The many *controversial* loves of Barbara Gordon/Batgirl/Oracle

[Primal Slayer]

I'm sure others have noticed and some may have not but when it comes to Barbara Gordon aka Batgirl aka Oracle...writers across various mediums have had this desire to have her date half of the Batfamily and it's something that needs to stop. Why do you think writers like to use her as the de-facto female to date various Batfamily men?

In the comics she's been romantic with Nightwing, Red Hood, Batwing

In animation she dated Dick and Bruce

In the Arkham games she is engaged to Tim Drake.

3 Robins, Batman himself, and Batwing. Having multiple love interests across ones history is fine but it's something different when they are part of the same general crime fighting family.

[Rac7d*]

I'm sure others have noticed and some may have not but when it comes to Barbara Gordon aka Batgirl aka Oracle...writers across various mediums have had this desire to have her date half of the Batfamily and it's something that needs to stop. Why do you think writers like to use her as the de-facto female to date various Batfamily men?

In the comics she's been romantic with Nightwing, Red Hood, Batwing

In animation she dated Dick and Bruce

In the Arkham games she is engaged to Tim Drake.

3 Robins, Batman himself, and Batwing. Having multiple love interests across ones history is fine but it's something different when they are part of the same general crime fighting family.

Arkham City/knight a mistake entirely, especially since this was suppose to be in line with the animated series

Jason a moment of weakness

Luke was intresting but the writer did not put forth enough effort nor meant to, basicly Ross dating Kristen on friends

Bruce ………….

You forgot Ted Kord

[Restingvoice]

To paraphrase Rebirth Nightwing Annual #1 when they made Dick attracted to Vicki Vale,

"Maybe the fact that I know she used to date Bruce makes it feels... naughty"

[Micael]

Because it's easier to use an established character that audience is already familiar with and that has very close ties to the male characters. Plus she's a crime fighter herself so she'll automatically share common ground with those characters, DC loves their power couples. It's just lazy really but that's why they do it.

But the main reason is that she doesn't have a cemented supporting character as a love interest.

[Daedalus]

I think this is much simpler than some people make it: it's a result of her being one of the only heroic prominent female characters in the Batfamily, at least in the main core - for most of her history, whenever they wanted to have some romance in the story, she was the most obvious (if not the only) choice. This is even more aggravated in adaptations, where she is often the only female member of the Batfamily to make it.

This has resulted in the weird animated obsession with her and a much-older Bruce (that's all Bruce Timm), the Arkham Games pairing her with Tim Drake, etc.

In the comics, that's less of an issue. I think that brief stint with Luke and the flirtations with Jason are mostly ignored, and I don't think anyone truly bothers, because her romance with Nightwing is so definitive for both characters. It feels kind of like when Superman is dating someone else other than Lois (like that Wonder Woman-Superman pairing 5 years or so ago). Sure, that's fine for that story, and I never minded it, but we all know he's gonna go back to Lois. Same with Babs, her definitive love interest is Dick Grayson.

[Blue22]

Honestly, I wish things had worked between her and Luke. I'll always ship that over her and Nightwing. I'm tired of the constant "Will they? Won't they?" that's been going on between those two for decades.

[Majesty]

Honestly, I wish things had worked between her and Luke. I'll always ship that over her and Nightwing. I'm tired of the constant "Will they? Won't they?" that's been going on between those two for decades.

It was the only non-toxic relationship she pretty much has had in the Bat Family... or in relationships in general for the most part.

There was essentially no reason for it not to have worked, other than writers deciding to go "lets throw her in another will they/won't they with Dick again till Kory comes back around and we can will they/won't they that too."

Luke and her were a supportive relationship that wasn't a toxic one and one she was genuinely happy in. But instead of building on that and allowing other stories of her to flourish without needing to dig into the well of 'toxic relationship dramas', they decided to take her out of the one truly supportive/non-toxic relationship she had.. off-screen no less.. so that they could eventually throw her at Dick again so. It is what it is with how writers like to use Barbara, much as we hate it.

Yes I agree, Luke and her are better than Nightwing and her. The problem is, the people in charge decided to never expand upon it further, had it been given those years of expansion and fleshing out then it probably would have been her best ones.

But DC didn't want to do that. Shawn and Dick had they fleshed them out for the same amount of time, would probably have worked as well. But they find reasons to break apart actually interesting relationships so they can dig into the well of soap opera drama that they know works as opposed to giving people something fresh and new. It's problematic, but it's their MO.

[Lady Nightwing]

Jason a moment of weakness

That happened twice and both times Babs kissed Jason, if I'm not mistaken.

[Rac7d*]

That happened twice and both times Babs kissed Jason, if I'm not mistaken.

She was depressed the first time
And the second time she did it to help him

[Lady Nightwing]

She was depressed the first time
And the second time she did it to help him

Eh, it's still a bit gross.

I've gone from being slightly annoyed with the Dick/Babs ship to actively disliking it. It's very hard to buy the whole Babs has always been Dicks soulmate bit when she keeps trying to pork his kid brother.

That's not a swipe at Babs, still love her as a character. I can recognise lazy writing and half assed character development.

[Darkspellmaster]

Eh, it's still a bit gross.

I've gone from being slightly annoyed with the Dick/Babs ship to actively disliking it. It's very hard to buy the whole Babs has always been Dicks soulmate bit when she keeps trying to pork his kid brother.

That's not a swipe at Babs, still love her as a character. I can recognise lazy writing and half assed character development.

Yeah a lot of writers want to make the two of them Jason and Dick be rivals in love for some reason. I mean It still grosses me out that Talia slept with Jason too.

[Aahz]

I've gone from being slightly annoyed with the Dick/Babs ship to actively disliking it. It's very hard to buy the whole Babs has always been Dicks soulmate bit when she keeps trying to pork his kid brother.

To be fair, at least the first time they thought that Dick was dead, and back than Jason was (because of the 5 year timeline in the new 52) not that much younger than Dick and Barbara.

There has been anyway this wired tendency that goes imo even back to pre flashpoint, that Jason is often written like he was close in age to Dick and his generation, while he should be actually not much older than Tim (and at least pre flashpoint younger than Cass).

[Darkspellmaster]

There was Nick Gage of BQM's Batgirl series. He seemed like a nice guy over all and clearly was into Babs. Personally I like her with Dick. If DC let them just move forward with it rather than the will they won't they...

I would say Luke but I don't know how long that's going to work? I think it would have been interesting with Conner Hawk honestly but they have him as way younger now. She could date Tempest or Roy, that could be different.

[Daedalus]

Personally I like her with Dick. If DC let them just move forward with it rather than the will they won't they...

I echo this - I have high hopes for that portion of the storyline in Tom Taylor's run, since he's evidently developing their romance there.

It seems DC editorial seems to be more open to the idea of letting them actually be together in some sort of continuous capacity. Batgirl #25 pointed in that direction, with them taking over Batman & Catwoman's nuptials night after the wedding was cancelled, then they got married on Death Metal: The Last Stories of the DC Universe. I don't need to see them married in the main continuity, but just let them be a couple and be done with it.

[Will Evans]

I'm sure others have noticed and some may have not but when it comes to Barbara Gordon aka Batgirl aka Oracle...writers across various mediums have had this desire to have her date half of the Batfamily and it's something that needs to stop. Why do you think writers like to use her as the de-facto female to date various Batfamily men?

In the comics she's been romantic with Nightwing, Red Hood, Batwing

In animation she dated Dick and Bruce

In the Arkham games she is engaged to Tim Drake.

3 Robins, Batman himself, and Batwing. Having multiple love interests across ones history is fine but it's something different when they are part of the same general crime fighting family.

Wasn’t Jason Bard created to be her non-Bat-family love interest and supporting character