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For the Earth-89 version of the character, see Barbara Gordon.

"Men, always doing things the hard way."
―Batgirl[src]

Barbara Wilson is Alfred Pennyworth's niece. She later adopted the Batgirl vigilante persona and became Batman's second sidekick after Robin.

Biography[]

Barbara Wilson was the daughter of Margaret Wilson, who was the sister of Alfred Pennyworth. Barbara and Alfred were apparently close throughout Barbara's entire life, particularly when Barbara's mother and father died in a car accident. While Alfred lived in the United States and worked as the Wayne Family Butler, Barbara remained in England and attended boarding school. However, Barbara felt particularly disgusted at the idea of her uncle working as a servant, and when she discovered that Alfred was ill with a rare disease, flew to America in order to 'free' him.

Upon arriving in the States, Barbara met Alfred's "other family", Dick Grayson (who was immediately attracted to her, and vice-versa) and Bruce Wayne. Bruce invited Barbara to stay, during which, Alfred's disease grew steadily worse. While Alfred grew closer to death, he shared with Barbara an encrypted disk, which contained all of Batman's secrets. Barbara immediately hacked into disc, and discovered that Bruce and Dick were Batman and Robin, and that Alfred had planned for her future involvement.

After she donned a suit that was designed for her by Alfred, Barbara, under the guise of Batgirl, defeated Poison Ivy and saved Batman and Robin. Together, the three of them defeated Mr. Freeze, who attempted to create a new ice-age in Gotham City, and retrieved the cure for Alfred's disease. Barbara then officially joined the family and the team.

Behind the scenes[]

  • In the comics, the character is Commissioner Gordon's daughter and named Barbara Gordon, rather than Alfred's niece, like in the film.
  • Her costume varies significantly from traditional versions, with no yellow coloring and a domino mask, also like Robin's instead of a cowl. She also has blonde hair instead of red hair. However, during the film's climax, she, Batman, and Robin wear silver riding costumes to protect them from Mr. Freeze's ice.
  • The Batgirl costume is later repainted and used by Diana Myers who plays Barbara Gordon for the short-lived Birds of Prey TV series.

References[]

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