the batgirl mantle is so interesting as a case in the batfamily and even in the dc universe.

barbara always felt a little like an outlier in the dynamics and that's because she's always been headstrong and a little cynical as batgirl, if anything at the beggining even a little immature. but it's clear the thing she looked for the most was for purpose in what she did and what she fought for, to follow the footsteps of her father, to be someone she herself can look up to.

and this is not to discredit her feats as batgirl but not only is as oracle that she manages to become her best possible self but it's also through guiding both cassandra and stephanie in the batgirl mantle, the mantle that she had to give up unwillingly, that she grows into the woman i know for a fact young her would look up to... idk man there's something poetic about it

re reading both batgirl (2000) and batgirl (2009) is proving that these girls gave barbara and batgirl a meaning beyond measure. and as a consequence of that, it gives the batgirl mantle a weight other mantles might not have about the concept of a legacy and letting your legacy not only inspire others, but heal you.

(and that's why barbara works the best as oracle. barbara as oracle is proof you can not only outgrow your past, but learn from it. allow it not to haunt you.)