As everybody undoubtably knows, Barbara Gordon being made able to walk again has been amongst the most controversal aspects of the "New 52".

Some people like her back as Batgirl. Some people don't like it so much. And a lot seem unsure how they feel.

I think I'm in the latter category. And I've been asking myself why that is for a while.

I've reached the conclusion that it's not so much Babs being back in action that irks me so much as her running right back to being Batgirl.

This got me thinking: rather than just throwing her back in a wheelchair and having her become Oracle again, would it be possible to have her retain her mobility and yet still be Oracle (or an Oracle-like charatcer?)

It's bittersweet seeing her back in action as Batgirl - on the one hand I like seeing Babs on the street kicking butt and being a hero. On the other hand. Batgirl kind of feels like a step backwards. Oracle showed that Barbara has evolved over the years from some kid in a Bat suit to an intelligent, independed, and strong character.

I'm starting to ramble so I'll just get to the point - I think that Barbara should lose the Batgirl persona (give it back to Cassie or Stephanie) and should become a new sort of hero (a sort of blend between Oracle and Batgirl maybe?).

Does anybody else agree?

It's possible. But I'm sure people wil complain about it.

They say (and I pray not) that the way Cyborg is looking, he might be the new Oracle sooner or later.

http://www.the-gutters.com/comic/147-ron-chan

- I never cared less about Barbara Gordon when she was Batgirl, it was only when she was Oracle that I read anything related to her. IMO she was a far better and more original character, from what little I have read of the New 52 her direction is a step back.

- I think it would be better to take a hybrid approach to appease the fans of both sides. Babs could have continued to fulfill her role as Oracle, but now with the ability to do field work under a different identity when/if needed.

@RedOwl_1 said:

http://www.the-gutters.com/comic/147-ron-chan

XD I had a similar thought when I found that Barbara was out of the wheelchair (more or less without an explanation).

Which brings me to the debate over whether or not I want her back in the chair. Like I said in the first post, I'm more concerned that Barbara isn't Oracle than I am that she's mobile. I can't imagine DC putting her back in the chair after just taking her out of it so my only hope for her is that she become a new character all together.

Lol watch them cripple Batwoman and make a new Oracle.

I can only hope.

Proxy, she was Steph's own private Oracle.

@CitizenBane said:

Proxy, she was Steph's own private Oracle.

Hell yes.

I agree.

When I first heard that Barbara was going back to being Batgirl, I got really put off by it since it's like throwing away years worth of character development. Why the hell is it necessary for Barbara to revert back to being Batgirl if it was all for the desire to walk again? It makes it look like Barbara's time as Oracle felt more like a crutch and her feeling like a prisoner in her own body and she won't be herself unless she's Batgirl again. To me, I didn't see Oracle as the handicapped heroine, I saw her as a hero that gets the job done by whatever means necessary; she doesn't need legs to do her job.

Even if she had them, I would have saw her still use her mobility as a means of extreme emergency if she had to fight.

Which is why I never picked up the new 52 Batgirl.