| “ | Somehow, he always does. OK, I'm sending through the squad car's location. Be careful. It's not looking good out there. | „ |
| ~ Oracle. |
Barbara Gordon-Drake, codenamed Oracle, and formerly Batgirl, is one of the two deuteragonists (alongside Alfred Pennyworth) of the Batman: Arkham video game series.
She was voiced by Kimberly Brooks in Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City, Kelsey Lansdowne in Batman: Arkham Origins, and Ashley Greene in Batman: Arkham Knight. Brooks also voiced Ashley Williams in the Mass Effect series, Luna in the Scooby-Doo series, and Bumblebee in DC Super Hero Girls. Lansdowne also voiced Rapunzel in Kingdom Hearts III and Disney Comics in Motion, as Greene infamously played Alice Cullen in the Twilight Saga.
Background[]
She is the daughter of Commissioner James Gordon who was forbidden from her overprotective father from joining the Gotham City Police Department. Instead, she became the heroic sidekick Batgirl and fought crime for years, until Joker shot her through the spine, ending her career as Batgirl but starting the career of Oracle. As Oracle, Barbara assisted Batman during his missions to stop his rogues gallery from causing mayhem across Gotham City.
Oracle now aids the Dark Knight with her computer expertise, providing Batman with a constant stream of information in the field to aid his war against crime. During the events at Christmas Eve, she first meets Batman in the GCPD building and manages to get him to eliminate Penguin's weapon caches.
During the events of Arkham Asylum, she provides Batman many information on the Island as well as using her hacking skills to hack into Dr. Young's Email and finds out by their dealings. Although during these events, Oracle wasn't capable of getting Killer Croc's lair on the map.
In Arkham City, she soon gets into contact into Batman after he defeats the waves of thugs in Penguin's Museum. She yet again provides the masked protector with information including details on Professor Hugo Strange's Protocol 10. Batman is infected by Joker's TITAN-poisoned blood, which Joker had also spread his poison blood to various hospitals throughout Gotham, thus forcing Batman on a mission for a cure, which Joker expects to either steal from him or he will share it.
Requiring the expertise of Mr. Freeze, Batman rescues him from the Penguin; a female assassin in the museum escapes when they discuss the ingredients of the cure, with Batman noting Ra's al Ghul. The female assassin is one of the elite under the command of Talia al Ghul, daughter of the demon's head. Oracle disputes Batman's path leading to Talia, noting that he becomes illogical in regards to Talia, however, Batman assures her it is Ra's that he's after.
Meanwhile, various cases arise throughout Arkham City; Oracle provides information and background updates on each of the cases. Notably, a case is regarding the Identity Thief killer, who some witnesses say looks like Bruce Wayne; due the Strange's skills at manipulation, Oracle floats the troubling question if Batman is the killer, brainwashed by Strange. The truth was that Bruce's childhood friend, Tommy Elliot, had been killing people to harvest facial features with which to turn himself into a double of Bruce; Oracle keeps the info aside for later attention.
Discovering an underground, partially constructed but abandoned city, further under it, Batman reunites with Talia for the first time in years. He claims he will join the League of Assassins; he passes some trials, eventually granted audience to Ra's al Ghul; Ra's demands that Batman kill him and take his place, but the Dark Knight refuses. Ra's immerses himself in a Lazarus Pit, restoring his vitality and strength. Ra's threatens to kill Talia if Batman doesn't kill him, however, with a trick Batarang, the demon is defeated. Talia leaves in disgust from both her father's abuse of her and Batman lying about joining her.
Batman gets a blood sample from Ra's, which he provides to Mr. Freeze; Freeze completes the cure, however, refuses to hand it over unless Batman rescues his wife, Nora Fries. Restricted by time, Batman refuses, causing Freeze to enter combat with him. Batman defeats him, but upon getting the cure from the safe, it is unveiled that the back of the safe had been broken into, with the cure stolen by Harley Quinn.
Batman again enters the Sionis Steel Mill, which is the Joker's stronghold; oddly, he finds Harley bound up, but continues further into Joker's lair. He faces what seems like a healed Joker, fighting him and his deadliest henchmen.
Hugo Strange's Protocol 10 is initiated, which is revealed to be the mass execution of every inmate of Arkham City; one of the bombs collapses the Mill ceiling, trapping Batman. As Joker approaches to finish him, Talia interrupts, offering immortality to the Joker if he spares Batman; the Clown Prince agrees, but still kicks Batman unconscious. Catwoman rescues Batman from the rubble.
Oracle provides intel as Batman ascends Wonder Tower, the control centre of the prison city. He defeats Hugo Strange's final guards, then the mad psychiatrist himself; Oracle hacks into the Tower mainframe, deactivating Protocol 10. Ra's al Ghul mortally wounds Strange, revealing himself as the silent partner that enabled the construction of Arkham City; Ra's explains he will repeat the prison city across the country, then world, to purge all criminals (and innocent witnesses). Due to Ra's repeatedly rejecting Strange's begging for another chance, the latter activate Protocol 11, which triggers the self-destruction of the tower's top floor. Batman tackles Ra's out of the window, saving them from the explosion, however, Ra's attempts to stab Batman through himself, but Batman releases him, thus Ra's impales himself, then breaks his back on the prison's entry gate.
Joker broadcasts a video to display he has taken Talia hostage at the Monarch Theater. Oracle and Alfred warn Batman to be careful.
After disabling the armed guards, and entering the Theater, Batman demands that Joker surrender; Joker orders him to surrender the cure, to Batman's confusion, as he believes he already received it. Talia slips out of Joker's hold, retrieving her sword from his belt, then stabs him through the back. Batman is disappointed, but Talia counters it was the only option; she reveals that she had stolen the cure from Harley. Yet Batman didn't feel reassured by Joker's death, believing it to be too simple.
Talia is shot by someone on the balcony, which is revealed to be another Joker, but one still in an extremely sickly state from TITAN-poisoning. Talia apologizes to Batman for failing to understand the real danger of the Clown Prince. The "healthy" Joker buries the cure in his arm, as he turns out to be Clayface, who aligned with Joker due to the opportunity for "the role of a lifetime."
Explosives drop the fighting Batman and Clayface into the room with the Lazarus Pit; Joker follows to observe. Using Talia's sword and Freeze Blasts, Batman is able to disable Clayface, retrieving the cure from within his body. Batman drinks the cure, saving his life; when Joker announces he will use the Lazarus Pit, Batman throws the sword at the Pit charging mechanism, causing it to collapse, knocking Clayface into the Pit, contaminating it, making it useless.
Joker taunts Batman, stabbing his arm, causing him to drop the remaining cure, which shatters and spills on the ground. Joker desperately tries to use any of it, but stops in frustration. Batman notes the irony in that he would have saved the Joker, had he not doomed himself; the Joker laughs, his last cackle causing him to choke on his last brief.
Batman carries the Joker's body out, placing it on the hood of a waiting police car.
After Joker's death, Batman responds to a threat from Harley Quinn, who regathered the gang and retook the Steel Mill; during the mission, Batman is depressed and solemn over Talia's death (and possibly irrational guilt about the Joker's death), thus Oracle is careful over the radio. Batman vanishes and two weeks pass where's been missing, Oracle sends in Robin to find out what happened but becomes successful as the captured police are saved, Batman is saved and Harley Quinn has been defeated.
In Arkham Knight, she continues her role as Oracle, providing info and possible tactics for Batman as usual, this time facing a more dangerous Scarecrow, as well as a new villain aiding him, the Arkham Knight, who brings an army with him; however, the Knight infiltrates the supposedly secure Clock Tower, which acted as her base of operations, and kidnapped her.
In one of the APCs she is held in, she uses her Escrima Stick to knock out the driver; she retrieves a flashdrive, then exits the vehicle. She crawls away as far as she can, tossing the drive under crate for Batman to recover, after which the Knight retrieves her and places her in his own APC.
She is taken to the Knight's headquarters, who strangely threatens his soldiers with harm should they hurt her. When alone, the Knight reveals his true identity to Barbara - Jason Todd, the former Robin. She is shocked, but tries to appeal to his conscience, begging him to stop helping Scarecrow's insane scheme; in response, Jason claims that Batman deserves a reckoning, thereby ignores her pleas.
Scarecrow repeatedly threatens Barbara to torment Batman; eventually, he seems to find her in the gas chamber in Chinatown. Scarecrow floods the chamber with his fear toxin, causing Barbara to react in terror to the presence of Batman; he tries to appeal to her, but her fear drives her to shoot herself dead.
During on a confrontation on top of under-construction skyscraper, Scarecrow reveals Barbara alive to Batman and Jim Gordon, thus proving her death was a toxin-induced hallucination. Surrounded by Scarecrow's troops, Gordon takes the option to shoot Batman, who falls off the building; angered by this action, Scarecrow slowly pushes Barbara's wheelchair to edge, then drops her. Midway down the building, Batman glides in, catches her, then decreasing the fall with his cape; he reveals Gordon shot his bulletproof Bat symbol on his chest.
After rescuing her from an attack of tank drones, Batman takes Barbara to the security of the GCPD; she reestablishes her role as Oracle, ready to assist the Dark Knight again. She directs him to the Clock Tower, to salvage some computer parts before the Arkham Militia destroys it all; Batman successfully retrieves the parts to boost Oracle's capacities at the GCPD.
Now with Deathstroke in charge of the Militia's forces, Scarecrow launches a siege of drones against the GCPD. Batman uses his weaponized Batmobile, while Oracle hacks various drones to self-destruct or sabotage other machines.
After the siege is bested, Scarecrow reveals, along with Gordon, he had abducted Robin; Scarecrow commands Batman to surrender himself, lest Robin and Jim Gordon suffer the consequences. Barbara shows odd disregard to Batman, as she insists that he give himself up, albeit she was likely emotionally compromised, due the hostages being both her father and her boyfriend.
In Scarecrow's clutches, Batman's true identity of Bruce Wayne is exposed to the world; however, as Bruce overcomes the toxin, and is freed by a repentant Jason Todd, Scarecrow is injected with his own fear toxin, sending him into a screaming fit until knocked out by Gordon.
After Bruce's supposed death in an explosion at his manor, Jim Gordon runs for mayor, while Barbara and Tim Drake get married.
Barbara and Tim's honey moon is cut short, as they must act as Oracle and Robin, respectively, to stop Two-Face's latest money laundering and embezzlement. Oracle works as typical strategic support, as well as trying to reassure Robin that he is sufficient without Batman.
Quotes[]
| “ | His out there catching the criminals that you let walk free! | „ |
| ~ Oracle. |
| “ | The system is broken! | „ |
| ~ Oracle. |
| “ | That's it! We did it! Well-you did most of it, but I helped, right? I think we made a pretty good team. So..if you're ever, like, I don't know...looking for some kind of partner...I'm here for ya! Anyway-I'll let you get back to kicking ass and keeping us safe! And you'll see-one day my father's gonna figure out just how cool I already know you are! | „ |
| ~ Barbara Gordon. |
| “ | A Batcave? On Arkham Island!? How'd you managed to keep this a secret? | „ |
| ~ Oracle. |
| “ | So, do you think Dr. Young's been experimenting with Venom, the same chemical that turns Bane into that animal? | „ |
| ~ Oracle. |
| “ | There's nothing on record Bruce, are you sure about this? It sounds like a suicidal mission. | „ |
| ~ Oracle. |
| “ | Dad! Thank god. I was so worried! | „ |
| ~ Oracle. |
| “ | His got what!? How did he get TITAN off Arkham Island? What's going on here your suits bio readings are spiking. | „ |
| ~ Oracle. |
| “ | You sound just like him. | „ |
| ~ Oracle. |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Usually, Barbara Gordon's primary love interest is Dick Grayson, however, this is the only example that she is in a relationship with Tim Drake.
- Other than Alfred Pennyworth, Barbara is Batman's oldest ally; while not yet officially, she aided him in Arkham Origins, well before her father, Jim Gordon stopped trying to arrest him, and join forces with him, too.
- Her usual role as intelligence and support in Arkham Knight is primarily taken by Alfred, due to her seeming to be dead for most of the game.
