The first photo from the ‘Batgirl’ set raises an important question

The first set image from Batgirl was recently shared on Instagram by the film’s directors, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, and is making fans question what the film is actually about.

There’s a wheelchair in the background of the picture and a nameplate up front that reads “Officer Barbara Gordon.” This raises an intriguing question: which version of Barbara Gordon will Leslie Grace be playing in Batgirl?

Batgirl got her start when William Dozier thought up the character as a female presence in the 1966 Batman TV series starring Adam West. The character has since gone through multiple iterations throughout the years, as comic book characters oft to do. 

Barbara Gordon’s Batgirl was featured in Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’s Batman: The Killing Joke in 1988, where she was shot by the Joker and wheelchair-bound. She then worked in the chair as the expert hacker Oracle. Since her Oracle years, DC Comics has found ways to suit her back up as Batgirl.

Starting from the New 52, when DC rebooted all of its characters, Barbara Gordon could walk again after an experimental spinal surgery. This allowed writers to use her both as Batgirl and Oracle. In other media, including Batman Beyond, Titans, and The Lego Batman Movie, Barbara Gordon followed her father into the Gotham City Police Department. The idea here is that while the character has always worked with the police, she has only been on active duty a handful of times. 

This all leaves us wondering how exactly the fictional character’s history is going to be represented in the live-action film starring In the Heights‘ Leslie Grace. Will she play a more experienced Batgirl who has been wounded and is now a wheelchair-bound cop, or will she be a younger Batgirl who gets shot while on duty and continues the rest of the film as Oracle? Either way, the film seems to be one that DC Comic fans are excited about. 

Are you excited about Batgirl, set to release in 2022? Which version of the character would you like to see Leslie Grace play? Let us know by leaving a comment below!