The grand finale of Batgirl and the Birds of Prey debuted today — and it signaled a major change for one of its team members.
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Spoilers for Batgirl and the Birds of Prey #22, on sale now!
The issue saw Batgirl, Black Canary, and Huntress in their last-ditch effort against The Calculator, who had accumulated a team of Blackbird and Helena’s mother, Fenice. After winning the battle, each members of the trio decided to reevaluate their lives as heroes.
Helena decided to continue being Huntress, while also moonlighting as a teacher. Dinah decided to officially put down roots, moving into an apartment with Oliver Queen. And after giving up the mantle a few issues back, Barbara revisited her Oracle workstation, uncovering a key that she had been given by their previous “Oracle”, Gus.
The key led to a secret headquarters, which was marked with the Delphi symbol. As Barbara explained to Helena and Dinah, the Delphi was a location where people would visit the Oracle — a concept that Gus had taken into a new way. The trio opened the door to find a new set of headquarters, complete with the relics of the Birds’ past adventures.
Also in the headquarters was a flash drive, which contained a copy of the Oracle software. As Barbara put it, Gus knew that the world was better with an Oracle in it, and she was willing to carry the mantle again.
It’s a rather heartwarming note to end the series on, one that arguably honors both sides of Barbara’s superheroics in a pretty great way. And considering the circumstances in which Barbara gave up the Oracle mantle – and how important her personal agency was in that decision – fans will certainly appreciate the fact that she came back to the role in a similar way.
And while it’s unclear where exactly the trio will appear next within DC Comics, it’s safe to say that this leaves this sort of older iteration of Barbara in a solid spot for other series to pick up on.
What did you think of Batgirl taking up the Oracle mantle again? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Batgirl and the Birds of Prey #22 is on sale now.
