" Fear State" is a comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics in late 2021, featuring Batman and his family . Primarily written by James Tynion IV , the arc is his second and final major arc on Batman in DC Rebirth . The main story was from Batman (vol. 3) #112–117, also including multiple tie-in issues.
184-477: The story involves Scarecrow wanting to control Gotham City using fear, and Mayor Christopher Nakano's mission to protect the city with his ground-breaking deal with the Magistrate (similar to an alternate future in " Future State "). This story introduces new characters Miracle Molly and Ghost-Maker and debuts Jace Fox as Batman. The crossover event received positive reviews from critics, with critics praising
368-595: A god complex ; he creates an enormous hologram of himself that he projects against the sky, so he will be recognized and worshipped by the citizens of Gotham as a literal god of fear. Abigail O'Shay is a Gotham University student who writes her doctoral thesis on vigilantes like the Bat-Family , whom she calls the "cape and cowl crowd". She is fascinated by the kind of trauma a person would have to go through to fight criminals while in costume. She learns about such trauma first hand when Jonathan Crane, then uses her as
552-457: A hacker ; and graduate training in library sciences. One night, she has a dream in which an all-knowing woman (similar to the Oracle at Delphi of Greek mythology ) has her face; it is then that she adopts "Oracle" as her codename. She serves as an information broker, gathering and disseminating intelligence to law enforcement organizations and members of the superhero community. She trains under
736-472: A hallucinogenic drug —dubbed "fear toxin"—to terrorize Gotham City and exploit the phobias of its protector, Batman. As the self-proclaimed "Master of Fear", the Scarecrow's crimes do not stem from a common desire for wealth or power, but from a sadistic pleasure in subjecting others to his experiments on the manipulation of fear. An outfit symbolic of his namesake with a stitched burlap mask serves as
920-568: A Darkseid-free replacement for the regular Internet and still used by tech-savvy criminals. However, the Calculator, preventing her moves, takes control of the Kilg%re , gaining the ability to thrive in cyberspace by controlling digital and cybernetic avatars, and tracks Oracle down with his newfound powers. Even though Oracle foils him, she starts doubting her abilities and fears she's losing her edge and brilliance, which results in her disbanding
1104-510: A being known as Fearful who secretes fear toxin and would cause the dark future. The Outsiders confront John Winfield but are exposed to the Fear Toxin. In issue #9, Beth deals with criminals and asks them where is the Seer, where the Magistrate attack. Batwoman arrives and save Beth from the Magistrate, where Beth finally manages to make peace with her other personalities. Duke Thomas is under
1288-563: A better future. Batman decides to meet up with the leader of the Unsanity by using a disguise. During a ceremony to honor Sean Mahoney's heroics, Oracle spots Scarecrow. Meanwhile, Batman meets up with Miracle Molly, the leader of the Unsanity Collective, where she tells Batman she believes that the current society is a broken system and wants a society where people can help each other using technology, revealing that everyone in
1472-412: A bomb goes off, Scarecrow broadcasts that Batman is dead. Catwoman hears from Oracle from a different channel that Batman is not dead, and help is on the way. Catwoman realizes that the Magistrate are coming after Poison Ivy and with the help of Riddler she finds Killer Croc , Harley Quinn , The Gardener, and Cheshire to get Poison Ivy and fend off the Magistrate. While escorting Poison Ivy, Catwoman
1656-464: A character living with a disability. Gail Simone would include the character's paralysis in a list of "major female characters that had been killed, mutilated, and depowered", dubbing the phenomenon " Women in Refrigerators " in reference to a 1994 Green Lantern story where the title character discovers his girlfriend 's mutilated body in his refrigerator. Yale and Ostrander oversaw
1840-539: A crime-fighting career. Although Batman insists she give up crime-fighting because of her gender, Batgirl disregards his objections. In her civilian identity, Barbara Gordon, Ph.D. , is depicted as a career woman with a doctorate in library science, as well as being head of the Gotham City Public Library, "presumably one of the largest public libraries in the DC Comics version of reality." She
2024-563: A device to get rid of the rest of Scarecrow's fear toxin in Batman's head, with Ghostmaker revealing he met Scarecrow in the past and Scarecrow's plan to make Gotham City better by enacting his Fear State plan. Ricardo Huertas meets with Sean Mahoney and plans to take him down. Ricardo Huertas tries to calm down Sean Mahoney, but it is unsuccessful and Sean Mahoney attacks while under the influence of Scarecrow's Fear Toxin. Batman tries to intervene, but Sean Mahoney causes collateral damage and Ricardo
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#17327719078132208-525: A dilapidated rented apartment in Gotham, becomes aware of Kuttler's activities after "Cheesefiend", one of her informants, is brutally killed, with the Anti-Life Equation itself, after coming in contact with Babbage. Hoping to stop the Calculator and prevent him from piecing together the fragments of the Anti-Life Equation in his possession, Oracle travels to Hong Kong, hoping to steal them back by
2392-519: A fake psychological profile of him to Mother, claiming that Batman is a scarred child terrified of losing the people he cares for to make Mother think she understands him. In the present day, as Mother unleashes a new hypnotic signal to take control of the world's children, the Bat-Family abduct Scarecrow to brew up a new batch of his trauma toxin after determining that it nullifies the controlling influence of Mother's signal until they can shut down her main base. In DC Rebirth , Scarecrow works with
2576-409: A fatal heart attack before he could let Jonathan out. Jonathan was trapped in the test chamber for days until being freed by some employers of the university. As a result of this event, he was irreparably traumatized and developed an obsession with fear. He became a psychologist, specializing in phobias. Eventually, Crane began using patients as test subjects for his fear toxin. His turn to criminality
2760-403: A great impact on the character, the story has little to do with her. In 2006, during an interview with Wizard , Moore expressed regret over his treatment of the character calling it "shallow and ill-conceived." He stated before writing the graphic novel, "I asked DC if they had any problem with me crippling Barbara Gordon—who was Batgirl at the time—and if I remember, I spoke to Len Wein , who
2944-419: A gun in the school parking lot; in the ensuing chaos, Griggs gets into a car accident, paralyzing himself and killing Squires. Crane's obsession with fear leads him to become a psychologist, taking a position at Arkham Asylum and performing fear-inducing experiments on his patients. He is also a professor of psychology at Gotham University, specializing in the study of phobias. He loses his job after he fires
3128-491: A gun inside a packed classroom, accidentally wounding a student; he takes revenge by killing the professors responsible for his termination and becomes a career criminal. As a college professor, Crane mentors a young Thomas Elliot . The character also has a cameo in Sandman (vol. 2) #5. In stories by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale , the Scarecrow is depicted as one of the more deranged criminals in Batman's rogues gallery , with
3312-526: A habit of speaking in nursery rhymes. These stories further revise his history, explaining that he was raised by his abusive, fanatically religious great-grandfather, whom he murdered as a teenager. Scarecrow plays a prominent role in Doug Moench 's "Terror" storyline, set in Batman's early years, where Professor Hugo Strange breaks him out of Arkham and gives him " therapy " to train him to defeat Batman. Strange's therapy proves effective enough to turn
3496-615: A list. In issue #84, Nightwing is out patrolling in Bludhaven when he gets an encrypted audio from Barbara Gordon to go back to Gotham City . When Nightwing goes to Gotham City, he is attacked by the Magistrate but is saved by Batman. Batman asks Nightwing why did he come to Gotham City, and Nightwing replies that Gotham City is his home too. Batman leaves, but not without praising Nightwing's work in Bludhaven. Nightwing meets with Barbara Gordon, where he realizes that Barbara did not send
3680-555: A long-term friendship. They form the nucleus of the Birds of Prey organization. While Oracle serves as the basic head of operations, Black Canary becomes her full-time employee and field agent. In 2000, the first Batgirl monthly comic was launched with Cassandra Cain as the title character. Oracle appears as a supporting character throughout the series, acting as a mentor to the new Batgirl, alongside Batman. Gail Simone took over as writer of Birds of Prey with issue #56. Simone integrates
3864-658: A member of the Squad in issue #48 following an invitation from Amanda Waller . In 1992, Dennis O'Neil wrote Oracle as Batman's sole source of information in Batman: Sword of Azrael #1. This newly forged partnership established Oracle's status as Batman's intellectual equal. She is subsequently featured in the 12-issue miniseries The Hacker Files (1993). In "Oracle: Year One"—a story arc contained in The Batman Chronicles #5 (1996)—Yale and Ostrander tell
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#17327719078134048-453: A more modern approach—not only with each character, but with how the characters interact with one another and the universe as a whole, and focus on the earlier part of the careers of each of our iconic characters." Barbara Gordon is biological daughter of James Gordon and Barbara Eileen Gordon in this continuity. Wayne also stated that " The Killing Joke still happened and she was Oracle. Now she will go through physical rehabilitation and become
4232-411: A more seasoned and nuanced character because she had these incredible and diverse experiences. Public reaction to the change has been mixed and has included criticism that DC has reduced the diversity of their character lineup, as well as "being disrespectful of the power the character had gained as a symbol to the disabled community in her role as Oracle." DC Comics co-publisher Dan DiDio explained
4416-432: A murder. While the team contends with White Canary in the streets of Gotham, Oracle is kidnapped by her former associates, Savant and Creote . This is eventually revealed to be a ruse in order to trick White Canary. Following the team's victory against White Canary, Oracle fakes her death during a battle with Calculator. With most of the criminal underworld now believing that she is dead, Oracle cuts off ties with all but
4600-502: A new fear toxin that is powerful enough to affect a Kryptonian . The toxin forces Supergirl to see visions of a Black Lantern Reactron , but she is able to snap out of the illusion and help Robin defeat Scarecrow. He is eventually freed from Arkham when Deathstroke and the Titans break into the asylum to capture one of the inmates. In 2011, The New 52 rebooted the DC universe. Scarecrow
4784-430: A reversal to Scarecrow's fear toxin, Madame Crow has a set of gauntlets that fire needles filled with "anti-fear" toxin, which removes fear in the hope of keeping people from fighting to avoid their own trauma. As one of Batman's most recognizable and popular opponents, the Scarecrow appears in numerous comics that are not considered part of the regular DC continuity, including: Barbara Gordon Barbara Gordon
4968-412: A review of the first issue: "The artwork is okay though conventional, while Simone's script tries to tie up of the end of the previous Barbara Gordon/Oracle storyline and setup up the new Batgirl. Her formula: murderous villains, blood splattering violence and high flying superheroics mixed with single-white-female bonding ... plus a cliffhanger ending to the first issue that offers a nifty [segue] into
5152-480: A roommate of Poison Ivy who wants to know where Poison Ivy is. Batman confronts Simon Saint but he is attacked by Peacekeeper-01 (Sean Mahoney in a cybernetic body). Mayor Nakano finally agrees to leak the idea of the Magistrate to the public, and communications are down so Oracle calls in the rest of the Bat-Family to help. While fighting, Mahoney reveals that Gotham City is afraid because everyone knows about
5336-425: A select few Gotham heroes, and is shown refusing to help Blue Beetle , Manhunter , and Booster Gold when they attempt to call her for assistance during battle. In Grant Morrison's Batman: The Return (2010), an installment of the limited series Bruce Wayne: The Road Home (2010), Batman enlists Oracle to help him run Batman Incorporated , a new global team of Batmen. He tasks her with helping him fight crime on
5520-413: A serial killer. He stabs her in both of her legs, positioning the knives so that if she removes them, she will bleed to death. As she slowly bleeds, she can use her wits to distract him long enough for Batman and Commissioner Gordon to arrive and defeat her brother. In September 2011, following the company-wide relaunch, Barbara Gordon stars in a new Batgirl series—one of The New 52 titles featuring
5704-432: A spot on the new Birds of Prey roster. She declines Canary's invitation, suggesting that Katana take her place instead. Series writer Duane Swierczynski has stated that Batgirl will join the team in issue #4. He commented that while she "is an essential part of this team", she is not the focus of the series, as she is hesitant to be associated with the other characters because of their status as outlaws. In October 2014,
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5888-613: A star athlete. DC officially retired the hero in the one-shot comic Batgirl Special #1 (July 1988), written by Barbara Kesel . Later that year, Barbara Gordon appeared in Alan Moore's Batman: The Killing Joke . In this graphic novel, the Joker shoots and paralyzes Barbara in an attempt to drive her father insane, thereby proving to Batman that anyone can be morally compromised. Although events in The Killing Joke exert
6072-423: A surgical procedure and returned as Batgirl. Barbara has since featured in the eponymous Batgirl monthly title as well as Birds of Prey and other Batman books. Following the events of Joker War , Barbara returned to her Oracle role while recovering from an injury, and continues to operate as both Batgirl and Oracle after the 2021 Infinite Frontier event. The character was a popular comic book figure during
6256-739: A temporary world trip with her team, relocates to Metropolis . In the events comprising Gail Simone's Birds of Prey: Between Dark and Dawn (2005), and Birds of Prey: The Battle Within (2005), Oracle is possessed by arch-villain Brainiac , an artificial intelligence entity, in order to become a biological being. Although Oracle overpowers Brainiac and expels him from her body, the advanced virus delivered by him remains despite his absence. The virus steadily causes cybernetic attachments to sprout all over her body. Oracle develops supernatural abilities that allow her to psychically interact with computer information systems. Although she loses these abilities after
6440-461: A terrifying hallucination. Its potency has upgraded to an extreme level over the years; in some stories in which it appears, fear toxin is depicted as capable of prompting almost instantaneous, terror-induced heart attacks , leaving the victim in a permanent psychosis of chronic fear. Other versions of the toxin are powerful enough that even Superman can be affected; in one story, he mixes the toxin with kryptonite to simultaneously weaken and terrify
6624-560: A threat. She turns on Dent after a freak accident disfigured his face and drove him to become a criminal and attempted to arrest him, but her efforts were thwarted by Catwoman. Following the deaths of both her father and Dent, she receives a posthumous package from Dent revealing Batman's secret identity and a letter from Catwoman offering her partnership to incriminate Batman and Gotham's power elite. One could argue that curing Barbara and allowing her to be Batgirl again would simply allow her to do more good fighting crime than she ever could in
6808-614: A timeline where Jim Gordon was killed rather than the Waynes). In addition, the character has supporting roles in JLA: The Nail (1998), JLA: Created Equal (2000), Superman & Batman: Generations (2003), Batman: Year 100 (2006), and Batman: Earth One (2012). A version of her appears as "Nightwing" in the Smallville comic series , replacing Stephanie Brown as previously promoted. Barbara Gordon aka Nightwing
6992-625: A tracking device on Peacekeeper-01's armor realizing he's heading toward Arkham Asylum. Mayor Nakano allows the Magistrate to operate in Gotham, but Scarecrow reneges on his deal with Simon Saint and infects Peacekeeper-01 with his fear toxin before capturing Batman. In the past, it is revealed that Simon Saint met up with Scarecrow because Scarecrow developed a Fear State Theory, where society can evolve by exposing it to tremendous fear so it can be better (similar to how Bruce Wayne became Batman). Simon Saint helps free Scarecrow so Simon Saint can control Gotham City's societal evolution and make it better. In
7176-472: A virtual front and shows her a new modified Batgirl design that acts as her virtual avatar. Oracle is later shown directing Cassandra Cain, now known as "Black Bat", on a mission in Hong Kong, where she captures some heroin smugglers for Batman. In Scott Snyder's Black Mirror storyline, Barbara Gordon is kidnapped by her brother, James Gordon Jr., who had returned to Gotham after a lengthy absence to become
7360-453: A vision where Dick Grayson was shot in the head similar to KG Beast. Tim Drake gives them an antidote where Barbara kisses Nightwing. Barbara Gordon hacks into the Seer's camera where she knows Seer is up in Magistrate's headquarters. However, Seer seemingly shows Cassandra Cain and Spoiler going to Barbara's old hideout before the hideout explodes. It is revealed that Cassandra Cain and Spoiler were safe all along because they were attacked by
7544-491: A well crafted close. The "Fear State" arc has been engrossing and exciting, dangerous and heartfelt. Gotham City has gone through the wringer yet again, and has come out the other side in a better place. The future is bright, the future is Batman!" Scarecrow (DC Comics) The Scarecrow is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics . Created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane ,
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7728-407: A wheelchair, but then you look insensitive to the ability and usefulness she has in other capacities as Oracle. Conversely, you could say that removing Barbara from her wheelchair drastically alters her character, but then wouldn't that indicate that this is a character defined by her handicap? This begs the question of why so many fans adore her: is it because she's a bold and daring leader that rivals
7912-596: A year later in Superman #268 (1973), in which she has a blind date with Clark Kent , establishing their friendship, and fights alongside Superman . Batgirl and Superman later team up twice more in Superman #279 and DC Comics Presents #19. Batgirl also guest-starred in other Superman-related titles such as Adventure Comics , and in Superman Family #171, where she teams up with Supergirl. The character
8096-404: Is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics , commonly in association with the superhero Batman . The character was created by television producer William Dozier , editor Julius Schwartz , writer Gardner Fox , and artist Carmine Infantino . Dozier, the producer of the 1960s Batman television series, requested Schwartz to call for a new female counterpart to
8280-539: Is a central villain in the Batman family of books and first appeared in the New 52 in Batman: The Dark Knight #4 (February 2012), written by David Finch and Paul Jenkins . His origin story is also altered; in this continuity, his father Gerald Crane used him as a test subject in his fear-based experiments. During one of these experiments, Crane's father locked him inside a little dark room, but suffered
8464-502: Is a dystopia due to Scarecrow's Fear State being successful. Future Duke Thomas sends Future Black Lightning to the present where Future Black Lightning meets up with the Outsiders in a boxing ring to tell them how to stop the dystopian future. Future Black Lightning explains that a man named Jonah Winfield was a normal boy until he met Scarecrow and was exposed to a high dose of fear toxin and became disfigured. Jonah Winfield would become
8648-595: Is a student attending Burnside College in the trendy Burnside neighborhood of Gotham City . Barbara later resumes her role as Oracle, providing comms and tactical support to the Birds of Prey and the Batman Family once again, as part of the 2020 Infinite Frontier relaunch, which restores much of the DC Universe status quo from before The New 52. She takes on the role during the Joker War storyline when
8832-583: Is a superhero. In 2010, Birds of Prey was relaunched with Gail Simone returning to write the comic. The first arc is a tie-in with the Green Lantern Brightest Day limited series. Oracle reforms the Birds of Prey, this time with Dove and the recently resurrected Hawk as members. A new villainess calling herself the White Canary begins menacing the Birds, and publicly reveals Black Canary's civilian identity and frames her for
9016-404: Is absolutely thrilling." In the new, revised continuity, the events of The Killing Joke took place three years before the current storyline, and while it is established she was paraplegic during that time, Barbara Gordon is written as having regained her mobility after undergoing experimental surgery at a South African clinic. Series writer Gail Simone stated that while the character is "one of
9200-452: Is abused by his great-grandmother, and is bullied at school for his resemblance to Ichabod Crane from Washington Irving 's " The Legend of Sleepy Hollow ", sparking his lifelong obsession with fear and using it as a weapon against others. In his senior year, Crane is humiliated by school bully Bo Griggs and rejected by cheerleader Sherry Squires. He takes revenge during the senior prom by donning his trademark scarecrow costume and brandishing
9384-592: Is also cut short by the Infinite Crisis storyline. When DC continuity jumps forward one year after the events of Infinite Crisis , Oracle and her team continue to work in Metropolis . Oracle works with Batman, although not regularly as before. Oracle continues to lead the Birds of Prey and expands the ranks of the operation. In Birds of Prey #99, Black Canary leaves the team and the Huntress becomes
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#17327719078139568-413: Is also markedly different in this version; the New 52 Scarecrow is fired from his professorship for covering an arachnophobic student with spiders, and becomes a criminal after stabbing a patient to death. The Scarecrow kidnaps Poison Ivy , and works with Bane to create and distribute to various Arkham inmates a new form of Venom infused with the Scarecrow's fear toxin. With the help of Superman and
9752-544: Is among the villains who meet with the Riddler to discuss the Superman Theory. Wanting to take on villains outside his rogues gallery, Shazam flies to Gotham City where he hears about a hostage situation caused by Scarecrow. Shazam starts to fight him when he begins to get affected by the fear gas. Batman shows up and regains control of the situation by defeating Scarecrow and administering the antidote. As Scarecrow
9936-654: Is arrested by Commissioner Jim Gordon due to Wayne's suspected ties to Falcone. Scarecrow robs a bank with the Mad Hatter on Independence Day for Falcone, but is stopped by Batman and Catwoman. He later appears in Falcone's office on Halloween with Batman's future rogue's gallery , but is defeated by Batman. Scarecrow returns in Batman: Dark Victory as part of Two-Face 's gang, and is first seen putting fear gas in children's dolls on Christmas Eve . He
10120-455: Is arrested, Batman states to Shazam that Scarecrow is too dangerous for him to fight. During Infinite Frontier , a re-designed Crane is the main foe of the crossover Fear State . A master strategist and manipulator, his genius labels him as one of the most cunning criminal masterminds. Crane is a walking textbook on anxiety disorders and psychoactive drugs ; he is able to recite the name and description of nearly every known phobia. He
10304-485: Is attacked by the Magistrate. The Magistrate captures Poison Ivy, while the Riddler controls Alleytown. Catwoman reveals to Riddler that she knew what was happening, and she had Clayface impersonate Poison Ivy before the Magistrate confronts them. Ghostmaker and Catwoman team up to defeat the Magistrate, and Catwoman declares that she is not afraid anymore. In issue #1043, Simon Saint tries to persuade Mayor Nakano to let
10488-511: Is attacked, Batman captures Scarecrow, who tells him where Two-Face is heading. In Catwoman: When in Rome , Scarecrow supplies the Riddler with fear gas to manipulate Catwoman, and later aids Riddler when he fights Catwoman in Rome . Scarecrow accidentally attacks Cheetah with his scythe before Catwoman knocks him out. The Scarecrow appears in such story arcs as Knightfall and Shadow of
10672-439: Is based upon real-life experiences in that "some of the best real world work in the field of mobility rehabilitation is coming from South Africa. People have been talking about this as if it's some sort of mystical thing like returning from the dead, but there are treatments and surgeries that can restore mobility in some cases. Barbara's spine was not severed. That makes her a candidate." Prior to release, Batgirl #1 sold out at
10856-462: Is classic Barbara as she was originally conceived, with a few big surprises. It's a bit of a shock, to be sure, but we're doing everything we can to be respectful to this character's amazing legacy, while presenting something thrilling that a generation of comics readers will be experiencing for the first time ... Barbara Gordon leaping, fighting, and swinging over Gotham. Now, when citizens of that city look up, they are going to see BATGIRL. And that
11040-475: Is even known to have a frightening ability to tamper with anyone's mind with just words, once managing to drive two men to suicide, and uses this insight to find people's mental pressure points and exploit them. Despite his scrawny build, Crane is a skilled martial artist who uses his long arms and legs in his personal combat style known as "violent dancing", developed during his training in the Kung Fu style of
11224-573: Is eventually defeated by Batman. He later appears as one of the villains present at Calendar Man 's trial. It is revealed he and Calendar Man had been manipulating Falcone's son Alberto ; Scarecrow had determined that Alberto feared his father, and poisoned his cigarettes with the fear toxin to bring out the fear; Calendar Man, meanwhile, had been talking to Alberto, with the fear toxin making Alberto hear his father's voice. Together, they manipulate Alberto into making an unsuccessful assassination attempt on his sister, Sofia Gigante . After Two-Face's hideout
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#173277190781311408-517: Is featured as Batman's partner in the Smallville Season 11 digital comic based on the TV series , in addition to being a valued member of Wayne Enterprises R&D. In 2005, DC Comics launched its All-Star imprint—an ongoing series of comics designed to pair the company's most iconic characters with the most acclaimed writers and artists in the industry. Similar to Elseworlds , All-Star
11592-545: Is given a starring role in DC's Batman Family comic book which debuted in 1975. The original Robin Dick Grayson became her partner in the series and the two were frequently referred to as the "Dynamite Duo: Batgirl & Robin." Batgirl meets Batwoman in Batman Family #10, when the retired superhero briefly returns to crime-fighting (before Kane is murdered by the Bronze Tiger ). The two fight Killer Moth and
11776-533: Is given starring roles in the noir -style storyline Thrillkiller: Batgirl & Robin (1997), its sequel Batgirl + Batman: Thrillkiller '62 (1998), and the one-shot comic Elseworld's Finest: Supergirl & Batgirl (1998), all of which depict worlds where Barbara is Gotham's first bat-themed hero (Bruce Wayne is a police detective who becomes Batman in the 1960s-set Thrillkiller series, and merely serves as essentially her 'Alfred' in Elseworld's Finest in
11960-454: Is gravely injured after saving a couple of nurses, Grifter needs Jace Fox (the brother of Batwing )'s help and it is revealed that there is a new villain name Simon Saint who is working with Scarecrow to negotiate with the new Gotham City Mayor Christopher Nakano. Batman, Ghost-maker, and Harley Quinn take down criminals who are a part of a group called the Unsanity Collective but it results in collateral damage. Simon Saint meets up with
12144-466: Is happening. Batman also talks to Ghostmaker and Harley Quinn on what they are doing and realizes that Scarecrow is the true mastermind behind this. Seeing that Sean Mahoney is out of control due to the Fear Toxin, Simon Saint outfits his bodyguard Ricardo Huertas with a new Peacekeeper armor to apprehend Sean Mahoney. Batman tells Renee Montoya about Simon Saint and Scarecrows plans, and takes down Magistrate robots. Batman meets with Ghostmaker and they get
12328-600: Is he not scared, and Batman reveals that he is scared but he stays calm because he knows his allies are capable of saving Gotham City. Miracle Molly tells Batman that the machine used to wipe away people's memories also stores them, and Scarecrow may use her machine to gather a hundred people's trauma, and weaponize it on Gotham City. One of Simon Saint's workers tells Simon Saint that there is plant growth underneath Gotham City, and if Poison Ivy uses her abilities to full extent then Gotham City would be destroyed. Simon Saint orders his robots to kill Poison Ivy, but Ghostmaker destroys
12512-423: Is not restricted to continuity and establishes a fresh perspective for the latest generation of readership. According to Dan DiDio , "[t]hese books are created to literally reach the widest audience possible, and not just the comic book audience, but anyone who has ever wanted to read or see anything about Superman or Batman." An alternate Barbara Gordon was adapted into Frank Miller 's All Star Batman and Robin
12696-531: Is presumed to be dead. Miracle Molly realizes what Scarecrow is trying to do and goes to Batman to come with her. Poison Ivy heals one of the Unsanity Members, and Master Wyze reveals that before he wiped his memory he was Dormiouse and worked with the Mad Hatter to remove people's trauma by wiping away their memories. Master Wyze wants to use Poison Ivy's powers to remove everyone's memory. While traveling to her hidden bases, Miracle Molly asks Batman why
12880-430: Is problematic for him, as he is addicted to fear and compulsively seeks out confrontations with Batman to feed his addiction. He is also known to have a warped sense of humor, though not to the level of Black Mask or the Joker , as he has been known to frequently make taunts and quips related to his using his fear toxin or his love of terrifying others. During Alan Grant 's "The God of Fear" storyline, Scarecrow develops
13064-528: Is revealed Whale has a pathological hatred of "masks" because his grandfather was one of the first citizens of Gotham killed by a masked criminal). The story arc ends with Whale beating Scarecrow up and leaving him bound and gagged, as a sign to all "masks" that they are not welcome in Whale's new vision of Gotham. Scarecrow appears in Batman: Hush , working for the Riddler and Hush. He composes profiles on
13248-499: Is revealed that Poison Ivy is feral because a strain of the original Mother Plant has taken control of her and Harley Quinn needs to find Poison Ivy's missing part. Batman escapes from Scarecrow and creates an antidote while Catwoman and Jace Fox observe how the Magistrate is taking over Gotham City. Cassandra Cain subdues Batman while he's distracted from his antidote to Scarecrow's Fear Toxin and he meets up with Barbara Gordon and Stephanie Brown where they bring him up to speed on what
13432-409: Is sent to prison, and the Unsanity Collective goes into hiding, and Batman letting them go because the Unsanity Collective are people looking for a second chance. Batman knows Jace Fox is wearing a Batman suit to patrol Gotham City, Simon Saint was put on house arrest and his weaponry was taken by the government. Sean Mahoney escapes from the authorities and is sent into hiding, while Poison Ivy threatens
13616-770: The War Games story arc. Scarecrow appears in the third issue of War Games saving Black Mask from Batman and acting as the crime lord's ally, until Black Mask uses him to disable a security measure in the Clock Tower by literally throwing Scarecrow at it. Scarecrow wakes up, transforms into Scarebeast, and wreaks havoc outside the building trying to find and kill Black Mask. The police are unable to take it down, and allow Catwoman, Robin , Tarantula II , and Onyx to fight Scarebeast, as Commissioner Michael Akins had told all officers to capture or kill any vigilantes, costumed criminals or "masks" they find. Even they cannot defeat
13800-467: The Batgirl Special specifically to retire the character and set her in place for The Killing Joke . Following the release of the graphic novel, comic book editor and writer Kim Yale discussed how distasteful she found the treatment of Barbara Gordon with her husband, fellow comic writer John Ostrander . Rather than allow the character to fall into obscurity, the two decided to revive her as
13984-574: The Batwoman character and her sidekick Bat-Girl appeared in Batman-related publications but were eventually removed at the direction of editor Julius Schwartz for being outdated and unrealistic. Schwartz stated that he had been asked to develop a new female character to attract a female viewership to the Batman television series of the 1960s. Executive producer William Dozier suggested that
14168-532: The Cavalier , and learn each other's secret identities. Batwoman retires once again at the conclusion of the story, leaving Batgirl to continue crime-fighting. Although this series ended after three years of publication, Batgirl continued to appear in back-up stories published in Detective Comics through issue #519 (October 1982). Crisis on Infinite Earths , a limited miniseries published in 1985,
14352-674: The Flash , Batman defeats the villains. The Scarecrow surfaces again in Batman: The Dark Knight #10, penned by Gregg Hurwitz , for a six-issue arc. The Scarecrow kidnaps Commissioner James Gordon and several children, and eventually releases his fear toxin into the atmosphere. Scarecrow is also used as a pawn by the Joker in the " Death of the Family " arc; he is referred to as Batman's physician. Scarecrow appears in Swamp Thing (vol. 5) #19 (June 2013), clipping flowers for his toxins at
14536-484: The Huntress into the comic, making her a central character in the series as Oracle's secondary field agent. In 2003, comic book authors Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon revised Barbara Gordon's origin with the miniseries Batgirl: Year One . Gordon is a highly gifted child having graduated from high school early, but initially desires to join law enforcement as opposed to vigilantism in the previous origin myths. During
14720-613: The Metropolis Botanical Garden. Swamp Thing attempts to save Scarecrow from cutting a poisonous flower, not realizing who the villain is. Scarecrow attempts to use his fear toxin on Swamp Thing. The toxin causes Swamp Thing to lose control of his powers until Superman intervenes. He is later approached by the Outsider of the Secret Society of Super Villains to join up with the group. Scarecrow accepts
14904-665: The Penguin that Penguin is allied with the Suicide Squad . The villains wave off his warnings and mock him. He later leads the same four into a trap orchestrated by Tobias Whale . Killer Moth, Firefly and Lock-Up all survive, but are injured and unconscious to varying degrees, the Scarface puppet is "killed", and Peyton Reily, the new Ventriloquist, is unharmed, though after the attack she is taken away by Whale's men. Whale then betrays Scarecrow simply for touching his shoulder (it
15088-606: The Silver Age of Comic Books , due to her appearances in the Batman television series and continued media exposure. She has achieved similar popularity in the Modern Age of Comic Books under the Birds of Prey publication and as a disabled icon. The character has been the subject of academic analysis concerning the roles of women, librarians, and disabled people in mainstream media. The events of The Killing Joke , which led to
15272-485: The White Crane , for which Scarecrow sometimes wields a sickle or scythe. Scarecrow also has proficiency in both biochemistry and toxicology , both important to the invention of his fear toxin, which he atomized with mixed chemicals, including powerful synthetic adrenocortical secretions and other potent hallucinogens that can be inhaled or injected into the bloodstream to amplify the victim's darkest fear into
15456-635: The third season of the HBO Max series Titans as the new commissioner of Gotham City portrayed by Savannah Welch . The character was slated for a solo film set in the DCEU , starring Leslie Grace in the title role and intended to be released on HBO Max . The film was canceled in August 2022. In 2011, Barbara Gordon ranked 17th in IGN 's "Top 100 Comic Book Heroes". Before the introduction of Barbara Gordon,
15640-598: The 1985 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths which altered mainstream continuity. Notable imprints of DC Comics such as Elseworlds and All Star DC Comics have also featured alternate versions of the character. Barbara Gordon, as both Batgirl and Oracle, has made several appearances in Elseworlds comics since 1997. The Elseworlds imprint takes the company's iconic characters and places them in alternate timelines, places and events making heroes "as familiar as yesterday seem as fresh as tomorrow." The character
15824-506: The 2004 crossover event Batman: War Games , Black Mask commandeers Oracle's computers and satellites and engages in a fight to the death with Batman. To prevent Batman from killing his adversary, Oracle initiates the Clock Tower's self-destruct sequence, provoking Batman to rescue her rather than continue the battle. This destroys Gordon's home and headquarters in the clock tower. Subsequently, Oracle decides to move on and leaves Gotham City altogether. She cuts her ties with Batman, and after
16008-449: The Bat , first teaming with the Joker to ransom off the mayor of Gotham City . Batman foils their plan and forces them to retreat. Scarecrow betrays Joker by spraying him with fear gas, but it has no effect; Joker then beats Scarecrow senseless with a chair. Scarecrow later tries to take over Gotham with an army of hypnotized college students, commanding them to spread his fear toxin all over
16192-430: The Birds of Prey are disbanded, she continues to summon them to help Nightwing and Robin deal with the growing crime in Gotham. The Calculator's plans finally come to their fruition, and Kuttler, hoping to save his dying daughter Wendy takes on the "Babbage" alias and begins prowling the digital world of Alta Viva , a virtual world game, for fragments of the Anti-Life Equation unleashed by Darkseid. Oracle, now living in
16376-675: The Birds of Prey team to do some soul-searching. Birds of Prey received cancellation in early 2009, with the final issue being #127. Oracle is subsequently featured in Oracle: The Cure , a limited series written by Kevin VanHook and a crossover arc with Batman: Battle for the Cowl (2009). The story chronologically follows the events of the Final Crisis and Batman R.I.P. (2008). Oracle has returned to Gotham, and although
16560-491: The Birds of Prey. Sean McKeever temporarily took over as author of Birds of Prey , writing issues #113–117, Birds of Prey: Metropolis or Dust (2008). The following arc of the series Birds of Prey: Platinum Flats (2008) is written by Tony Bedard . In the company-wide 2008 Final Crisis storyline, Darkseid —who has finally gained control of the Anti-Life Equation —attempts to put the mind-control equation on
16744-519: The Black Lanterns, Robin takes the Gordons to their underground base where Alfred tends her and her father's wounds. In Greg Rucka's Detective Comics #862, Barbara Gordon is approached by Huntress and Renee Montoya (the new Question ) for help in tracking down a mysterious criminal who ordered a hit on them. Montoya is flabbergasted upon discovering that "Commissioner Gordon's daughter"
16928-490: The Black Lanterns. Overjoyed at finally being able to feel fear again, Scarecrow gleefully and without question follows Sinestro's commands. His celebration is cut short when Lex Luthor , overwhelmed by the orange light of Avarice , steals his ring. In Brightest Day , Scarecrow begins kidnapping and murdering college interns working for LexCorp as a way of getting back at Lex Luthor for stealing his ring. When Robin and Supergirl attempt to stop him, Scarecrow unleashes
17112-586: The Bold , Action Comics , and Superman . In the mid-1970s, Batgirl reveals her secret identity to her father (who had already discovered it on his own) and serves as a member of the United States House of Representatives . She moves to Washington, D.C., intending to give up her career as Batgirl and in June 1972, appeared in a story entitled "Batgirl's Last Case." Julius Schwartz brought her back
17296-488: The Boy Wonder (2005) as a teenage Batgirl. In addition, another variation of the character had been set to star in an eponymous All Star Batgirl title, written by Geoff Johns ; however, the series was canceled prior to publication. In Batgirl: Futures End #1 (Nov. 2014), set in an alternate future, a trio of Batgirls include Casandra Cain, Stephanie Brown, and newcomer Tiffany Fox—the daughter of Lucius Fox and
17480-648: The Calculator's daughter, Wendy Harris , who was disabled following an attack at Titans Tower . Oracle later takes a job as an assistant professor at Gotham University. During the Green Lantern limited series Blackest Night , Hal Jordan crashes into the Bat-Signal after a fight with the Black Lantern Martian Manhunter . Oracle and Commissioner Gordon are both present. Origins & Omens hints towards an involvement in
17664-655: The Clock Tower while other members of the Batfamily are away in the Knightmare Realm. Various alterations of the Barbara Gordon character have appeared in storylines published in and out of mainstream continuity titles. Variants of the character within continuity often appear in stories that involve time travel, such as the crossover limited series Zero Hour: Crisis in Time , a follow-up story preceded by
17848-484: The Collective had their memory wiped. Miracle Molly reveals she knows that she's talking to Batman, and tells him that Simon Saint was the one who hired Unsanity to attack. Simon Saint convinces Sean Mahoney to be part of the Magistrate after showing his assistant Ricardo has cybernetic augmentation to compensate his missing limbs. Ghostmaker and Harley Quinn bond while sparring when they are interrupted by Bella Garten,
18032-646: The Gardener to never take a soul out of her again. In Batman: Urban Legends #8, Batwoman is helping rehabilitate Beth Kane when Renee Montoya arrives and tells her that there is a viral video of Cassandra Cain murdering innocent people. Batwoman confronts Cassandra, and they meet up with Beth to deal with the Anti-Oracle. Azrael deals with the Magistrate, where he is confronted by Batman who tells him to not kill any people. In " Future State " (an alternate future timeline that takes 30 years after) Gotham City
18216-479: The Golden Age Dr. Mid-Nite (1987), Barbara Gordon's origin is rebooted by author Barbara Randall. Within the storyline, Gordon recounts the series of events that led to her career as Batgirl, including her first encounter with Batman as a child, studying martial arts under the tutelage of a sensei , memorizing maps and blueprints of the city, excelling in academics to skip grades, and pushing herself to become
18400-571: The Haunter to release a low dose of fear toxin around Gotham on Christmas and sets up a small stand for her to pick up the toxin. Both he and Haunter are paralyzed by the toxin's effects, allowing Batman to apprehend them. The Scarecrow later emerges using a Sinestro Corps power ring to induce fear and rage against Batman in random citizens throughout Gotham, to the point where he provokes Alfred Pennyworth into threatening to shoot Simon Baz as part of his final assault. In Doomsday Clock , Scarecrow
18584-466: The Joker and offers him his friendship. In "Whitewater", Gail Simone's final story arc on Birds of Prey (2007), Oracle and her team struggle for power with Spy Smasher , a government agent who has taken over the Birds of Prey organization. Eventually, Spy Smasher is forced to admit her defeat and returns control of the Birds of Prey organization to Oracle. After the arc, Oracle also adopts Misfit into
18768-412: The Joker standing next to a tearful Batgirl, who has a red smile painted across her mouth. The Joker has one hand holding a revolver draped over Batgirl's shoulder and is pointing to her cheek with the other hand as if gesturing to shoot her. The cover quickly drew criticism for highlighting a dark period in the character's history, especially when juxtaposed with the youthful, more optimistic direction of
18952-488: The Magistrate and managed to escape. The group steal Peacekeeper armor, and they go confront Simon Saint and save kids being held hostage. Nightwing and Oracle bring down the Magistrate Skybase, with Seer (a young girl) escaping the heroes. Alejandro Sanchez The crossover overall received positive reviews from critics, with many critics praising the action, the artwork, the plot, and the tie-ins. However, there
19136-515: The Magistrate program continue. After Simon Saint leaves, the Red Crown terrorist group, led by a man known as Nero XIX, reveal themselves as having been disguised as Nakano's security team and kidnap him. Batman saves Mayor Nakano and they head into a sewer where they see red eggs featuring centipedes. Batwoman goes to the mayor's office and retakes the building from the Red Crown while Oracle helps Batman locate Mayor Nakano. The eggs hatch and one of
19320-527: The Man of Steel. To instill his toxin, he often uses a hand-held sprayer in the shape of a human skull and special straws which can be snapped in half to release it. In one story, Scarecrow concocts a chemical containing wildfowl pheromones from his childhood that causes nearby birds to attack his opponents. In the story arc As the Crow Flies , after being secretly mutated by Dr. Linda Friitawa, Scarecrow gains
19504-631: The Mayor Nakano to advertise him The Magistrate (Peacekeepers who will stop crime before it happens as seen in " Future State "). After a few days, Scarecrow was presumed dead in the Arkham attack and Gotham City citizens become afraid due to multiple events that have happened in this city. Barbara Gordon tells him that the Unsanity Criminals have a leader name Master Wyze who wants to reboot Gotham City to get rid of their trauma and create
19688-475: The Multiverse and the evil versions of superheroes, as well as people disliking how Batman continuously partners with Catwoman and Harley Quinn. Batman successfully escapes Mahoney and is saved by Harley and Ghostmaker. Harley reveals that Mahoney was an abusive Arkham guard who needs to be stopped, and Peacekeeper finds Miracle Molly. Batman, Harley Quinn and Ghostmaker save Miracle Molly, with Batman putting
19872-646: The New 52 universe when his and Batman's investigations into Scarecrow's crimes lead Batman to Mother, a woman who believes that tragedy and trauma serve as 'positive' influences to help people become stronger. To this end, Mother has Scarecrow develop a new style of fear toxin that makes the brain suffer the same experience as witnessing a massive trauma, but Scarecrow turns against Mother as the victims of this plan would become incapable of feeling anything. Recognizing that Mother will kill him once he has outlived his usefulness, Scarecrow attempts to turn himself over to Batman, but Batman uses this opportunity to have him deliver
20056-700: The Scarebeast, though he appears to have been defeated after the Clock Tower explodes. The Scarecrow reappears alongside other Batman villains in Gotham Underground ; first among the villains meeting at the Iceberg Lounge to be captured by the Suicide Squad . Scarecrow escapes by gassing Bronze Tiger with fear toxin. He later appears warning the Ventriloquist II , Firefly , Killer Moth and Lock-Up , who are planning to attack
20240-539: The Scarecrow against his "benefactor", impaling him on a weather vane and throwing him in the cellar of his own mansion. The Scarecrow then uses Strange's mansion to lure Batman to Crime Alley , and decapitates one of his former classmates in the alley in front of Batman. With the help of Catwoman , — whom Scarecrow had attempted to blackmail into helping him by capturing her and photographing her unmasked— Batman catches Scarecrow, but loses sight of Strange, with it being unclear whether Strange had actually survived
20424-588: The Scarecrow temporarily allies with the Marvel Universe Scarecrow to capture Lois Lane before they are both defeated by Ben Reilly . In the 2004 story arc As the Crow Flies , Scarecrow is hired by the Penguin under false pretenses. Dr. Linda Friitawa then secretly mutates Scarecrow into a murderous creature known as the "Scarebeast", who Penguin uses to kill off his disloyal minions. The character's later appearances all show him as an unmutated Crane again, except for an appearance during
20608-580: The Scarecrow's visual motif. The character has been adapted in various media incarnations , having been portrayed in film by Cillian Murphy in The Dark Knight Trilogy , and in television by Charlie Tahan and David W. Thompson in the Fox series Gotham , and Vincent Kartheiser in the HBO Max streaming series Titans . Henry Polic II , Jeffrey Combs , Dino Andrade , John Noble , and Robert Englund , among others, have provided
20792-588: The Scarecrow's voice in animation and video games. Batman creators Bill Finger and Bob Kane introduced the Scarecrow as a new villain in World's Finest Comics #3 (September 1941) during the Golden Age of Comic Books , in which he made only two appearances. Ichabod Crane , the protagonist of Washington Irving 's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow , was used as an inspiration for the character's lanky appearance as well as his alter ego, Jonathan Crane. Scarecrow
20976-535: The Talons after Bane freed them from Mad Hatter's mind-control technology. Scarecrow then turns to his next plan, giving the other inmates a small dose of Bane's Venom to temporarily transform them. Upon Bane declaring that Gotham City is finally his, he has Scarecrow hanged between two buildings. In Batman and Robin Eternal , flashbacks reveal that Scarecrow was the first villain faced by Dick Grayson as Robin in
21160-568: The ability to turn into a large, monstrous creature called the Scarebeast. As Scarebeast, he has greatly enhanced strength, endurance, and emits a powerful fear toxin from his body. However, he has to be under physical strain or duress to transform. During the Blackest Night mini-series, Scarecrow is temporarily deputized into the Sinestro Corps by a duplicate of Sinestro 's Power ring. He proves to be very capable in manipulating
21344-440: The action, art, and tie-ins, but the main story received criticism for its sluggish pacing. In May 2021, DC Comics announced "Fear State" to bridge the gap between " Future State " and " Infinite Frontier ". In this story, the new Gotham City Mayor Christopher Nakano has made a deal with the devil to enact a draconian anti-vigilante law enforcement agenda with a shadowy organization known as The Magistrate. This story also features
21528-556: The authorities, but Batman prevents this and takes him to Arkham Asylum to meet Chase Meridian. While driving, Batman reveals that Scarecrow was afraid of change which was why he launched the Fear State on Gotham City, but Gotham City is always changing and evolving. Miracle Molly testifies how Simon Saint used the Unsanity Collective to manipulate the media in order to use the Magistrate Program. In exchange, Miracle Molly
21712-491: The big change and a foresighted editor, these hapless females are gone for good. In their place stands a girl who is a capable crime-fighter, a far cry from Batwoman who constantly had to be rescued [by] Batman." Batgirl continues to appear in DC Comics publications throughout the late 1960s and 1970s, as a supporting character in Detective Comics , in addition to guest appearances in various titles such as Justice League of America , World's Finest Comics , The Brave and
21896-493: The centipedes lands on Mayor Nakano's skin. Batman is forced to electrocute Mayor Nakano to get rid of the centipedes. Batman performs CPR on Mayor Nakano, and they stumble upon the Centipedes nest. Batman reveals that he was infected by the same parasites from Mr. Worth and Penguin . Batwoman sees the parasites starting to attack Gotham City, and Mayor Nakano saves Batman from the parasites before deciding that he will create
22080-492: The character first appeared in World's Finest Comics #3 (September 1941), and has become one of the superhero Batman 's most enduring enemies belonging to the collective of adversaries that make up his rogues gallery . In the DC Universe , the Scarecrow is the alias of Jonathan Crane , a professor of psychology turned criminal mastermind. Abused and bullied in his youth, he becomes obsessed with fear and develops
22264-581: The character was reestablished as a technical advisor , computer expert and information broker known as Oracle . Becoming a valuable asset providing intelligence and computer hacking services to assist other superheroes, she makes her first appearance as Oracle in Suicide Squad #23 (1989) and later became a featured lead of the Birds of Prey series. In 2011, as part of DC Comics The New 52 relaunch, Barbara recovered from her paralysis following
22448-532: The character's origin story is expanded on in Batman Annual #19 and the miniseries Batman/Scarecrow: Year One , with this narrative also revealing that Crane has a fear of bats. In 2011, as a result of The New 52 reboot, Scarecrow's origin (as well as that of various other DC characters) is once again altered, incorporating several elements that differ from the original. Born in Georgia, Jonathan Crane
22632-400: The character's paralysis, as well as the restoration of her mobility, have also been a subject of debate among comic book writers, artists, editors, and readership. Viewpoints range from sexism in comic books, to the limited visibility of disabled characters and the practicality of disabilities existing in a fictional universe where magic, technology, and medical science exceed the limitations of
22816-472: The child, Scarecrow activates a Venom implant, causing the boy to attack Batman. He is defeated when Batman ties the boy's teddy bear to Scarecrow, causing the child to attack Scarecrow. After capturing Scarecrow, Batman forces him to reveal Hush's location. In the Battle for the Cowl storyline, Scarecrow is recruited by a new Black Mask to be a part of a group of villains who are aiming to take over Gotham in
23000-504: The city down and revive one of the Unsanity members before kissing Harley Quinn. Nightwing, Tim Drake, Spoiler, Barbara Gordon, and Cassandra Cain arrive on the Magistrate's base to confront Simon Saint while Ghostmaker deals with the rest of Simon's robots. After a brutal battle, Batman manages to defeat Peacekeeper-01, but Scarecrow convinces Miracle Molly of her original goal to wipe out Gotham City's memories so they can overcome trauma. Batman manages to convince Miracle Molly to not release
23184-464: The city. His lieutenant is the son of the first man he killed. He is confronted by both Batman-Azrael and Anarky and tries to escape by forcing his lieutenant to jump off of a building. Batman-Azrael knocks him out, and Anarky manages to save the boy. Despite his criminal history, he is still recognized as a skilled psychologist. When Aquaman needs insight into a serial killer operating in his new city of Sub Diego — San Diego having been sunk and
23368-413: The company's most iconic characters. The conclusion of the limited series Flashpoint (2011) establishes a new continuity within the DC Universe, with all characters regressing to a younger age and earlier stage in their careers while remaining in a modern timeline. DC Senior VP of Sales, Bob Wayne, explained that with each of their titles reverting to issue #1, "our creative teams have the ability to take
23552-508: The creation of Batgirl, stating "Bob Kane had had a Bat-Girl for about three stories in the '50s but she had nothing to do with a bat. She was like a pesky girl version of Robin. I knew we could do a lot better, so Julie and I came up with the real Batgirl, who was so popular she almost got her TV show." Yvonne Craig portrayed the character in the show's third season. Barbara Gordon and her alter ego Batgirl debuted in Detective Comics #359 (Jan. 1967), "The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl", as
23736-462: The creative team issued a joint apology and revised the issue for the subsequent collected edition, Batgirl Vol. 1: The Batgirl of Burnside . On March 13, 2015, DC Comics released 25 Joker-themed variant covers for its various monthly series for release that June, in celebration of the character's 75th anniversary. Among them was a cover to Batgirl #41 by artist Rafael Albuquerque that took its inspiration from The Killing Joke . The cover depicts
23920-521: The crisis, Oracle is rendered unconscious by an explosion and is possessed by Deadman , who uses Oracle's body to save Commissioner Gordon from the reanimated King Snake and the Trigger Twins . After being rescued by Batman, Robin , and Red Robin , the Gordons were attacked by Batman and Red Robin's parents with their saviors, the reanimated Graysons and the Drakes. While Grayson and Drake battle
24104-497: The daughter of Gotham City's Police Commissioner James Gordon. In the debut story, while driving to a costume ball dressed as a female version of Batman, sporting a black bodysuit with yellow gloves, boots, utility belt, and a bat symbol along with a blue cape and cowl (similar to Batman's), Barbara Gordon intervenes in a kidnapping attempt on Bruce Wayne by the supervillain Killer Moth , attracting Batman's attention and leading to
24288-445: The decision by stating that "[w]e didn't want to turn our back on the diversity issue, but she'll always be the most recognizable [Batgirl]. We are working with concerns to diversify the line. We're always looking to re-position to be reflective of today's audience." Gail Simone, who will be writing the series, stated: "For many years, I got to write the character as Oracle, and there is to this day, no character who means more to me. This
24472-470: The development of Barbara Gordon's new persona as Oracle for the next several years. The character made her first comic book appearance as Oracle in Suicide Squad #23, anonymously offering her services to the government's Task Force X. In the following two years, Oracle, under the pen of Ostrander and Yale, made guest appearances in various DC titles until her identity was revealed to be Barbara Gordon in Suicide Squad #38 (1990) and she officially becomes
24656-471: The distribution level with over 100,000 copies printed in its first run according to Diamond Comic Distributors . Along with Action Comics #1, Justice League #1, Batman #1, Batman and Robin #1, Batman: The Dark Knight #1, Detective Comics #1, Flash #1, Green Lantern #1, and Superman #1, retailers were required to order a second printing. Calvin Reid of Publishers Weekly states in
24840-540: The effect of Scarecrow's fear toxin and attacks Tim Drake, but Tim Drake breaks Scarecrow's control of Duke. Duke regroups with the Outsiders ( Katana , Black Lightning , and Metamorpho ) to break them out of the fear toxin. Duke and the Outsiders meet up with Tim Drake and Clownhunter (whom Tim Drake saved) to confront Scarecrow's apprentice, (Jonah Winfield), at the laboratory. Black Lightning and Duke Thomas injected Jonah with adrenaline which caused his body to burn out
25024-495: The events which took place in Batman: The Killing Joke , he ultimately fails and Barbara Gordon's chronological history remains unchanged. Rip Hunter convinces him that Barbara's destiny is to become Oracle. Later, Batman reveals that he kept Joker's photos of Barbara and Booster Gold for years and waited until Booster Gold's correct age before confronting him. Batman then thanks Booster Gold for trying to stop
25208-561: The fall onto the weather vane, or if Scarecrow and Batman are hallucinating from exposure to Scarecrow's fear toxin. Scarecrow appears in Batman: The Long Halloween , first seen escaping from Arkham on Mother's Day with help from Carmine Falcone , who also helps the Mad Hatter escape. The Scarecrow gases Batman with fear toxin as he escapes, causing Batman to flee to his parents' grave as Bruce Wayne, where he
25392-475: The fear toxin and this causes changes in the future where Future State Black Lightning's curse is lifted and the Future outsiders face off Clayface . In issue #34, Batman gives Catwoman a hard drive of Karl Snenke (an assassin hired by Scarecrow to assassinate Catwoman), and Catwoman reveals to Batman she found Poison Ivy changed due to Simon Saint using her to make a drug. After Catwoman confronts Karl Sneke and
25576-561: The fear toxin by stating that humans are inherently good because when politicians, media and corporations are removed, humans have the ability to overcome anything. Miracle Molly agrees to disarm the bomb, and the Bat Family (Nightwing, Barbara Gordon, Cassandra Cain, Spoiler, Tim Drake, Duke Thomas , Jace Fox, Batwoman) and Harley Quinn look up at the Bat Signal in the sky as Gotham City slowly recovers. Scarecrow tries to escape from
25760-584: The first African American character to be portrayed as Batgirl. In 2015, DC began publishing DC Bombshells , a title that places its characters in an alternate history primarily set during the 1930s and 1940s. In digital issue #42 (collected as print issue #14), Harley Quinn tells Pamela Isley about encountering "the Belle of the Bog", who appears to be a vampire version of Batgirl. DC Comics Bombshells Annual #1, published on 31 August 2016, reveals that Barbara Gourdon
25944-597: The impending war, by blowing up the bridges giving access to Gotham City. Scarecrow and Man-Bat attempt to steal the frozen Talons from Blackgate while Penguin is having a meeting with Bane. Killer Croc rescues Scarecrow and Man-Bat from Blackgate and brings Scarecrow to Wayne Tower, where he gives Killer Croc control of Wayne Tower, as it no longer suits him. Scarecrow begins waking the Talons in his possession, having doused them with his fear gas and using Mad Hatter 's mind-control technology in their helmets to control them. At Arkham Asylum, Scarecrow senses that he has lost
26128-502: The impending war. It was also stated that Talons from the Court of Owls were stored at Blackgate on ice. Later, looking over the divided city, Scarecrow claims that once the war is over and the last obstacle has fallen, Gotham City would be his. Scarecrow approaches Professor Pyg at Gotham Memorial Hospital to see if he will give his supplies and Dollotrons to Scarecrow's followers. Scarecrow goes to Penguin next, who has already planned for
26312-414: The inhabitants turned into water-breathers by a secret organization—he consults with Scarecrow for insight into the pattern of the killer's crimes. Scarecrow determined that killer chose his victims by the initials of their first and last names to spell out the message 'I can't take it any more', allowing Aquaman to determine both the true identity and final target of the real killer. In DC vs. Marvel ,
26496-457: The internet. Both Oracle and Mister Terrific make desperate attempts to stop Darkseid, even attempting to shut down the entire Internet. Unfortunately, they both fail and those affected ended up mindless slaves of Darkseid. Freed from Darkseid's control after the restoration of the Multiverse , she attempts to shut down the criminal Unternet set up by her opposite number, the Calculator, as
26680-624: The introduction of Jace Fox as the Next Batman. After the events of Dark Nights: Death Metal , Wonder Woman meets up with the Quintessence ( Ganthet , Hera, Highfather , Phantom Stranger , The Spectre , The Wizard ) for an open position. While observing, she sees Bane killed by Joker toxin, and Barbara Gordon being Oracle again due to her spine implant while letting Cassandra Cain , Huntress , and Stephanie Brown take her role as Batgirl . A police officer name Sean Mahoney
26864-465: The invading Black Lanterns . The drug has taken a further toll on his sanity, exacerbated by Batman's disappearance in the Batman R.I.P. storyline; he develops a literal addiction to fear, exposing himself deliberately to the revenant army, but knowing that only Batman could scare him again. Using a duplicate of Sinestro 's power ring , he is temporarily deputized into the Sinestro Corps to combat
27048-483: The light of fear to create constructs until his ring is stolen by Lex Luthor . Crane, in almost all of his incarnations, is cruel, sadistic, deranged, and manipulative above all else. Crane is obsessed with fear, and takes sadistic pleasure in frightening his victims, often literally to death, with his fear toxin. Crane also suffers from brain damage from prolonged exposure to his own toxin that renders him nearly incapable of being afraid of anything - except Batman. This
27232-511: The means of an advanced supercomputer programmed to track the chunk of data left behind by Babbage. However, the Calculator discovers her attempts, swearing vengeance upon her. She manages to defeat Calculator, rendering the Anti-Life Equation's fragments useless. In 2009, the Batgirl comic book was relaunched with Stephanie Brown starring as the title character. Although Oracle initially tries to discourage Brown from crime-fighting, she eventually comes to accept her as Batgirl. She also mentors
27416-436: The message at all and it was someone else. Barbara Gordon realizes she needs to help out more, and suits up as Batgirl once more. Barbara Gordon realizes the hacker's name is Seer is behind all of this, and asks Spoiler, Cassandra Cain, Black Canary , Green Arrow and Wonder Woman to stay alert in case Seer tries to have false information. When they go to Seer's hideout, both of them are dosed with Fear Toxin, and Barbara has
27600-416: The monitors, but Sean Mahoney shoots Scarecrow in the back. Sean Mahoney declares himself as the true hero Gotham City needs since Simon Saint just wants to control Gotham City through Power and Order, while Batman and Scarecrow's fear tactics makes them weak. Batman and Sean Mahoney fight once again, while Miracle Molly tries to get Scarecrow to disarm the fear bomb. Harley Quinn reveals that after Poison Ivy
27784-407: The monthly Batgirl title underwent a soft reboot with the new creative team Brenden Fletcher (writer) Cameron Stewart (writer, layouts), Babs Tarr (artist) and Maris Wicks (colors). The first six-issue story explored Barbara Gordon's attempt to start a new life as a PhD student in the hip Gotham borough of Burnside. While seemingly light and engaging compared to Gail Simone's darker preceding run,
27968-525: The murder of Bart Allen . She struggles to keep the identities of the world's heroes from being stolen and coordinates the response to a global crisis engineered by the Calculator , a villainous hacker and information broker. In The All-New Booster Gold #5 (2007), the title hero is given the mission of traveling back in time in order to prevent "a tragedy that he discovers never should've happened—the Joker shooting and paralyzing Barbara Gordon, Batgirl." Although Booster Gold makes several attempts to prevent
28152-425: The new arc ultimately dealt with Babs' inability to fully escape her earlier trauma and the villain was revealed as her own brain scans, an algorithm similar to the pre-New 52 Oracle. While the reboot was highly praised for its innovative use of social media, its fun and energy, and particularly for Tarr's art, several critics condemned the villain Dagger Type in issue #37 as a transphobic caricature. In response,
28336-407: The new character would be the daughter of Gotham City's Police Commissioner James Gordon, and that she would adopt the identity of Batgirl. When Dozier and producer Howie Horowitz saw rough concept artwork of the new Batgirl by artist Carmine Infantino during a visit to DC offices, they optioned the character in a bid to help sell a third season to the ABC television network. Infantino reflected on
28520-520: The new world of Barbara Gordon and Batgirl." The New York Times critic George Gene Gustines wrote: "Unlike some of the other DC comics I read this week, Batgirl achieves a deft hat trick: a well-shaped reintroduction to a character, an elegant acknowledgement of fundamental history and the establishment of a new status quo. This is a must-buy series." Earning a B+ rating in a review from Entertainment Weekly , Ken Tucker writes that Simone "[takes] her Birds of Prey storytelling powers and focuses them on
28704-1107: The newly revived Barbara Gordon as Batgirl. The result is a burst of exhilaration, as Barbara/Batgirl revels in her new freedom even as she encounters a so-far not-terribly-chilling villain called Mirror." Since the series relaunch in September 2011, Batgirl has remained within the top 30 of the 300 best-selling monthly comic book publications sold in North America. Monthly estimated sales figures are as follows: Batgirl #1 with 81,489 copies (ranked 12th overall), Batgirl #2 with 75,227 (ranked 14th), Batgirl #3 with 62,974 (ranked 18th), Batgirl #4 with 53,975 (ranked 23rd), Batgirl #5 with 51,327 (ranked 26th), and Batgirl #6 with 47,836 (ranked 30th). The hardcover edition of volume 1, Batgirl: The Darkest Reflection , which collects issues #1–6, made The New York Times Best Seller list , alongside Animal Man: The Hunt , Batman & Robin: Born to Kill , Batman: Detective Comics , Wonder Woman: Blood , Batwoman: Hydrology , Green Lantern: Sinestro . Additionally, Barbara Gordon makes an appearance in Birds of Prey #1, where Black Canary offers her
28888-445: The offer. As part of " Villains Month ", Detective Comics (vol. 2) #23.3 (Sept. 2013) was titled The Scarecrow #1. Scarecrow goes to see Killer Croc , Mr. Freeze , Poison Ivy, and Riddler and informs them of a war at Blackgate Penitentiary is coming and learns where each of the alliances lives. Through his conversations with each, Scarecrow learns that Bane may be the cause of the Blackgate uprising and will be their leader in
29072-492: The origin of Barbara Gordon's new persona as Oracle. Initially, Gordon's paralysis plunges her into a state of reactive depression. However, she soon realizes that her aptitude for and training in information sciences have provided her with tremendous skills that could be deployed to fight crime. In a world increasingly centered on technology and information, she possesses a genius -level intellect; photographic memory ; deep knowledge of computers and electronics; expert skills as
29256-401: The original Robin , Dick Grayson , whom she has a history of working closely and being romantically involved with. In 1988, following the editorial retirement of the character's Batgirl persona in Batgirl Special #1, the graphic novel Batman: The Killing Joke depicts the Joker shooting her through the spinal cord in her civilian identity, resulting in paraplegia . In subsequent stories,
29440-422: The pre-" Flashpoint " DC continuity while maintaining elements of The New 52 as well. The DC Rebirth Batgirl would remain Barbara Gordon, who would star in two monthly series: Batgirl (vol. 5), written by Hope Larson, and Batgirl and the Birds of Prey , written by Julie Benson and Shawna Benson. The two comic book titles debuted in July and August 2016, respectively. In volume five of Batgirl , Barbara Gordon
29624-461: The present, Mayor Nakano allows the Magistrate Program full permission to perform police activities in Gotham City, and the recent bombings has made Gotham Citizens nervous. Renee Montoya is not pleased about this, and someone called the Anti-Oracle hijacked Barbara Gordon 's computer to spread even more terror and locked Barbara out. Harley Quinn, Miracle Molly, the Unsanity Collective and Ghostmaker follow The Gardener to where Poison Ivy is, where it
29808-402: The publication, DC responded to the fan-based acclaim and criticism of the new character in an open letter in Detective Comics #417 (1971), stating: "I'd like to say a few words about the reaction some readers have to Batgirl. These are readers who remember Batwoman and the other Bat-girls from years back ...They were there because romance seemed to be needed in Batman's life. But thanks to
29992-526: The real world. As both Batgirl and Oracle, Barbara Gordon has been featured in various adaptations related to the Batman franchise , including television, film, animation, video games, and other merchandise. Aside from Craig, the character has been portrayed by Dina Meyer , Alicia Silverstone (as Barbara Wilson), and Jeté Laurence, and has been voiced by Melissa Gilbert , Tara Strong , Danielle Judovits, Alyson Stoner , Mae Whitman , Kimberly Brooks and Briana Cuoco among others. Barbara Gordon appeared in
30176-407: The robots which causes Poison Ivy to freak out and unleash her powers on Gotham City. However, Harley Quinn and the Gardener arrive with another version of Poison Ivy. Batman and Miracle Molly confront Scarecrow, but Scarecrow uses the Unsanity Collective's technology to harm Miracle Molly. Scarecrow reveals he amplified Sean Mahoney's trauma to create a Fear Bomb on Gotham City. Batman tries to destroy
30360-442: The season 3 premiere " Enter Batgirl, Exit Penguin ", in September that same year. Barbara Gordon is the daughter of Gotham City police commissioner James Gordon , the sister of serial killer James Gordon Jr. and is initially employed as head of the Gotham City Public Library. Although the character appeared in various DC Comics publications, she was prominently featured in Batman Family which debuted in 1975, partnered with
30544-533: The series at the time. The hashtag #changethecover drew hundreds of posts on Twitter and Tumblr asking DC to not release the variant. DC ultimately withdrew the cover from publication at the request of Albuquerque, who stated, "My intention was never to hurt or upset anyone through my art...For that reason, I have recommended to DC that the variant cover be pulled." In March 2016, DC Comics announced it would be relaunching all of its monthly titles in an initiative called DC Rebirth . The relaunch restored elements of
30728-402: The smartest and toughest women in comics ... One thing the book is truly about, is that the after-effects of something like PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) or other trauma-related syndromes, can strike even very smart, very intellectually tough people, even soldiers and cops", a subject that is generally overlooked in comic books. She also explained the method of the character's recovery
30912-426: The storyline. After sending Green Lantern's intel to every superhero community across the planet of the Black Lanterns, the Gordons find themselves being attacked by the original Dark Knight's deceased rogue gallery members, who are all reanimated by the Black Lantern Corps. Oracle and her father are forced to fight for their lives as they witness the Black Lanterns massacring everyone on sight at Gotham Central . During
31096-408: The superhero Batman that could be introduced into publication and the third season of the show simultaneously. The character subsequently made her first comic-book appearance as Batgirl in Detective Comics #359, titled "The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl!" in January 1967, by Fox and Infantino, allowing her to be introduced into the television series, portrayed by actress Yvonne Craig , in
31280-439: The team needs a greater tactical advantage than ever to overcome the Joker's latest plot, and after her spinal support implant begins to show signs of overuse. However, she retains the right to join Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown in suiting up as Batgirl again in the future. In the Knight Terrors story arc of 2023, Batgirl engages battle with Punchline and Royal Flush Gang , after discovering them trying to infiltrate
31464-475: The team's de facto field leader, while Big Barda is brought in as the group's heavy-hitter alongside a larger, rotating roster. Oracle also attempts to reforge her alliance with Power Girl. However, when Oracle invites her to rejoin the team, she replies that she will do so "when Hell freezes over." In the crossover event Countdown to Final Crisis (2007), Oracle dispatches the Question and Batwoman to capture Trickster and Piper following their role in
31648-409: The test subject in experiments using his fear toxin, intending to test its readiness for use on Batman. She spends more than a year in Arkham Asylum recuperating from Scarecrow's experiments. Blaming Batman for her trauma, O'Shay adopted the identity of Madame Crow with the intention of making sure no one would feel the kind of fear she did ever again as she becomes a member of the Victim Syndicate. In
31832-511: The tutelage of Richard Dragon , one of DC's premiere martial artists , to engage in combat (using eskrima ) from her wheelchair. She develops her upper-body strength and targeting skills with both firearms and batarangs . The success of Chuck Dixon 's Black Canary/Oracle: Birds of Prey (1996) led to the comic series Birds of Prey starring the two title characters. During Chuck Dixon's crossover series Nightwing: Hunt for Oracle , Barbara Gordon and Dinah Lance meet in person and establish
32016-470: The various villains of Gotham so Riddler and Hush can manipulate them to their own ends. He later gases Huntress with his fear gas, making her attack Catwoman. He attacks Batman in a graveyard, only to learn his fear gas is ineffective (due to Hush's bug), but before he can reveal this he is knocked out by Jason Todd . Scarecrow also appears in Batman: Heart of Hush , kidnapping a child to distract Batman so Hush can attack Catwoman. When Batman goes to rescue
32200-437: The virus is rendered dormant following an operation by Doctor Mid-Nite , she discovers she can move her toes. However, this proves to be short-lived; Gordon remains paralyzed. During the company-wide crossover Infinite Crisis (2005), Oracle teams with the Martian Manhunter in Metropolis to coordinate a counterstrike against the Secret Society's global jailbreak. The renewed romance between Barbara Gordon and Dick Grayson
32384-435: The wake of Batman's apparent death. He later assists the crime lord in manufacturing a recreational drug called "Thrill," which draws the attention of Oracle and Batgirl . He is later defeated by Batgirl and once again arrested. Scarecrow briefly appears in the fourth issue of the Blackest Night storyline. His immunity to fear (brought about by frequent exposure to his own fear toxin) renders him practically invisible to
32568-464: The week". Joshua McDonald from Batman News wrote: "After months of dragging its feet, James Tynion's "Fear State" finally moves the plot forward. There is still an abundance of problems here, but at least we got something positive. Granted, I feel like a shill for praising something as rudimentary as plot progression, but that is unfortunately the reality we live in these days". Max Byrne from Dark Knight News wrote: " Batman #117 brings everything nicely to
32752-434: Was a French fighter pilot during World War I. After she lost her boyfriend during the war, she traveled to Louisiana and did indeed become a vampire. In the Batman '89 miniseries (which takes place in an alternate continuity of the Tim Burton films), Barbara Gordon is a Sergeant in the GCPD and Harvey Dent's fiancée. She has a strained relationship with her father and works with Dent to bring Batman down as both see him as
32936-421: Was criticism due to the story's sluggish pacing. According to Comic Book Roundup, the main event received a score of 7.5 out of 10. David Brooke from AIPT wrote " Batman #116 is a feast for the eyes, and an exciting comic due to its backup and some exciting action-packed moments. The main story moves the story forward very little, but it does bring us closer to the end of "Fear State" in the slickest looking book of
33120-532: Was given a regular backup slot in Detective Comics starting with issue #384 (February 1969), alternating issues with Robin until issue #404, after which she had the backup slot to herself. Frank Robbins wrote nearly all of these backups, which were penciled first by Gil Kane and later by Don Heck . Barbara Gordon's Batgirl exceeded the earlier Bat-Girl and Batwoman characters in popularity, and readers requested for her to appear in other titles. Although some readers requested that Batwoman also continue to appear in
33304-470: Was our editor on the project", and following a discussion with then-Executive Editorial Director Dick Giordano, "Len got back onto the phone and said, 'Yeah, okay, cripple the bitch.'" Although there has been speculation as to whether or not editors at DC specifically intended to have the character's paralysis become permanent, Brian Cronin, author of Was Superman A Spy?: And Other Comic Book Legends Revealed (2009) noted that DC had hired Barbara Kesel to write
33488-407: Was revived during the Silver Age of Comic Books by writer Gardner Fox and artist Sheldon Moldoff in Batman #189 (February 1967), which featured the debut of the character's signature fear-inducing hallucinogen or "fear toxin". The character remained relatively unchanged throughout the Bronze Age of Comic Books . Following the 1986 multi-title event Crisis on Infinite Earths reboot ,
33672-415: Was sent to the Sanctuary , the Gardener (Poison Ivy's ex-girlfriend) had a feeling that Poison Ivy would die soon so she took a part of Poison Ivy's soul and put it in a seed. The Magistrate tried to take control of the Poison Ivy duplicate, but Catwoman and her group saved the clone of Poison Ivy. Poison Ivy merges with her clone to be fully revived and cured of her feral state, and uses her phermones to calm
33856-726: Was written to reduce the complex history of DC Comics to a single continuity. Although Batgirl is a featured character, her role is relatively small—she delivers Supergirl's eulogy in issue #7 of the 12-part series. The conclusion of Crisis on Infinite Earths changed DC Universe continuity in many ways. Following the reboot , Barbara Gordon is born to Roger and Thelma Gordon, and she is Jim Gordon's niece/adopted daughter in post-crisis continuity. Post- Crisis , Supergirl does not arrive on Earth until after Gordon has established herself as Oracle; many adventures she shared with Batgirl are retroactively described as having been experienced by Power Girl . In Secret Origins #20 featuring Batgirl and
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