For years after, Barbara Gordon donned the role of Oracle, who supported the Bat-family as IT genius extraordinaire. Writer Gail Simone had Barbara Gordon physically rehabilitated and resuming her role as Batgirl, to the chagrin of some readers, as readership had lost one of the few non-able bodied characters in mainstream comics. Audiences do not yet know what to expect from a Batgirl movie, only that it is supposed to be quite dark. Recently, Brendan Fraser was cast as the villainous Firefly for the movie, but will he be working alone?

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For vastly different reasons, The Joker, The Court of Owls, Mr. Freeze, Mirror, and the GCPD would all make for great antagonists in the HBO Batgirl movie. The Clown Prince of Crime has a sordid history with Batgirl and is the greatest villain in comic book history. The Court of Owls is a threat that Batgirl could not take on alone, and would bring in other members of the Bat-family. Mr. Freeze is a character that, like Batgirl, is sympathetic and has dealt with great trauma. Mirror was the first villain in the first comic book run that took Barbara Gordon out of the wheelchair and back into the cape and cowl. Lastly, the GCPD would make for a controversial adversary that would generate lots of buzz around the film and be extremely topical.

In that tale, The Joker forces Batgirl to marry him… sort of. It is rather grim, as the Joker once again forces Batgirl to do something against her will. But it is also a very emotive and powerful tale and one that brings Batman into the fold. This would also make sense, as Batman is confirmed to appear in Batgirl.

This would be an obvious but powerful and possibly provocative choice. Barbara was physically and mentally traumatized by the events of The Killing Joke. Esteemed writer Scott Snyder ceremoniously brought the two of them back together in the Batman: Death of the Family comic book storyline nearly a decade ago.

Another Scott Snyder special, Batman: The Court of Owls was published a decade ago to exceptional critical and fan acclaim. The Court of Owls is an organization that has been running Gotham City from the shadows through financial, political, and less savory means for centuries. Talons are their assassins and are incredibly brutal foes.

Yes, The Court of Owls storyline is featured in the upcoming game Gotham Knights. Yet, this should not deter them from being potential villains in a Batgirl film. After all, virtually every Batman villain was in 2015’s celebrated videogame Batman: Arkham Knight. That did not prevent Warner Brothers from putting Firefly in Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice or having Harley Quinn and The Joker in Suicide Squad the following year.

Victor Fries, AKA Mr. Freeze has something in common with Barbara Gordon. He also has a tragic backstory with much trauma in it. The love of his life became comatose, and in an effort to save her, Victor Fries suffered a horrible accident that makes him require a sub-zero atmosphere to survive, becoming Mr. Freeze. As far as Bat-family villains go, he is a pretty sympathetic villain. An emotive back-and-forth among action sequences would make for a powerful Batgirl film.

Mirror is a villain that Gail Simone created during her New 52 Batgirl run. His outfit design is downright creepy, and he has never appeared outside of the comics. He is stronger than Batgirl but does not have any otherworldly abilities. There is a noteworthy scene in the comic run where Mirror hunts Batgirl in a graveyard, which would make for powerful imagery in a film.

In many Batman comics and movie adaptations, there are corrupt elements of the GCPD. In today’s sociopolitical environment, it would be extremely powerful to have a Black Batgirl fighting against corrupt Gotham City cops. Even more important than physical combat would be what Batgirl could accomplish systemically. With her background as Oracle, she could use her mind as much, if not more than, her fists.

No matter which direction the creative team goes in, audiences have become accustomed to multiple villains in superhero movies. Batgirl promises to be a dark and ideally faithful companion to her comic book runs.

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