Barbara Gordon/Oracle

Subject Facts

Full Name: Barbara Gordon
Codename: Oracle
Age: 28
Gender: Female
Archetype: Vigilante
Aliases: Babs, Cassandra
Marital Status: Single
Affiliation: Birds of Prey, Bat-family

Subject Attributes

Meta-Human Abilities: N/A

Standard Abilities: Genius-level Intellect - Barbara's intelligence has always been her most invaluable attribute. She is knowledgeable in a great (and constantly growing) number of subjects, and has countless facts and kernels of knowledge memorized. Her intelligence allows her to manage various facets of her role as Oracle at a heightened rate compared to without.

Eidetic Memory - Barbara has a photographic memory. Anything that she sees, reads or experiences she can recall with total clarity at any point afterward. This greatly boosts her capability with technology, as well as a good many other things.

Oracle - Barbara is a technological genius where it comes to computers. She can hack into any system that she needs to, and if a program doesn't already exist to serve a purpose she needs, she can craft one with apparent ease.

Strategist - Barbara is a brilliant tactician and overseer. She remotely orchestrates, leads and monitors missions for the Birds of Prey as well as other Gotham vigilantes, and proves invaluable in doing so. Barbara is gifted at perceiving almost all angles when it comes to an op, and preparing for any contingency that is necessary.

Skilled Combatant - Barbara is a highly trained hand-to-hand combatant, taught by Richard Dragon at a time when he, too, was restricted to a wheelchair. Because of Babs's dependency on from her torso up, her upper body strength is remarkable, even by vigilante standards. She is proficient in such styles as boxing, Dragon-style Kung Fu, Judo and Stick Fighting. Barbara's favored form of combat, and that which she is most dangerous in, is with the employ of escrima sticks.

Well-Connected - Oracle's contacts are nearly limitless. Though she works the most intimately with the Bat-family and the Birds of Prey, she has played informant or info-broker to the entire superhero community at large on more than one occasion.

Paraphernalia: Oracle uses the greatest advanced computer technology she can find, secure or even create. Her systems are some of the most incredible and impenetrable ones on the face of the earth. They are a unique hybrid of advanced technology from Earth, Thanagar, Mars and New Genesis; Oracle's systems even earned Braniac's respect. Through specially designed communication devices, Barbara is in constant contact with her Birds, Batman and other vigilantes based out of Gotham.

She also has linked up with Justice League comm. channels before, if the need has been dire enough. Barbara employs a pair of escrima sticks to deadly result if physical action is required of her. Babs also has, of course, her wheelchair, which is booby-trapped with taser lines, among other things. Fun fact: it has no handles on the back. She "doesn't like to be pushed". Babs also employs other gadgets at need; for example, a lipstick that releases knockout gas. Oracle also has a pet canary named Charlie.

Subject Weaknesses: Barbara is a mortal woman with all of the frailties that that entails. She is susceptible to illness, disease and injury and can die fairly easily. Obviously, Barbara is restricted to a wheelchair, which arguably makes her more vulnerably and definitely decreases her mobility. Barbara is also only the greatest asset to her allies when her computers can do their job. When it comes to remote corners of the world, she has proven she isn't useless, but she certainly isn't as helpful as in a metropolitan setting.

Subject History

Born to Roger and Thelma Gordon in the suburbs of Chicago, Barbara was fascinated with superheroes from the beginning. Growing up, she would spend unmeasured time with her friends fantasizing over costumed identities for themselves. They even designed their own costumes to suit the part. Barbara's home life was not perfect, stemmed mostly from her father's alcoholism. Barbara was also remarkably close to her uncle, James Gordon (eventual Captain of the Gotham City Police Department), and her father constantly suggested that she move to live with Jim. When Barbara was twelve years-old, she visited her uncle in Gotham City; close enough to him that she referred to Jim as "dad". During her visit Jim and Barbara were attacked by a former GCPD detective who had lost his sanity, been admitted, and then broken out of Arkham Asylum. The two were saved by the Batman, starting in Barbara a deep obsession with the dark knight.

At some point as Barbara was growing up, her parents separated, and she lived with her mother exclusively. When Barbara was fourteen years-old, a band of corrupt police officers kidnapped Jim, his wife and his son and brought him back to Chicago from Gotham City. Batman arrived soon enough to rescue Jim, but not before he had been tortured in front of his wife and child. A panicked Thelma was involved in a car crash during these events that was fatal. Only weeks later, before Barbara could properly mourn the tragic passing of her mother, her father was having surgery related to his alcoholism and died due to complications during the surgery. After this, Barbara was officially adopted by Jim Gordon, and moved to Gotham City with him.

Her new proximity to the urban hero, the Batman, only helped inflame her mounting obsession with. Barbara learned everything she possibly could about the vigilante, and became an expert on his exploits and what little facts were known about him. By the time that Barbara was fifteen, her adoration of the Batman catalyzed when she eavesdropped on the dark knight and her father having a conversation in his home study. Batman even left a note telling her to stay out of trouble, furthering Barbara's fascination with him all the more. After this, Barbara insisted that her father enroll her in martial arts classes, which he reluctantly agreed to do. Barbara would continue to work tirelessly at her martial trades, earning her black belt in prodigious time. Barbara was also an incredibly bright young woman. Her photographic memory and stunning intellect allowed her to easily conquer high school, graduating at age sixteen.

Later that year, Jim's wife (Barbara) left him, ending their marriage and taking their son, James Junior, with her. Though Jim and his wife got back together the next year, after a handful of months they officially parted, Mrs Gordon filing for divorce and (once again) taking their son with her; although over the next few years James Junior lived primarily with his mother, he would occasionally visit his father and stay with Barbara and Jim in Gotham City. This included a vacation to a cabin whereupon James Junior was revealed to have myriad psychological disorders, revealed by his apparent murder of Babs' friend, Bess.

After graduating from high school, Barbara earned a scholarship to Gotham State University, where she graduated with honors before she was even a legal adult. During her time there, Barbara befriended Katarina Armstrong (the future "Spy Smasher"), although their friendship ended badly, estranging them for several years. Barbara continued to expand her mastery of the martial arts to include several new forms while she took a position as a research assistant at the Gotham Public Library. All the while, Barbara nurtured the desire to break into the world of law enforcement; apparently her only way of doing what she aspired to do - what Batman did. When Barbara professed her desire to enter the Police Academy to her father, Jim laughed in her face, amused by the absurdity of the idea, citing that she "didn't even meet the height requirements". Undaunted, Barbara tried to enroll in first the Police Academy, and then the FBI, but was turned away for many of the same reasons her father was so tickled at the prospect.

Now eighteen years old, Barbara saw a chance for some form of satisfaction during the upcoming Million Dollar Masquerade Ball, hosted by the Gotham City Police Department at Bristol Country Club. Countless members of the social elite were supposed to be in attendance, including billionaire Bruce Wayne. Barbara fashioned a feminine version of the Batman's outfit, fully intending to crash the party in a bid to spite her father. When "Batgirl" arrived, however, she found that someone else had beat her to the punch. A costumed criminal calling himself Killer Moth had raided the affair along with his underlings, even going so far as to take Bruce Wayne as a hostage. Batgirl attacked Killer Moth to rescue Bruce Wayne, who slipped away to change and return as the Batman along with his sidekick, Robin. By that point, however, Barbara had been bested by the criminals, and in order to save her, Batman and Robin had to allow Killer Moth and his band of miscreants to escape.

So Barbara, in her Batgirl costume, met the Batman face-to-face for the first time. Instead of complimenting her, he rebuked her, scorning her foolishness and lack of capability, and warning her against pursuing such a reckless lifestyle. Although shocked to her core upon hearing such words from her idol, Barbara was perhaps the more resolved because of it afterwards. Batgirl's continued exploits were slowly aided by Robin (who gradually revealed himself as Dick Grayson) "sneaking" Barbara necessary implements (batarangs, ect) secretly; when really it was with Batman's urging. Ultimately, she unearthed (likely by design) the true nature of Batman and Robin, and swore an oath to Bruce, officially becoming Batgirl.

The year wore on with Batgirl continuing to fight against crime both alongside Robin and the Batman as well as on her own. When Barbara was nineteen years-old, she answered the door to her and her father's apartment. The Joker was on the other side, intent on kidnapping the Commissioner. Barbara, however, stood in his way. The Joker shot Barbara and left her to die. She awoke later in the hospital, where the news was delivered to her that the Joker's bullet had hit her spinal column, rendering her paralyzed from the waist down. So ended the brief days of Batgirl, and the dream that Barbara had harbored since childhood of being a costumed hero. Originally, Barbara's new circumstances plunged her into a deep depression. Soon enough, she realized that her aptitude for computer sciences and her stunning intellect could allow her to fight crime in a whole new way.

With the same fervor that she once tackled her vigilante antics with, Barbara began creating the most complex and powerful computer systems on the earth. Barbara turned her photographic memory and new-found mastery of technology toward the gathering of facts and intelligence. Barbara's musings were catalyzed in a dream she had where she beheld an all-knowing woman who possessed Barbara's own face. Afterward, she took the codename "Oracle", the dream-woman having reminded the learned Barbara of the prophetic Oracle of Delphi. She built up her ability as an information broker, originally assisting the government-operated "Suicide Squad" anonymously beneath varying aliases until she was officially offered an honorary place in the team by Amanda Waller. Oracle then began culminating information and sending it to local law enforcement or members of the superhero community at need. She even trained in the use of escrima sticks under Richard Dragon in order to protect herself even without the use of her legs.

Soon enough Barbara extended her services to Batman, and became the primary source of information for the dark knight while he was in the field, thus solidifying Oracle as Bruce's intellectual equal, and beginning a partnership that would last years to come.

After a time operating primarily with Batman, and then randomly with other heroes or law enforcement agencies, Barbara contemplated the prospect of starting her own team; female agents she could deploy at need, informed by Oracle to increase success rates. Her first attempt at this was with Power Girl. Tragically, several assignments into the partnership, a case went horribly wrong, resulting in a number of deaths. Power Girl blamed Oracle entirely and severed all connections to her; to this day, they are estranged. Remorseful, but not dissuaded from her idea for a team of her own, Barbara enlisted the help of another heroine: the Black Canary. The two women bonded over the shared circumstances of having lost their original abilities, but prevailing in spite of their new handicaps; Oracle with her mobility, and Canary (at the time) with her sonic "Canary Cry". For a substantial length, Barbara maintained her anonymity even with Black Canary until the two were forced to meet when Blockbuster tracked Oracle down. The two became incomparable friends, and formed the nucleus of Oracle's envisioned group: the Birds of Prey.

Barbara also met her longtime pen-pal, who ended up being Ted Kord, the Blue Beetle. The two quickly deduced one another's secret identities and began a legitimate friendship, with Ted assisting Barbara more regularly after he "quit" his job as a superhero. Oracle and the Black Canary went through countless missions with one another, across the globe, in and out of war-zones and even through time. Out of costume, Babs and Dinah were just as close, confiding most everything in one another. When Dinah fell in love with Ra's al Ghul, but wouldn't believe his true identity even at Babs' assurance, Oracle enlisted a team of her previous contacts to save her best friend from the Demon; including Power Girl, Militia, the Blue Beetle and even herself in the flesh. Dinah was gravely wounded, and Babs instructed Ted to use one of Ra's Lazarus Pits to save her life, restoring her Canary Cry in the process.

Barbara and Nightwing also began a serious relationship, which met its first hurdle in the aftermath of the Joker's world-wide spree of terror after breaking out of the Slab. They reconciled during their, Robin and Alfred's investigation to clear Bruce Wayne of charged murder, coming out on the other side even stronger for it. Babs became increasingly more worried over Dick's well-being as he pushed himself harder and harder in his vigilante efforts. He would work all day as a Bludhaven police officer and then all night as Nightwing, even after the initial reason for his joining the force became obsolete. Barbara knew that Dick had a knack for feeling personally responsible for everything around him, even things out of his control, or that he should allow others to deal with, and continually struggled with attempts to make him see why she was concerned. The situation was made even more complicated with the appearance of the costumed identity Tarantula in Bludhaven.

When the criminal blackmailer Savant abducted Dinah, Babs was forced to ask for help from an unlikely source: the Huntress. After Helena assisted in rescuing Dinah, she became the first steady addition to the Birds of Prey since Oracle and the Black Canary founded it (even if it took some coaxing from Dinah). Shortly thereafter Barbara was abducted as one of several women who were suspects of being Oracle. With help from a turncoat Savant and a few of her contacts, Babs was rescued and oversaw the operation's dismantling.

Afterward, the new Birds trio was solidified, with Babs assuring a boutique for Dinah to set up a florist shop, and a job as an elementary school teacher for Helena. When the Birds were investigating a strange cult in Oregon linked to a bizarre string of wealthy adolescent suicides, Barbara was infected by Braniac. The computerized villain had been looking for ways to reenter the world, and was impressed enough by Barbara's mind and body to choose him as his new "mother", overwhelming her in the space between cyberspace and psyche meet. Thanks' to Dinah's intervention, Babs was given the compass to regaining her sense of self, thereby enabling her to oust Braniac. Though successful, Braniac left a mark on Barbara, like a cybernetic contagion.

When Gotham was caught in a full scale gang war, Oracle worked tirelessly coordinating vigilante efforts. At the climax of the war, Black Mask infiltrated the Watchtower. Batman intervened, but Babs could see in his body language that he wasn't intending on surviving the fight. Without recourse, Barbara did the only thing that she could think of to save his life: having someone to rescue. To that end, Babs initiated the Clocktower's immediate self-destruct, forcing Batman to abandon his futile duel with Black Mask in order to save her. The Clocktower was completely razed. Every important personal affect, and every core component of her system was lost in the detonation, including her mainframe.

With Dinah and Helena's moral support, and Ted Kord's tech support, Babs transplanted the Birds' headquarters into Aerie One; a hi-tech, untraceable jet. And to pilot the craft? Babs enrolled the services of the Lady Blackhawk, Zinda Blake, who had been displaced from her time during WWII into the present by the events of Zero Hour.

After her encounter with Braniac, Babs secretly created an advanced Oracle helmet that allowed her to mentally "multi-task", psionically interfacing with technology in cyberspace. Through use of the mask, Barbara hijacked twelve unbelievable satellites originally launched into orbit by Lex Luthor, giving her more power in her capacity as an info-broker than ever before. Just when Babs, Dinah and Helena were finally starting to mesh, Huntress found out that the first handful of missions that she had been deployed on as a Bird of Prey were specially chosen by Barbara as a kind of "rehab for brokens uper-heroines". Huntress ceased contact with the team afterward.

When the Blue Beetle went missing, Barbara assisted in the search efforts at Booster Gold's behest, to no avail. What more, the contagion that first manifested after her encounter with Braniac took a turn for the worse. Believing that she likely wouldn't survive the cybernetic virus, Babs met with Helena to apologize and try to atone for the mess she'd made of their friendship. It turned out that the idea of the mask that Babs had been using came from the increased knowledge that the virus gave her; Barbara just mistakenly thought she could control it. Babs had a one in four chance of surviving the removal of the virus, but thanks to the best of the superhero and medical communities gathering together (the latter with funding from a certain someone), she pulled through. During recovery, Babs made the miraculous discovery that, for the first time since that fateful night years ago, she could move her toes.

After Babs was released from Doctor Mid-Nite's care, she established a new base of operations. She secured the top floors of Dalten Towers in Metropolis for her use, and the use of any other agent who needed it. Zinda finally christened the group officially as the Birds of Prey and, although initially declining the offer, the Huntress rejoined the roster. All-in-all, with the response in her toes and the way that the Birds were working so well together, finally, Babs started acting more like her old self; she was happy.

That happiness was challenged by the Calculator. The Lexcorp satellites that Barbara had hijacked previously were his job to reclaim on behest of Lex Luthor, Talia al Ghul and Deathstroke and their new Secret Society of Super Villains. Calculator couldn't overcome Babs' defenses, and his pride was pricked, and his curiosity about Oracle's identity. During the Calculator's search for this answer (which he instrumented the abduction of Savant to torture information from), Barbara finally decided to let her father in on her greatest secrets; her identity as both Oracle, and formerly Batgirl (although "That one, he knew.") During a confrontation with Batman where Babs put trust in Huntress over obedience to his demands, the Birds retrieved Savant successfully, defeating Deathstroke in the process.

After the destruction of Bludhaven by Deathstroke's hand, Nightwing, who had been soul searching for a period of around six months after his part in Blockbuster's murder, renewed his relationship with Barbara; by proposing. Babs accepted. During the events of the Infinite Crisis, Oracle coordinated efforts in tandem with the Martian Manhunter. After the resolution of the event, Bruce, Tim and Dick decided to go on a world tour, mirroring Bruce's pilgrimage of self-discovery from his youth. Under the circumstances, Dick and Babs agreed to postpone their engagement until the time was right.

Over the following year, Barbara continued to lead the Birds of Prey from Metropolis. She expanded the roster and began working with Batman less frequently than before, focusing on her team. Dinah decided to leave the team to devote herself to raising her adopted daughter, Sin, whereupon Helena became the field leader. Barbara encountered a childhood friend, Katarina Armstrong, now operating as "Spy Smasher," who tried to take over the Birds of Prey, though Barbara defeated her in combat to secure leadership.

The Birds of Prey later found a miraculously alive Tora Olafsdotter, aka Ice, on a mission in Russia. Barbara also discovered the young orphan teleporter Misfit and adopted her into the Birds. Following Bart Allen's murder, Barbara dispatched Batwoman and the Question to capture the Trickster and Pied Piper. She then managed to defeat the Calculator virtually, who was trying to steal the identities of superheroes, and helped Karate Kid and Triplicate Girl.

When Barbara heard that Oliver Queen had proposed to Dinah, she initially tried to talk her out of accepting, but agreed to be her maid of honor when she refused. Catwoman contacted Oracle for all her information on Thomas Elliot's bank accounts, which she provided without hesitation. Darkseid soon learned the Anti-Life Equation and, though Oracle and Mr Terrific tried to stop him, used the internet as a catalyst to lay control on much of the earth. After another encounter with the Calculator where Barbara narrowly prevailed, she began to doubt herself and disbanded the Birds of Prey to do some soul-searching.

Following Bruce's death, Barbara broke into and upgraded Nightwing's New York headquarters as a favor. She moved back to Gotham City and lived in a run-down apartment, summoning her Birds agents to assist Robin and Nightwing combat the growing crime rates in Batman's absence. Calculator began trying to piece together the Anti-Life Equation by finding its fragments on the internet from Darkseid's earlier attack. Traveling to Hong Kong, Barbara managed to best Calculator yet again.

Though Barbara initially disapproved of Stephanie Brown taking up the mantel of Batgirl, she was eventually convinced of her worthiness and began mentoring her properly. Oracle even took up a job as an assistant professor at Gotham University. When Nekron attacked with his Black Lantern Corps, Barbara sent the distress call throughout the superhero community and then was forced to fight Batman's deceased rogues gallery alongside her father. Saved by Batman, Robin and Red Robin, Barbara and Jim were taken to their underground base to recover.

Following Bruce Wayne's return to life, Barbara was enlisted to help him orchestrate his new concept: Batman Incorporated. Oracle directed Cassandra Cain, now going by "Black Bat" on a mission in Hong Kong. Next, her brother James Gordon Jr returned to Gotham City as a serial killer and abducted Barbara, who distracted him long enough for Batman and her father to arrive.

Subject Interview

Oracle had worked with the Huntress long enough to know that "this is crazy" meant "I don't wanna". She'd also worked with the Huntress long enough to know that "I don't wanna" meant she needed to complain. Barbara rarely had the right to stop her operatives from moaning. They were all professionals, and the women that Oracle dispatched and directed were the best. If one of them griped, there was usually a very valid reason for them to do so. Usually. With the present instance, Babs may have understood intellectually why Helena was hesitant to do as she was instructed, but there was no real validity to that hesitancy.

No validity beyond discomfort, or the promise of awkward exchanges, that is.

Babs let Helena list her complaints, though. She deserved to do so, whatever else. Meanwhile, Oracle continued to go about her own business. Barbara wasn't in her projection room that evening. She was actually posted up in her living area, watching the Metropolis evening news on the television; almost like a normal person. Except that the laptop open on her thighs was still monitoring countless ongoing operations - including the progress and status of the Huntress and the certain acrobat that she was en route to meet up with. "Angle right," Babs said distractedly. Helena's blip on the map of Gotham City that was upon Oracle's computer did as she was advised, and Barbara continued to watch the news.

After a few moments filled with Helena's continued commentary, Babs spoke again. "Straight ahead." Helena had officially entered the area that Nightwing was in. Oracle knew more specifically where Dick was in the shipyard, but circumstances meant that Huntress would have to remain relatively tight-lipped for the next few moments. Until she made her entrance into the bit of trouble that Nightwing was currently dealing with. "You let me handle blue-eyes. If he insists, then I'll insist right back and between the two of us, I think he's afraid of me." Babs was joking - kind of - but saying as much brought a vague grin to her lips as she took a sip from a cup of coffee at her elbow.

"I think what he's uncovered is bigger than he thinks it might be. Whether he admits it or not - and he won't, so don't get your hopes up - he needs all the help he can get. And you're my legs, H." Oracle stopped speaking when Huntress asked for clarification of where Nightwing was. "Three aisles up and two to the left." With that done, and Helena still stuck with muttered whispers, Babs continued. "For what it's worth, I would have preferred to keep you out of it. You know, all things considered? But Dinah's on break, and you were close enough not to need Zinda to act as transit so I didn't really have any other options."

Author's Notes

Player Alias: Di

Other Characters: Diana Prince and Selina Kyle

How did you find ARFD?: Creator