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

[marhawkman]

This reminds me of how Wonder Woman is paired at times with Batman or Superman.
It kind of leaves a feeling that they're a prize to be given to the favorite character.
Dick and Babs are a great couple but passing her around to Bruce - and Tim! - just gets alternately weird and gross.

Yeah this is why I generally dislike "new" romantic pairs... It may work within the new story as a self contained entity, but often doesn't make as much sense in the big picture.

[Primal Slayer]

The thing with Luke seems not really problematic to me, they are of similar age and Luke is not related with the others.

Her with Tim and Jason on the other hand ...

With Bruce it kinds on depends on the continuity. In the Bronze age where she was 25, Bruce was in his early 30s and Dick just 18, that wouldn't really have been a problem. Same for the Adam West show where Dick was afaik still in High School and she was already an adult.

In the DCAU where was Dick's age and both were dating before Barbara/Bruce thing happend on the other hand ...

Luke is still part of the general Bat family and wears a Bat on his chest which is why to me, I lump him in with the others.

Just passing her around the Bat-family in different mediums is just tiring and ridiculous.

[John Venus]

Sick of the merry go round between her and Dick Grayson. So no.

Jason, Tim and Bard are a hard no.

Kord is fun but he is a different franchise.

Luke Fox is fun and is already a part of the Batman universe and I like their chemistry in that one Batgirl issue so Luke it is.

The thing I find ironic with the disgust over Bruce/Babs is that in the Adam West TV show, she was a grown woman clearly set up to be a love interest to Bruce, and this was, to my knowledge, before Dick/Babs was even a thing.

Yep. I think the Bruce/Babs thing in the DCAU and later the Killing Joke was a reference to that. If people didn't get so reactionary about especially in relation to their shipping, they might have realized it for what it was rather than attributing it to some weird fetish on the part of the animators.

[Immortal Weapon]

What about the guy she married in Batman Beyond? They should port him over.

[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]

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.

[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.

[Lady Nightwing]

I mean It still grosses me out that Talia slept with Jason too.

I had cheerfully repressed that. Thanks man That's a whole other level of nasty. We need a thread for controversial Batfamily relationships.

I'd like to see Babs in a nice, wholesome relationship for a bit. Or actually just enjoy being single. Preferably in her own solo book but that's probably not going to happen for a while.

[Will Evans]

Sick of the merry go round between her and Dick Grayson. So no.

Jason, Tim and Bard are a hard no.

Kord is fun but he is a different franchise.

Luke Fox is fun and is already a part of the Batman universe and I like their chemistry in that one Batgirl issue so Luke it is.



Yep. I think the Bruce/Babs thing in the DCAU and later the Killing Joke was a reference to that. If people didn't get so reactionary about especially in relation to their shipping, they might have realized it for what it was rather than attributing it to some weird fetish on the part of the animators.

I agree with Luke, as long as he doesn’t get with other Bat-women like Huntress, Selina or any of the BoP like Dinah. Even Dick can’t claim that.

[TheBatman]

Yep. I think the Bruce/Babs thing in the DCAU and later the Killing Joke was a reference to that. If people didn't get so reactionary about especially in relation to their shipping, they might have realized it for what it was rather than attributing it to some weird fetish on the part of the animators.

Yup. I think that people are often treat their preferred version of the character is the only "proper" version, when that's not really the case. In some versions of Batman, she's more suitable for Dick, in others, she's more suitable for Bruce, and in some versions, she's a college grad who could end up with either one.

[Primal Slayer]

Writers went one step further to even have Babs suffer a miscarriage that was Bruces in the DCAU comics. It's all very grating.

[Godlike13]

Yep. I think the Bruce/Babs thing in the DCAU and later the Killing Joke was a reference to that. If people didn't get so reactionary about especially in relation to their shipping, they might have realized it for what it was rather than attributing it to some weird fetish on the part of the animators.

Actually the entire point of those things were to be reactionary. They were done to get a reaction out of the audience. With today’s sensibilities though no way either flys anymore.

[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.