Batgirl

Bette Kane

Bette Kane as "Bat-Girl"

Barbara Gordon

 The iconic Batgirl: Barbara Gordon

Barbara Gordon is the niece (adopted daughter) of Gotham City Police Commissioner James Gordon. Barbara started her crime fighting career as Batgirl when she was on her way to a costume ball dressed as a female Batman. Barbara accidentally stumbled on an attempt to kidnap Batman by Killer Moth.

Eventually Barbara would reveal her secret identity to her father, James Gordon. However, he had already discovered his daughter’s alter ego on his own. Barbara would give up her career as Batgirl to pursue politics. Batgirl would be brought back in Superman comics when she was set up as a blind date for Clark Kent. They developed a great friendship and also fought along side each other.

While Barbara was still into politics, she (as Batgirl) would eventually team up with Robin (Dick Grayson). Dick worked for Barbara was her intern during the summers. He had a crush on her but she was currently dating a Senator. Eventually they would both discover each other’s alter-ego and continue fighting crime together. Batgirl has also teamed up with Supergirl many times, and the two have become close friends.

Barbara Gordon’s back story was changed after Crisis on Infinite Earths. She was now the daughter of Roger and Thelma Gordon. Jim Gordon was Roger’s brother and Barbara’s uncle. Her mother and aunt were killed in a car accident because of her father’s drinking. Her dad became a heavy drinker and started taking his aggression out on Barbara, eventually died from too much alcohol and self-abuse. Jim would adopt Barbara to live with him, his wife also named Barbara, and his son in Gotham City. At first Jim and Barbara did not get along, but with time they grew close. However when Batman discovered a letter that Barbara had been keeping in a safe, it reveals that Barbara knew that Jim had been dating her mother before she married Roger and that there is a chance that Jim is her biological father. She also says that she does not want to confront him with this because it might not be true.

Barbara was a gifted child and she quickly became a skilled martial artist and graduated High School at an early age. She had always wanted to work in law enforcement but Jim Gordon her father disapproved of this saying she did not meet the height requirements and she needed a less dangerous life. She applied to the FBI but was dismissed because her body was not physically built for the job.

She became angered at her father’s disapproval of her wanting to go into law enforcement that she crashed the Gotham City Police Department annual ball dressed as a female Batman. Coincidentally Killer Moth attempted a robbery at the ball and this helped launch Batgirl’s career. Batman and Robin would take her in and help train her. Also, Dick and Barbara had also been dating for a long time already. With Supergirl’s origin being retconned, her early adventures with Supergirl was changed into adventures with Power Girl.

On one fateful day, Barbara and her father James Gordon were in their home when someone came knocking on the door. Barbara opens the door and was shot and paralyzed from the waist down by the Joker in The Killing Joke story arc. Barbara would never be able to return to her role as Batgirl. However, it did not stop her from fighting crime. She is currently operating under the identity of Oracle and leader of the Birds Of Prey.

Helena Bertinelli

Helena Bertinelli as Batgirl

Cassandra Cain

Cassandra Cain as Batgirl

No Man's Land

Cassandra spent the next nine years homeless, beating herself up mentally over what she'd done as she traveled the world. Entering Gotham City at 17 Cassandra came to be one of Oracle's agents in the No Man's Land of Gotham City. After saving Commissioner Gordon's life from her assassin father, she was given the Batgirl costume with the approval of both Batman and Oracle. She became Barbara's ward and in a sense, the Batman's adoptive daughter. As the No Man's Land wore on the new Batgirl was introduced to the rest of the Bat family with varying levels of acceptance. Usually going out under the Batman's watchful eye she was finally allowed to go on a solo mission when a patrol station needed guarding against a local gang. Near the end of No Man's Land Batman noticed her death wish and forced her to make a decision between suicidal actions and self preservation. She opted for self preservation.

One Year Later

At the end of the Batgirl series featuring Cassandra, she gave up the Batgirl identity, but after One Year Later, she has appeared wearing it once again, this time as a villain in Titans East and the leader of the League Of Assassins. Cassandra had even framed Robin for murder.

It had been reavealed that the supervillain Deathstroke had drugged Cassandra Cain and kept her as his loyal subject. Thanks to the interaction of Robin and the Teen Titans, Cassandra was released from the influence of the drug and has reverted back to her original personality.

Redemption Road

After what happened with Deathstroke, and the titans east. Cassandra went on a man hunt for Slade and her father. She then found a name and went back to the batcave and ran into Nightwing and got into a fight. Batman and Robin arrived and stopped their conflict. She then left after her conversation with Batman and continued her search. Which led her to a factory where she ran into a masked woman named Marque. Cassandra and Marque eventually teamed up as they were both after David Cain and Slade Wilson. A no killing rule was established by Cassandra, but was promtely broken by Marque. Soon after she and Marque "joined forces" they were caught by Ravager, who was also looking for her father, Slade Wilson. Again Cassandra was able to gain an ally and the three fought together against Marque and Cassandra's "sisters". They are working together to find Wilson and Cain.  At the end of the story, Cassandra decides not to kill Cain and actually saves him.  She is then adopted by Bruce Wayne.

Outsiders
Cassandra joins the outsiders at the end of Batman and the Outsiders (vol.2) #2.  Only for the team to fall apart during "Batman R.I.P".  With the fall of the Outsiders Cassandra has been looking for super-humans whom are trying to redeem themselves to join a new incarnation of the Outsiders.  As well as having certain abilities or aspects like the hero Batman.  Alfred states it will be difficult and asks why Master Dick(Nightwing)  is not in her line-up.  Cassandra replies he wouldn't understand.  Nightwing appears after she leaves and next issue it's Batgirl versus Nightwing!

Other Media
Cassandra Cain appeared in a cameo alongside Tim Drake in the video game Batman Dark Tomorrow. In the Justice League episode The Savage Time, when the alternate Batman appears there is a girl resembling Cassandra Cain appears next to Tim Drake 

Stephanie Brown

Stephanie Brown as Batgirl

Some time after the Final Crisis, when Batman died in the fight against Darkseid, we find the new Batman (Dick Grayson) and Robin (Damian Wayne) observing Batgirl sloppily stopping a dangerous street racing racket. When Damian criticizes Batgirl, Dick agrees, saying that this Batgirl wasn't as good as the other Batgirl. His observation is confirmed when Batgirl reveals herself not as Cassandra Cain, but as Stephanie Brown.
 
Flashing back to earlier events, Spoiler and Batgirl are taking down a group of thugs at the docks. After mentioning how self-delusion is what ties them together as friends, Cassandra, possibly from anger or disillusionment, inexplicably declares that she won't fight for Batman's crest or symbol any longer. Removing her costume, she disappears when Stephanie's back is turned, leaving her discarded costume behind. 
 
Stephanie, who once decided to give up the hood of the Spoiler, now finds herself torn between taking up the fight of Batgirl, or moving on to a normal life as a college freshman. After what she intended to be her last foray as Batgirl almost ended disastrously, she is surprised to find Barbara Gordon waiting for her in her home. It seemed as if her recent activities as Batgirl had not gone unnoticed.

 
Skills and Equipment

Martial Arts

  
Each Batgirl was trained in martial arts. Barbara trained herself in the martial arts before she became Batgirl and was further trained by Richard Dragon after she became wheelchair-bound.  
 
Due to the harsh training she went through as a child, Cassandra is one of the greatest martial artists in the world and is a master assassin. She is skilled in being able to comprehend a person's body movements as if it were language or speech, and thus knows what actions a person will use before they actually do. She is also a master of different kinds of melee and ranged weaponry. Her time with the Barbara and the Batman only enhanced her already considerable skills.

Helena is also trained in many martial arts such as Dragon Style Kung Fu by Richard Dragon. She is also a master archer.

Detective 
 
Barbara has a photographic memory and is a skilled detective. Cassandra was given some detective training from Tim Darke while they were in Blüdhaven.

Equipment  
 
Each Batgirl carries an assortment of Batgadgets such as Batarangs, smoke grenades, small explosives, grappling hooks and lines and a Batcycle. Barbara's cowl had various lenses in it and when she pressed a button either clear lens, a telescopic-vision lens, a microsopic-vision lens, a thermal lens, and a multi-light tracer lens would appear. Huntress carries crossbow, knife, twin-pistols, metallic staff as well as her own motorcycle.