Barbara "Babs" Gordon is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics and in related media, created by Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino. From 1966 to 1988, she was the superheroine Batgirl; since 1989 she has been known as Oracle. Barbara Gordon made her first comic book appearance in a story published in Detective Comics #359 titled "The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl" (1966, with a 1967 cover date). As Batgirl, Barbara Gordon has been described as one of the most popular characters to appear during the Silver Age of Comic Books and is also regarded as a pop culture icon due to her appearances in the Batman television series of the late 1960s and continued media exposure. The Barbara Gordon version of Batgirl has been adapted into all media relating to the Batman franchise, including merchandise, television, animation, and feature film. During the early 1970s, the character was also used as an advocate for women's rights.

Following the editorial retirement of the character's Batgirl persona in 1988, Alan Moore's graphic novel Batman: The Killing Joke depicts the Joker shooting Gordon through the spinal cord in her civilian identity and leaving her a paraplegic. Although Gordon would no longer resume her role as Batgirl in subsequent stories, editor Kim Yale and writer John Ostrander soon established the character as an information broker code-named Oracle, providing intelligence and computer hacking services to assist other superheroes. The character first appeared as Oracle as of Suicide Squad #23 (1989). The character's progression from Batgirl to Oracle became a point of controversy among critics and commentators. Although some observers have argued for the character's mobility to be restored, others have come to identify her persona as Oracle to be a pioneer- serving as an icon for people living with disabilities. The character's modern incarnation as Oracle stars in the comic book series Birds of Prey as the leader of a team of predominately female crimefighters. The series depicts her as a great intellect uninhibited by her paralysis, skilled in the martial art of eskrima.