Gotham has had a wealth of protectors over the years, but few are more iconic than Barbara Gordon, who most are more familiar with as the deadly and beloved vigilante Batgirl.
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The heroine has had a multitude of different costumes over the years, and several different characters have inhabited the iconic role. Still, regardless of what creative angle is used, she continues to be one of the most popular characters in DC’s large stable.
While some might look at her large wardrobe of costumes as a negative, the positive side is that there is pretty much a look for every fan, so why not rank them right? From animated series and movies to the comics that started it all, Batgirl will always be a fan favorite and its time to put these costumes to the test and figure out which one ranks highest of them all!
Batgirl Betty Kane
While many immediately associate Barbara Gordon with Batgirl, there actually was another person in the role before Barbara took it on, and that was Bette Kane. Kane was the pre-crisis Batgirl and later became Hawkfire.
Her costume is the biggest departure from the other looks, but it made sense at the time, as she was Batwoman’s sidekick. Batwoman had a similar colorful design. The boots are very reminiscent of Robin’s old boots, and she wears a bright red dress with green belts and accents.
While the look has its fans to be sure, this “Christmas present” look thankfully faded out, and Batgirl has moved on to more popular designs.
Injustice Batgirl
As you’ve probably noticed, the purple and yellow color scheme has surfaced again in Injustice: Gods Among Us. While the color scheme is a bit brighter, the costume is much more practical here, with an armored leather forming the base of the suit. The symbol stretches across her shoulders, but she also has a smaller symbol on her belt.
This costume feels a bit more cobbled together than other looks and speaks to the place in Superman’s tyrannical world she fights in.
Batman And Robin (Alicia Silverstone)
Joel Schumacher’s Batman and Robin was a letdown in many ways, including the handling of Batgirl, played by Alicia Silverstone. Still, as a costume, it’s really not all that bad, though rather basic in execution. It gets spruced up a bit later on in the film, with silver highlights and a silver mask, though the jury is out on whether that was an improvement.
Batgirl Elseworld’s Finest
In this Elseworlds tale, it was Jim Gordon who died saving Bruce Wayne’s parents. In order to avenge him, Barbara became Batgirl with Bruce alongside as her financier and general ally. This costume is an all black affair aside from the silver gauntlets and belt, as well as the yellow bat symbol. Her cape is much grander than other renditions, which makes sense since she’s the only hero in Gotham City at the time.
It’s simple, but the look has always proved effective.
Batgirl The Batman Animated Series
The Batman only ran for four seasons, and honestly was a bit underrated. Before it went off to that long goodnight though it did manage to introduce a new version of Batgirl, who actually acted as Batman’s sidekick through the majority of the series as opposed to Robin.
The costume is clearly inspired by the 1960’s television series and features a fun take on the iconic design. Black leggings and a black cowl and cape are contrasted with a light purple suit and inner cape, with a big bright yellow belt that is reminiscent of Black Widow’s belt design. The costume fit the tone of the series, as the character is a bit more whimsical than other versions, and it’s sad that the design didn’t stick around longer.
Batgirl (Cassandra Cain)
When DC brought in Casandra Cain as the new Batgirl, it demanded an updated costume. The creators decided to go with a more back to basics approach, with an all black suit with the only color belonging to the bright yellow utility belt and the outline Bat symbol on her chest. The biggest difference, of course, was the completely face-covering mask. It fit with Cain’s character, as she struggled to speak until much later.
When you can fight like she can, though, you can make your point pretty clear without needing words.
Batman The Animated Series
One of the more iconic renditions of Batgirl came from Bruce Timm’s Batman: The Animated Series. First, she appeared in her more classic outfit, the light gray and blue suit. Later she surfaced with a similar costume but with the black and yellow color scheme. Both looks hew back to the classic versions of the character, so if you like those you’ll probably love these.
Batman 1966 (Yvonne Craig)
Yvonne Craig’s Batgirl has become one of the most popular adaptations of the costume, especially in recent years. As an outfit, it pretty much compares to the original Batgirl costume in the comics, just with a much bolder color choice.
You can’t miss someone clad in bright purple and yellow coming down the street in a bike that is, wait for it, bright purple and yellow. It did usher into fashion the patented hip belt, which has been replicated in future costumes, both in comics and animated series alike.
Batgirl (Stephanie Brown)
Stephanie Brown gave up the identity of Spoiler to become the new Batgirl after the former Batgirl Cassandra Cain gave up the mantle to pursue other things. While her time in the role didn’t end up lasting very long (Thanks, New 52!), her costume was actually quite good.
The look was an impressive blend of Batman 66 and more modern interpretations. The main part of the costume is black with bright yellow accents courtesy of the utility belt, leg pouch, and bat symbol. The suit also features a bright purple stripe down the side of her costume, which runs along the inner seam. Purple also lines the inside of her cape.
It’s sad that Brown got the short stick when the New 52 took over, as both the character and costume were winning over fans with every issue.
Batgirl New 52
When Gail Simone took over the Batgirl series with the launch of the New 52, she brought the character back to basics in many ways. Not only was Barbara Gordon back as the lead, but the costume was a more modern take on the classic black and yellow color scheme.
The black and yellow look has proved it stands the test of time, and there were just enough embellishments and details to spruce it up. This is honestly the best this version of the costume has looked, and for some, it might be the best version of the costume to date. No one could really argue with you, but for this list, it just comes up a little short.
Batgirl Classic
This is probably the most identifiable and popular version of the Batgirl look, and there’s a reason why. It’s simple in execution, but the colors are perfect compliments to each other, and there is no mistaking Batgirl for any other hero, especially when combined with Barbara’s trademark red hair.
The look has been tweaked here and there over the years, but it still comes down to a few simple elements working together extremely well, proving that sometimes less is more.
Eventually, it even got rid of that ridiculous red Bat-purse, which was a win-win on all fronts.
Batgirl Of Burnside
While the New 52 costume blended the classic Batgirl look with modern touches, Batgirl of Burnside modernizes the 1966 costume and did so stunningly.
Some were skeptical when they first saw the outfit and figured it would stay around for a few issues and then make its way to the superhero costume morgue like most others do. Thankfully the look caught on, and it perfectly fits the tone of the character in this more modern day setting. It’s fun, practical, and bold, all things that perfectly describe Barbara Gordon these days, and it doesn’t’ appear to be going anywhere anytime soon.
Traditionalists will balk that one of the more classic designs wasn’t ranked at the top, but sometimes change is for the better, especially when a look perfectly embodies the character wearing it.
Still, this is all rather subjective, so make sure to let us know what you think in the comments!
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