I always wondered how Batgirl (or any other masked superheroine) would react if someone (evil) would unmask her?
The Situation: Batgirl fights with a villain. With some dirty tricks he manages to unmask her! He says that he recognize her as Barbara Gordon…but after the shock she somehow gains the upper hand and beat the villain unconscious. But what now? He knows who she is, he could figure out names and addresses of friends and family. Everyone she knows would be in real danger. She could let him be arrested, but he could talk to some people (police and inmates) and her secret would be no more… She could leave Gotham City, quit crime fighting, but that wouldn’t help much either (friends & family would stay). And the villain would use his knowledge of her secret identity to hurt her. And there is no fancy, crazy gadget available to erase his memory or something like that….
I would say I’m a pragmatic man, the only available solution to me would be: Kill the villain! I know that members of the Bat family don’t “normally” do that. But, she doesn’t have another choice in my eyes. She must protect herself and her friends and family. And she saves civilians with her crime fighting. That kill would save many lives in the future.,,,
What about you folks? Do you see other options, that she could have? Let the discussion begin! 😉
Hello, Siggi!
Very intersting post, and one that invites to meditation. As a heroine, and member of the Bat-Family, an assasination is forbidden to Batgirl, but in such a case that her identity and her family’s safety is at risk, she maybe could be tempted to cross the line. But, as Batman says at the climax of his battle against Ra’as Al Ghul in Batman Begins:
maybe the bad guy just….suffers an accident and Batgirl couldn’t save him. well, a fall from the 12th floor could happen to anyone….
Kinda depends on whether just one guy unmasked her or it was televised to the world. With a large gang or live audience she’s just toast. It’s over and Barbara needs to get into a witness program. But then there’s still her family. Villains could threaten them to smoke her out. Probably her best shot though.
But with one guy there are possible alternatives to killing him or a convenient accident. There was an episode of the old 1950s Superman were a mobster and his moll found out who he was. Superman’s reaction was to imprison them both at the top of an inaccessible mountain. He gave them a home and supplies of course but basically he sentenced them to life in his own personal jail! (They died anyway trying to climb down the mountain.)
So I’m saying that, assuming that Batgirl has connections to Batman and Wayne money, there are ways he could be made to disappear permanently and live out his life in Batman’s personal gulag. Barbara could come by and taunt him once in a while. “So you unmasked me and had Batgirl at your mercy for awhile? Well now the tables have turned. Rot in hell you sick bastard!!”
More complicated than cold blooded murder but heroines with consciences have to make sacrifices sometimes.
Interesting points guys! The “let the batgirl-unmasker rot in a Bat-prison” could be an idea, with some Wayne money it should be safe. But even there he maybe have the chance to spread the word who she is…. even a simple prison guard could be a risk, if he knows it… 😉
in Batman the Animated Series, Batgirl was unmasked by the bad guy in the beginning of her career. she was lucky that the bad guy suffered a head trauma and went in coma for several years (and was never mentioned again….so maybe he died in the hospital)
Well, in the Batgirl episode Shadow of the Bat part 2 from the Batman Animated Series…She kicked the guy so hard…he never woke up from the Coma. Then there’s….hypnosis. And of course there’s a chance he doesn’t recognize her. And then there’s villains that are not about to expose the heroine….like Bane. He doesn’t care about exposing them. Villains like that are dangerous. There’s also getting someone to dress as Batgirl and be in the same place at the same time. So, there’s proof that she “isn’t” Batgirl. There’s many ideas to fight back being unmasked.
Agree with Unmasker…it really depends on who unmasks her.
I agree it matters who unmasks her, but in a situation on a roof she could always accidentally knock him off the roof? lol