Court of Owls but that's it.

Dick opened a new Wayne promenade, celebrated The Flying Graysons anniversary with a North American tour that ended in Gotham, and transformed Joker's Amusement Mile into Haly Circus property, so his connection to The Flying Graysons and Bruce is public knowledge, but only to those who are interested in those topics. Lex Luthor and Catwoman have no idea who he is and his relation to Bruce. All of the villains and heroes know Nightwing is connected to Batman though.

Selina only started an attraction to Bruce even though as Catwoman he's been attracted to Batman since the beginning. She doesn't know anyone in the family with the exception of this Robin, that Robin, and a Batgirl. She only started to get more connected to them after Dick's identity was revealed and except for Stephanie Brown who was hunted by Gotham underworld, still didn't know their identities.

Jason's identity as Red Hood is known to both the underworld and various secret agencies, but not common people. So people would know him as the vigilante Red Hood but won't connect them to Robin unless they're old-time foe of Batman, and even less would connect him to Bruce since he's legally dead.

Tim moved to Wayne Manor with a new identity and left to be independent not long after. He doesn't wear a mask but doesn't reveal his name to the Teen Titans. Red Robin being connected to Batman is public knowledge and his face is known to the enemy, but they either don't know his actual name or don't care because their target is not Batman.

Commissioner Gordon knows Damian is Bruce's son but didn't know that the mother is Talia until after they died. Most people I imagine would know Damian, but don't know about Talia.

Babs was connected to Bruce through Dick whom she met at a gala where they feel mutual attraction, so even that's pretty private. Her roommate was wondering why Babs was defending Bruce's attempt to gentrify Gotham

All members of the Batfam, the Wayne Enterprises and the Wayne household including Alfred are known to be connected through Batman Incorporated though, or at least the public assumes that they are all connected since Batman Inc as Bruce's pet project is public knowledge