Batgirl

Barbara continued pursuing Killer Moth and finally located and apprehended the criminal. Impressed by her skill and tenacity, and with Dick Grayson strongly advocating for her, Batman accepted Batgirl as an ally and even revealed his identity to her. She began a career as both a solo crime-fighter and part of the Bat-Family. While there were romantic sparks between her and Dick Grayson, they didn't act on them. Then, unexpectedly, The Joker showed up at her father's home when Barbara was there and shot her, damaging her spine and leaving her in a wheelchair. It remains unclear if The Joker knew she was Batgirl or was just after Commissioner Gordon, who he kidnapped to set a trap for Batman. Regardless, unable to walk, Barbara's career as Batgirl was over.

Although Barbara couldn't walk, she wasn't about to give up her crime-fighting career. Adopting the identity of Oracle, she set up an intricate, wide-ranging computer network and infiltrated most of the world's systems. Serving as an information broker and master planner to various heroes, she founded the Birds of Prey, a team of female superheroes anchored by herself, Black Canary, and Huntress. During this period, she also began a relationship with Dick Grayson, now Nightwing, and they even got engaged. But Barbara ended the engagement when she realized Dick's loyalties were torn between her and Batman, and they were not ready to settle down. They promised to return to each other someday.

Having relocated to Metropolis, Barbara found herself frequently opposing the Calculator, who in many ways was Oracle's villainous counterpart. Calculator obtained the power to project his mind into cyberspace and tracked Barbara down. Though she defeated him, she was shaken by the close call. She returned to Gotham and began working with the Bat-Family again. She and her father, Commissioner Gordon, helped Green Lantern spread the word to the heroic community about the threat of the Black Lantern Corps, who were reanimating the dead as revenge-driven zombies. Barbara was possessed by the ghost hero Deadman, who mystically restored her body's full mobility, and together, father and daughter held off the Black Lanterns until the Bat-Family could arrive.

Eventually, an experimental procedure in which a cybernetic implant was placed in Barbara's spine allowed her to walk again. Re-conditioning her body, she resumed the role of Batgirl. Around this time, her mother, also named Barbara (James Gordon's ex-wife) reestablished contact, saying she was worried about James Jr., Batgirl's brother, who was a clinically diagnosed psychopath. After a series of disturbing encounters during which Batgirl tried to help her brother, he insisted she meet him at the pier or he'd kill their mother. When she arrived, he said he killed because of her and how perfect she was. Then, he attacked, and Batgirl was forced to throw him off the pier to save her mother's life. James Gordon witnessed this and blamed Batgirl for his son's apparent death.

Batgirl's brother James Jr. was revealed to have survived. After a stint with the Suicide Squad, he attempted to reform, using an experimental medication to control his violent thoughts. Barbara and Commissioner Gordon did all they could to help. When a killer began murdering women with red hair, James Jr. helped Batgirl investigate. Together, they discovered the killer would strike next at a lighthouse. Shockingly, Batgirl learned that while her brother was sincere in helping her, he was also the killer—he had developed a split personality disorder. When James Jr. realized what he had done, he jumped off the lighthouse to his death. Batgirl was shaken by the tragedy, but the Bat-Family and Birds of Prey remain as close as any biological family and have helped her through the hard times.