Batgirl’s Most Important Relationship Isn’t with Nightwing, & 1 Heartbreaking Scene Proves It

Warning! Contains spoilers for Birds of Prey #8!

A devastating turn in Birds of Prey has proven that Batgirl’s most important relationship isn’t with Nightwing, but Black Canary. Dinah has been trying to keep Barbara safe throughout the series thus far, as a still-unrevealed entity has been hunting her down. When the final pages of issue #8 see Barbara abducted, Dinah selflessly enters the unknown to rescue her longtime friend and teammate while the Birds follow her lead.

The climax of Birds of Prey #8 by Kelly Thompson, Javier Pina, and David López has Barbara taken through a portal towards certain doom. After screaming after her beloved friend, Dinah commands the Birds to stay back while she leaps into action to save Barbara, but the remaining team members follow suit.

Barbara Gordon is often paired with Dick Grayson, and their on-and-off relationship makes them one of the DC Universe’s most well-known couples. Shared history as Batman’s earliest protégés forever connects the duo in DC Comics, but it wasn’t until the Birds of Prey formed that Barbara made her most meaningful connection.

Black Canary Follows Oracle Into Certain Doom

Barbara and Dinah’s Well-Established Relationship Is on Full Display

Dinah Lance’s Black Canary has had a well-established relationship with Barbara Gordon as both Batgirl and Oracle, but the heartbreaking ending of Birds of Prey #8 proves the power of their bond. It was revealed in issue #6 that an unknown villain is trying to kill Barbara, and Dinah vowed to never let that happen on her watch. When Batgirl is kidnapped in the aftermath of Vixen’s fashion show, Dinah’s devastated reaction and near-instant decision to enter the dangerous portal and rescue Barbara exemplifies the strength of their sisterhood.

Dinah and Barbara’s friendship has been a staple of DC Comics since their team’s inception in Birds of Prey: Black Canary/Oracle #1 by Chuck Dixon and Gary Frank. Oracle recruits Black Canary to join the Birds of Prey, and they are the only inaugural members at the team’s first appearance. In the years since the comic was first published in late 1995, Dinah and Barbara have not only had strong ties to the team but to each other as close friends. They’ve had ups and downs over the years, but the heroes have always shown deep trust and admiration for one another.

The Birds of Prey Uplift Barbara More Than the Bat-Family

Romance vs. Friendship – One Stands the Test of Time

While the bonds she’s formed with Nightwing and the rest of the Bat-Family are essential to Barbara Gordon’s story, the team she built herself has defined her character and place in the DC Universe. Since Oracle created the Birds of Prey with Black Canary, the group has been a strong and empowering foundation for both characters and the team’s ever-expanding roster, including Cassandra Cain’s Batgirl. With Nightwing as a fluctuating love interest and the other Bat-characters making up a crime-fighting family with complicated dynamics, the Birds of Prey are Batgirl’s group of supportive friends and most trusted allies.

Dinah risking it all to save Barbara shows their powerful friendship, but the other Birds joining her proves that the team overall is a force to be reckoned with. The emotional core of the team makes them fiercely protective of each other in a way that isn’t seen in other teams. As the Birds of Prey travel to a strange new world in the series’ future, the team’s bond will grow even further. Batgirl and Nightwing will always be a power couple, but Black Canary and the team they built together defines Barbara Gordon’s legacy in DC Comics.

Birds of Prey #8 is available now from DC Comics.