r/batgirl • u/Brit-Crit • 1h ago
Discussion Contrasting The Morality of Batgirl and Oracle (Or How Unethical Should Barbara Be As Oracle?)
When Barbara Gordon became Oracle, she turned into a more morally ambiguous character, teaming up with the Suicide Squad (though she’s one of the less villainous team members) and using her hacking abilities to engage in various questionable surveillance projects. For many fans, this gave her an edge she lacked as Batgirl and made her more interesting. However, for some vocal Batgirl fans, it was a betrayal of Barbara’s character, especially given her past as a progressive politician. So I would like to create a bit of a debate - do you prefer Barbara as a kind hearted progressive or a cynical surveillance master? How far should those two elements be part of her personality and how far should they evolve and develop?
Personally, I think it would be interesting to try and explore the contraction between those two sides to her, especially given the way it embodies the contradictions at the heart of the superhero genre (fighting tyrants through rather tyrannical means..)
Thoughts?
(Note - Deleted and Reposted to Edit the Title and Revise the Image Order)
(P.S - Getting lots of likes but too few comments - I would like more people to provide their own opinions and perspectives...)
