Bonded By Trauma: An Exploration Of The Relationship Between Jason Todd And Barbara Gordon

Trauma is a feeling that every member of the Batman Family has experienced. It’s one of many reasons why each of them has chosen to fight crime, perhaps none more so than Jason Todd and Barbara Gordon. 

Jason and Barbara’s experiences are similar, despite them coming from different backgrounds. Their trauma was caused at the hands of The Joker, giving them unique perspectives on what it’s like to survive a harrowing event. 

Whether as colleagues, friends, adoptive siblings or romantic partners, there’s a whole range of roles that Jason and Barbara could fill for one another and it’s worth investigating the bond that’s unique among the Batman Family.

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Batman: Three Jokers Review: Trauma Comes In Threes

DC Black Label, known for publishing mature titles, has provided some refreshing new takes on the Batman mythos, with stories such as Batman: White Knight and Batman: Damned. Characters like The Joker have been reimagined in new ways and that trend has continued with Batman: Three Jokers, which presents three different versions of The Clown Prince of Crime for the Batman family to overcome.

Produced by the superstar trio of Geoff Johns, Jason Fabok and Brad Anderson, Three Jokers brings together the three members of the Batman family who’ve been most effected by Joker’s actions: Batman, Red Hood and Batgirl. 

Why Knightfall Is The Perfect Nemesis For Barbara Gordon

Batman’s rogues gallery is an essential component of The Dark Knight’s mythos, pushing him to evolve into a more sophisticated crime-fighter. In a similar vein, other members of the Batman Family have developed relationships with villains that are unique to their story, clashing against their ideals and forcing them to adapt.

Over the years, Barbara Gordon has earned her fair share of enemies as Batgirl and Oracle. One of the most compelling villains to challenge Barbara in recent history is Knightfall, with the character serving as a dark mirror to what the original Batgirl stands for.

How Huntress Became A Trusted Member Of The Batman Family

The Batman family is made up of some of the most accomplished crime-fighters in the DC Universe. Heroes like Nightwing and Batgirl are among Batman’s closest confidantes, but others characters have found it harder to win the Dark Knight’s trust. For people like Helena Bertinelli, gaining Batman’s faith has been an uphill battle. Bertinelli was introduced as Huntress, a violent vigilante who used lethal force. But over time, she transitioned into a hero that earned her place in the Batman family.

6 Reasons Why Stephanie Brown Should Reclaim The Batgirl Mantle

A superhero identity can be passed down to different people and a good example of that is Batgirl. Originally, Barbara Gordon wore the costume until she passed it on to Cassandra Cain. Cain’s successor became Stephanie Brown and she was the most recent Batgirl until the DC Universe reboot. These days, Barbara is Batgirl, but I believe Stephanie Brown should be allowed to reclaim the mantle and here are six reasons why.

Why The Birds Of Prey Are A Symbol Of Female Empowerment

There are many memorable teams in comics, with The Avengers and the Justice League being the most famous. Other teams aren’t as well-known, and The Comic Vault will be looking into the history of different superhero and supervillain factions. The Birds of Prey are an all-female team who fight crime. They consist of Oracle/Batgirl, Black Canary, Huntress and Lady Blackhawk.

The group started in 1995, with Chuck Dixon’s one shot Black Canary/Oracle: Birds of Prey. At the time, Barbara Gordon was operating as Batgirl and Dinah Lance provided a great counterpoint. She was written as passionate and idealistic, which contrasted with Batgirl’s precise detective skills. Gail Simone was responsible for bringing the team to the next level when she introduced Huntress in 2003. Lady Blackhawk joined as well and the Birds of Prey are more than the sum of their parts, with each member bringing something different to the team.

Why Barbara Gordon Makes A Better Oracle Than Batgirl

The identity of a comic character can be transient, something that gets passed along to someone else. This has happened in the Batman family, and I’ve talked previously about why I believe Cassandra Cain is the greatest Batgirl, even if she isn’t the original. That title belongs to Barbara Gordon. From her earliest appearance, Babs was shown to be a resourceful and capable woman who earned Batman’s respect. But, in my opinion, it wasn’t until she became Oracle that she evolved into a timeless character.