Warning! Contains spoilers for Batman: Dark Age #5!In many universes and timelines,Batgirlis inspired by Batman, but not in the world ofBatman: Dark Age. In this historical-based take on Gotham history, Barbara Gordon got started on a dark path long before she ever met Batman.
Barbara Gordon goes down a different path inBatman: Dark Age#5 by Mark Russell and Michael Allred. In this universe, plenty of Gotham villains have different looks and are a bit more down-to-earth. One perfect example of this is the Mad Hatter. Instead of using technological hats to mind control people,Mad Hatter is reinvented as a 1970s cult leader, and he’s convinced Barbara to follow his path.
Using his mastery of public speaking, Mad Hatter manages to grow quite a cult that hangs on his every word. While preaching about changing the world and finding one’s true self, it seems that the Mad Hatter just wants money, as he uses his followers to help him rob a bank.
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Batgirl Barbara Gordon Embraces Chaos Before the Cowl
Something that’s always beentrue about Barbara Gordon’s characteris her desire to change Gotham City for the better. That’s why, in the main universe,Barbara Gordon became Batgirl. She was inspired by the changes that she saw Batman making and set out to do the same. Due to her strong head and stubborn nature,Batgirl was also one of the few Bat-Family members who chose to fight crime with or without Batman’s approval, which is why he eventually decided to bring her into the family. While this trait ended up being a positive in the main universe, it wasn’t so great inDark Age’sinterpretation.
For another take on Batgirl’s origin, check outBatgirl: Year Oneby Scott Beatty, Chuck Dixon, Marcos Martin, and Alvaro Lopez, available now both digitally and in collected editions from DC Comics.
Instead of becoming the heroic Batgirl, Babs was led down a different path. She still saw the rampant corruption in Gotham City, but with Batman being less publicized, she instead fell in with the Mad Hatter. Mad Hatter’s arguments about class inequality were all perfectly valid, as it is a problem that Gotham suffers from. But Mad Hatter’s solution wasn’t meant to better anyone except himself, and unfortunately, that’s howBabs ended up helping Mad Hatter attempt to pull off a bank robbery. Thankfully, this leads to Barbara encountering Batman and Robin for the first time, possibly setting her on a better path.
Barbara Gordon Has Always Wanted to Make the World a Better Place
As Both Batgirl and Oracle
Wanting to make the world a better place is a feeling that almost everyone can relate to, but actually finding a way to do that is much harder. Barbara Gordon was lucky in the main universe in that she was inspired byBatman to follow his missionand do her best to help people. But in a world where Babs hadn’t heard of Batman, it’s not unsurprising, especially at the young age of 15, that she was led astray by someone weaponizing her beliefs. While Babs is a hero asBatgirlin the main universe, in this one universe, she starts out as a villain.
