We’ve known that the former Batgirl was joining Titans for a while now, and at last the hit HBO Max (formerly DC Universe) show has announced who will be playing the iconic role.
Variety broke the news that Savannah Welch has signed up to portray Barbara Gordon AKA Oracle for seasons 3, which is currently in production. What’s more, the outlet has shared some new character details telling us what we can expect from Welch’s version of Babs.
In Titans, Barbara – not Jim – Gordon is Gotham City’s Police Commissioner. She was Batgirl until her vigilante career came to an end when she was paralyzed by the Joker, leaving her wheelchair-bound. She shares a combative relationship with Bruce Wayne (Iain Glen) and her life gets more complicated in season 3 when Dick Grayson (Brenton Thwaites) returns to Gotham and the pair rekindle their old romance and crimefighting partnership.
Clearly, the show’s writers have pooled from across Barbara’s history to come up with her characterization in this universe, with the above description containing elements from The Killing Joke and Batman Beyond. It’s a big deal that the character’s now in Titans, too, as it’s somehow the first time Barbara’s been portrayed in live-action since 2002’s Birds of Prey.
In that series, Barbara was played by able-bodied actress Dina Meyer, despite BoP dealing with her Oracle persona. Titans marks a groundbreaking first for the heroine, though, by casting Welch, the first disabled star to fill the role. Welch herself is an amputee following an accident that occurred in 2016 and she’s previously been seen in History Channel drama Six and in small parts in movies such as Boyhood and Song to Song.
Titans season 3 started filming last year and is expected to continue on through June. It’ll then hit HBO Max before 2021 is up.
