The DC Extended Universe has had a troubled beginning since Man of Steel kicked off the rush to Justice League, and after a few missteps films have been announced and dropped, stuck in limbo, or seemingly evaporated altogether. One such film on the bubble is Batgirl, which was originally announced along with the news that Joss Whedon would be writing and directing the project. Whedon was already in the DC Film offices when Zack Snyder left Justice League, making it easy for him to jump in and help finish the film.
However, Whedon soon announced he was departing the project, and a few names popped up with interest in taking over, though nothing concrete was announced and a new direction taken with The Batman reboot from Matt Reeves, potentially leaving Batgirl in limbo. Of course, we've already seen Batgirl on the big screen before in Joel Schumacher's 1997 sequel Batman & Robin, played by Alicia Silverstone. This version of Batgirl was unique and has never actually appeared in the comics in any form, and is why some fans are so eager to see a new version adapted for the big screen.
Now, we're going to take a closer look at Alicia Silverstone's version of Batgirl, her appearance in Batman & Robin and the events that led to her becoming Batgirl, and the differences between the comic versions of the character and Silverstone and Schumacher's big-screen adaptation.
BARBARA WILSON, STREET RACER
Shortly after Silverstone's Barbara Wilson is introduced, we learn she is the niece of Bruce Wayne's butler, Michael Gough's Alfred, one of the only consistent presences throughout the '90s Batman movies. Barbara reveals that she is on leave from Oxford Academy (the same school Alfred attended) and traveled to the U.S. to visit her uncle.
However, we would soon learn that Barbara had been kicked out of Oxford due to an unhealthy street racing habit. She is literally caught by Dick Grayson/Robin during a race in Gotham after she stole one of Bruce Wayne's bikes, which she lost when it careened off one of the many deadly cliffside bridges under construction in Schumacher's Gotham.
BATGIRL CONVENIENTLY BEGINS
Barbara's motivation behind her street racing career was to earn money so she could pay back her uncle for putting her through school and get him out of a life of servitude. She didn't realize that Alfred and Bruce were more like family than work colleagues, and she certainly didn't know that Alfred was assisting the heroes of Gotham City in his work. Unfortunately, Alfred had come down with McGregor's Syndrome (the same disease afflicting Mr. Freeze's wife Nora), and left behind a message for Barbara before he began to succumb to his illness.
When Barbara cracked the code, she was granted access to the Batcave and presented with a suit Alfred had created (somehow to her exact specifications without her knowing it). This invitation to join the family business (without much training beyond some self-defense classes) came at an incredibly opportune time, as she was able to join the Dynamic Duo in their battle against Poison Ivy, Bane, and Mr. Freeze, gaining yet another new suit in the process. As always, Alfred saves the day thanks to his amazing foresight and preparedness, even when afflicted with a debilitating disease.
BARBARA WILSON VS BARBARA GORDON
There are quite a few differences between the Batgirl seen in Batman & Robin and any of the versions we've seen in the comics. Characters like Helena Bertinelli, Cassandra Cain, and Stephanie Brown have all used the title of Batgirl at some point, but Barbara Wilson's closest counterpart in the DC universe is the first and current Batgirl, Barbara Gordon. Barbara's first live-action appearance was technically on the small screen as Commissioner Gordon's niece on the Batman TV show, played by Yvonne Craig.
The character would soon make her way to the comics, where she would become a valued member of the Batman Family. Batgirl's parentage is not the only difference between the two characters, especially at the time Silverstone's Wilson first appeared on the big screen. At this time in the comics, Barbara Gordon was paralyzed from the waist down due to a gunshot from the Joker in The Killing Joke, and she was operating as the high-tech information broker known as Oracle.
While Batgirl faces an uncertain future in the DCEU, we can still look back to Batman & Robin and Alicia Silverstone's portrayal of Batgirl to see a unique one-off version of the character that had an even closer her connection to the Wayne family but lost a lot of what made her character special as a long-time resident of Gotham City.