This month brought some traumatic news for DC fans everywhere as Warner Bros. Discovery has officially shelved its upcoming Batgirl movie. In a near-unprecedented move, the film — which had completed filming — will not go ahead with either its planned streaming release or any kind of dissemination, in order for the studio to reap back the production costs as a tax write-off.
Even if claims of poor test screenings are true (and they might not be), DC diehards are devastated as the world was more than ready for a Batgirl movie. Ever since her creation in the 1960s, Barbara Gordon has been one of the most popular members of the Bat-family, appearing across numerous forms of media over the years. She’d never had her own solo movie before, though, and now it doesn’t seem like she will any time soon, either.
But, in an attempt to lift our spirits and focus on the positives, let’s remind ourselves of why Babs is such an icon in the first place and take a look at every major screen portrayal of Batgirl to date. With any luck, one day we’ll get to see Leslie Grace suit up as the character and find out where she ranks in the history of Gotham’s first lady of superheroism.
10. Hannah Gunn (The Dark Knight)
DC fans may recall that Jim Gordon had a son in the Nolanverse movies — played by a young Joffrey Baratheon, no less — but it’s often overlooked that he had a daughter, too. Although she’s never named on-screen, we can assume that the young girl is a version of Barbara. While fans may like to think she grew up to, say, become the sidekick to John Blake’s Nightwing, based on what’s on-screen, the Nolanverse Babs has to rank bottom of our list of best Batgirls.
9. Alicia Silverstone (Batman & Robin)
Alicia Silverstone will always be an icon for Clueless, but even the lingering love we have for Cher Horowitz can’t leap her version of Batgirl any higher up this list. Reimagined as Barbara Wilson, Alfred’s niece, the heroine’s portrayal in Batman & Robin is just as campy and misguided as everything else in the movie and, while it’s hardly her fault, Silverstone struggles to do much with the role. She might’ve been the first Batgirl for many ’90s kids, but she’s certainly not the best.
8. Alyson Stoner (Young Justice)
Batgirl (as voiced by Alyson Stoner) isn’t one of the founding members of the Young Justice team, but she’s still been a fixture on the animated series since its first season. After officially joining the ranks in season two, Babs’ most prominent role came in season three, but it was the just-concluded fourth season which featured the most important development for her character, as Barbara became paralyzed and switched to her Oracle persona.
7. Briana Cuoco (Harley Quinn)
When it came to casting Batgirl for Harley Quinn, the show-makers decided to keep it in the family, with star Kaley Cuoco’s younger sister Briana Cuoco landing the part. Proving it wasn’t entirely just nepotism that got her gig, though, Cuoco the younger has been an entertaining addition to the show across her handful of appearances so far, which have seen her go from wannabe fan to full-on member of the Bat-family.
6. Danielle Judovitz (The Batman TV series)
The Batman — with no relation to the Robert Pattinson movie as the show ran for four seasons from 2004-2008 — made a unique switch to the Bat-family mythos by depicting Barbara as Bruce’s first sidekick. Although a consequence of the competing Teen Titans series initially hoarding the use of Robin, this actually allowed for a welcome opportunity for Babs to take the spotlight, with Danielle Judovitz’s sparky portrayal sharing an entertaining father/daughter dynamic with the Bat.
5. Rosario Dawson (The LEGO Batman Movie)
The LEGO Batman Movie made a big swing with its depiction of Barbara Gordon, taking certain elements from previous versions and stitching them together in a new way. In the LEGO universe, Barbara (portrayed as Latina and voiced by Rosario Dawson) replaces her father as commissioner, but later becomes Batgirl and serves as Bruce’s love interest. With Zoe Kravitz playing LEGO Catwoman in the same movie, we’d be up for Dawson to likewise reprise her role in live-action sometime.
4. Savannah Welch (Titans)
Titans went all in on the Batman side of its mythos in its third season, as the action relocated to Gotham and Barbara Gordon was introduced into the fold. Here, Barbara is also the police commissioner, having been unable to continue as Batgirl after being paralyzed by the Joker. In this continuity, meanwhile, Oracle is an A.I. computer system. Savannah Welch’s casting was an important milestone as, for the first time ever, the character was played by a disabled actress.
3. Dina Meyer (Birds of Prey TV series)
There is plenty to dislike about The WB’s short-lived Birds of Prey TV series, but one thing it did get right was the portrayal of Barbara Gordon. Dina Meyer is the heart and soul of the titular team as Huntress and Black Canary’s woman in the chair — the show was the first time the Oracle side of the character had been brought to the screen. 17 years after the show was cancelled after just 13 episodes in 2002, Meyer reprised her role for a vocal cameo in 2019’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths.”
2. Yvonne Craig (Batman TV series)
The Batgirl of the legendary 1960s TV series may not have too much in common with the contemporary version of the character, but Yvonne Craig deserves her high place on this ranking because we wouldn’t even have Barbara Gordon without her. When producers wanted to add in a female hero for Batman‘s third season, comics writers were ordered to introduce Batgirl into the comics… and the rest is Bat-history. Besides that, Craig is delightful in the role and makes for a great foil to Adam West and Burt Ward.
1. Melissa Gilbert/Tara Strong (DCAU)
For many fans, however, the most definitive on-screen depiction of Barbara Gordon has to be the DC Animated Universe’s take on the character. As voiced by Melissa Gilbert in Batman: The Animated Series and then by veteran Batgirl performer Tara Strong in The New Batman Adventures, the DCAU follows Barbara from novice hero to veteran vigilante. The elderly Commissioner Barbara Gordon (initially played by Grease‘s Stockard Channing, then by Angie Harmon) featured in a key role in Batman Beyond.