There's something universal about our need to look for heroes, whether they have superpowers or simply supreme dedication to noble causes. From Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, to the upcoming Justice League film, the dawn of the superhero has firmly lit up our cinematic sphere. With that being said, female leads in the genre are few and far between. That is finally beginning to change. DC Films' upcoming Wonder Woman, starring Gal Gadot, will be the first movie made by the company to feature a leading super-heroine. Now, it's been announced that the company plans to produce a Batgirl movie to follow, directed by none other than Joss Whedon.
Having written and directed Marvel's The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron, Whedon's pedigree in crafting superhero movies is undeniable. Moreover, he has plenty of experience when it comes to writing female leads. Whedon's creation of Buffy The Vampire Slayer served to open the door for many of the supernatural shows we enjoy today, as well as creating an iconic heroine, capable of carrying the show to cult stardom.
What separates Whedon from other writers of the genre is his commitment to authentic characterisation. For Whedon's female characters, strength is not a remarkable thing. Dynamism is what sets them apart - the ability to balance more than one emotion, and to step out from the confines of one-sided roles as wife, mother, or love interest. In an interview during an Equality Now award acceptance speech, he explained his reasoning for creating 'strong' female characters - because "equality is not a concept... it's a necessity".
Several variations of Batgirl have appeared in DC comics since her creation in April 1961, in Batman #139. For nearly 60 years, she's been a female counterpart to the caped crusader, reaching iconic status when the Batgirl mantle was passed to Barbara Gordon in 1967 - who has been synonymous with the title ever since. Daughter of Gotham city police chief James Gordon, Barbara or 'Babs' as she's known in the comics, debuted in Detective Comics #359, titled "The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl!"
But Barbara Gordon's heroism isn't resigned to her Batgirl mask. In 1988, Alan Moore's infamous Batman: The Killing Joke comic changed the dynamics of Batgirl's character, as well as the very nature of the Gotham-verse. In the wake of the Killing Joke, Barbara Gordon continued to serve the citizens of Gotham through her role as Oracle, a paraplegic hacker and invaluable source of information for the Batman family. She was later restored to Batgirl during The New 52 relaunch of the entire DC publication line in 2011, having recovered from her paralysing spinal injury.
Early reports suggest that this version of Barbara Gordon, of the New 52 launch, will be the heroine of Whedon's adaption. The series, written by Gail Simone, is significantly darker than earlier comics - set several years after Barbara's attack at the hands of the Joker. Barbara Gordon's evolution, at this point, reaches a critical stage of emotional dynamism and nuance - a character replete with defiance in the face of personal trauma.
Modern audiences are drawn to conflicted heroes - Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne is a far cry from the kind portrayed by Adam West in the 60s; Man of Steel presents Clark Kent not simply as a god amongst men, but as a man striving to balance humanity with inhuman responsibility. If Whedon's adaptation remains loyal to the New-52 universe, then Batgirl's narrative could very well be in the vein of presenting heroes as icons of human conflict.
Given the number of films dedicated to lycra-clad superheroes, a Batgirl adaptation has been a long time coming, especially with Whedon at the helm. In 2005, he was initially asked by Warner Bros to write the script for a Wonder Woman movie - one which was later abandoned.
With a Batgirl film now in the pipeline, we can only wait in anticipation to see who might claim the Batgirl mask and how Whedon's Gotham will come to fruition.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
