All About Batgirl DC And Why Was It Never Released?

Leslie Grace, playing the lead role as Batgirl for the first time, was expected to launch the DC Extended Universe’s comeback. It was Michael Keaton returning as Batman. Other well-known figures in the movie were Michael Keaton as Batman and Brandan Fraser as the primary villain Firefly.

However, Warner Bros. dismissed Batgirl due to internal financial restructuring, according to Esquire. Consequently, the film was not permitted to be released in cinemas or on streaming services. The given article is all about Batgirl as a character and the cancellation of its film.

Batgirl: The Character

As a teenage vigilante motivated by Jim Gordon, her foster father, as well as Batman, Barbara Gordon became the first Batgirl. She lost the use of her legs after a transformative encounter with the Joker, but she didn’t let that stop her. She founded the Birds of Prey and rose to prominence as Oracle, the go-to source for information for all heroes by utilizing her skills with a computer.

Origin Of Batgirl

In the Ohio suburbs, Barbara Gordon was born into the family of Roger C. Gordon and his spouse Thelma. Being a superhero was all Barbara ever wanted as a small child. She would spend many hours creating heroic personas and superhero outfits for herself, along with her closest friend Marcy. The seeds of Barbara’s future profession as a crime-fighting detective started to sprout at this early age.

Barbara had studied all she could about Batman and had developed an intense obsession with him. She once crept into her father’s home office and found him having a covert discussion with Batman. Barbara was unaware that her foster father was a real agent of the enigmatic Dark Knight. Her fixation with the vigilante only became stronger.

Abilities Of A Batgirl

Here is a list of powers and physical abilities of the Batgirl:

Computer Hacking: Barbara is a skilled computer hacker, having worked at Oracle. She is capable of breaking even the most secure systems because of her computer hacking abilities. There is no match for her abilities.

Computer Operation: Barbara is a very skilled computer user. She is one of the world’s most proficient computer users and by far the most computer-knowledgeable member of the Bat family.

Genius Level Intellect: It is evident that Barbara possesses a high level of innate intellect.

Law: Barbara completed a correspondence legal education program to earn a Juris Doctor degree. This qualified her to take the state bar test and receive a license to practice law. She completed an extension course at Harvard University to acquire a Master of Laws after receiving her basic degree.

Barbara has received training in martial arts: Richard Dragon, a Kung Fu expert, coached Barbara and helped her develop her fighting skills while he was also confined to a wheelchair.

Reason Behind The Cancellation Of Batgirl

Batgirl was never intended to be a big box-office success. Following a prior setback with Joss Whedon in 2020, Batgirl was first conceived as a direct-to-streaming project. With a $70 million budget and a story written by Christine Hodson, the writer of Birds of Prey, it was intended to be yet another diverse entry in the DCEU.

Following their addition as directors, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, Batgirl was revealed as an HBO Max original. However, the studio would later have second thoughts.

The new business was considering giving the movie a theatrical release with an enhanced budget after WarnerMedia’s high-profile merger with Discovery, eventually pushing that $70 million up to $90 million, and sources claim it might have been more.

Was The Budget Issue?

The cancelation of Batgirl quickly gained widespread attention online, leading Warner Bros. Discovery to issue an official statement:

According to them, the decision to hold off on releasing Batgirl is a reflection of our leadership’s strategy change about the DC universe and HBO Max. This choice has nothing to do with Leslie Grace’s acting abilities; she is an extraordinarily gifted performer. We have the utmost gratitude for the Scoob and Batgirl filmmakers! Holiday Haunt and each of their casts, and we look forward to working with everyone once more soon.

Naturally, it seemed doubtful that Warner Bros. Discovery would elaborate on the reasons behind the film’s actual cancellation. But the performers and directors are not helped much by this platitude.

Read Here: List Of Top 10 Fantastic Jonathan Majors Movies and TV Shows In Hollywood

Batgirl: The Cultural Impact

Although some perspectives portray the character’s Batgirl image as a representation of female empowerment, there has long been criticism that, like Wonder Woman, who had no male equivalent beforehand, she was initially intended to be an uninspired Batman variant rather than a leader in her own right. Jackie Marsh examined gender stereotypes and found that “while female superheroes are reduced to a childlike status by their names,” like the Batgirl figure, male superheroes, like Batman, are portrayed as hyper-masculine and anti-social.

From her first appearance in DC Comics to her portrayal in the Batman television series in 1967, Barbara Gordon’s Batgirl has been recognized as one of the most iconic fictional characters in popular culture.

In the 1980s, Barbara Kesel was granted the chance to write for Barbara Gordon in Detective Comics after she complained to DC Comics about the unfavorable depiction of female characters. Batgirl was first portrayed by Kesel as a figure distinct from Batman and Robin, a woman driven to carry out men’s tasks on her own and independently, as stated in Women in Science Fiction and Fantasy: Overviews by Robin Anne Reid in 2009. 

Wrapping Up On Warm Thoughts!

Significant social media criticism was directed at the decision to discontinue Batgirl. Fans were furious with the studio’s justifications for canceling it, in addition to the fact that they were excited to see Leslie Grace in the Batgirl costume for the first time. Furthermore, a few readers pointed out that the DCEU isn’t exactly well-known for its excellence.

Read More: Top 10 Ben Affleck Movies: What are the Upcoming Movies of Ben Affleck?