Batgirl will be concluding next month in an extra-sized Batgirl #50 and the future of Barbara Gordon’s Batgirl has been put into question in Batgirl #49. Gordon may have given up the Batgirl mantle after the events of Batgirl #49, so will Cassandra Cain or Stephanie Brown become Batgirl again?
Batgirl was re-paralyzed by the Joker during Joker War but was able to get back on her feet quickly. In the story arc, Batgirl is chasing down a serial killer that was killing red-headed women and dressing them as Batgirl. In Gordon’s personal life, she has been dealing with family problems with James Gordon, Jr. and Commissioner Gordon. The killer is revealed to be James Gordon, Jr, who has been dealing with multiple personalities. In the showdown between the two, James falls off a ledge and Batgirl fails to catch him, leaving Commissioner Gordon believing that Batgirl has murdered his son.
In reaction to the events and built-up emotions of the past months, Barbara Gordon quit. Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown do remember their pre-Flashpoint lives where they were both Batgirls and protégés of Gordon. Cain and Gordon also have an established relationship from the end of James Tynions’ Detective Comics run. Will Barbara Gordon move on from the Batgirl mantle and pass it back to either Cain or Brown?
Cain and Brown currently go by Orphan and Spoiler, respectively, but both of their versions of Batgirl were very popular at the times of their runs in the 2000s. Cassandra Cain might be the more likely option to give the Batgirl mantle to, due to her relationship with Gordon and her character development. It would be great to see Cain back in the Batsuit, which recently appeared in a variant cover for Batman: The Joker Warzone #1, which will come out on September 29.
DC Comics has not done much with the fact that both Cain and Brown remember that they were Batgirl, and if Gordon leaves the role, it would provide a perfect opportunity to address the Batgirl-sized elephant in the room. Gordon is due for a change as well, which could mean a return to the Oracle role, or a new identity altogether. Gordon returned to the Oracle role shortly in the beginning of Batgirl and the Birds of Prey, but balanced the Batgirl and Oracle identity. Oracle could leave the Clock Tower headquarters more and be seen in the streets of Gotham.
Batgirl #49, while closing doors on Barbara Gordon’s life, opened a few possibilities to who could be seen under the Batgirl cowl. Maybe it’s time for Gordon to move on and pass it back to one of the other Batgirls. Batgirl’s story will be concluded in the series finale Batgirl #50 coming in October.
