Classic Batgirl’s True Mother Revealed, And Your Jaw Will Hit The Floor
Civil unrest is rampant in Dark Knights of Steel II and the kingdom of Metropolis, which has suddenly turned its blades and pitchforks toward those who hail from the island kingdom of Amazonia after the Els had fallen ill—first Princess Zala-El, followed by Prince Kal-El and Queen Lara-El. This is all by design, of course, with the House of El’s General Amanda Waller twisting that knife from behind a curtain.
Waller had struck a deal with the White Martians and was the true villain of Dark Knights of Steel’s first 12-issue limited series, which ended without her treachery or her hand in Alfred/J’onn J’onzz’s murder being uncovered. This was a massive cliffhanger for the last few years, and the only character who might be able to put an end to Waller’s treasonous reign is Barbara Gordon’s Oracle, who was revealed to be Waller’s own daughter in the last panel of Dark Knights of Steel II #2.
Dark Knights Of Steel’s Barbara Gordon Is Amanda Waller’s Daughter
Barbara was revealed as Oracle in DC’s epic fantasy Elseworlds franchise at the end of Dark Knights of Steel II #1. But this iteration of Oracle is no mere woman sat in front of the dull glow of a Batcomputer monitor; instead, she is gifted—or cursed—with visions of things that have already come to pass.
In Oracle’s words: “I see what is, not what will be. So I cannot change what I am shown.” For instance, the first vision we see of hers is that Zala-El had fallen.
For Barbara to be Waller’s daughter doesn’t explain how this power manifested, but maybe that’ll become clearer as the narrative unfolds. Interestingly, it’s also unknown whether Barbara knew that Waller was her mother before this interaction, or if she’s only finding out now, as the issue concludes before we can see a response from Barbara other than an unwillingness to be stripped away from her father.
Will Oracle Be The One To Thwart Waller’s Betrayal?
Oracle obviously wasn’t able to see Waller’s betrayal during the events of Dark Knights of Steel, but she’s now been able to see Waller colluding with Dr. Elizabeth Arkham in order to commit the heinous act of poisoning the Els with Kryptonite-spiked broths in Dark Knights of Steel II. Waller has now separated Barbara from Captain James Gordon, perhaps because she knows of her abilities somehow and wishes to whisk her away from the battlefield.
Regardless, this doesn’t bode well for Barbara, who may be powerless to affect any sort of change from within Waller’s imprisonment unless she’s rescued by the House of El court jester and royal advisor, Dark Knights of Steel’s Harley Quinn. The solicitation for Dark Knights of Steel II #3 reads as follows:
With the House of El’s queen, crown prince, and princess bedridden, Lois of Amazonia jailed, the Amazons expelled, and the threat beneath the waves growing with each passing day, Amanda Waller has everything to gain as she assumes emergency control of the Kingdom of El. Harley Quinn, the Els’ advisor, must recruit to her cause a young Barbara Gordon, for the aid of her visions, and Dick Grayson, who’s just about the only person who might stand a chance of finding the missing Prince Bruce. But even as our heroes gather in secret, they’re about to discover that there isn’t much a power-hungry Waller wouldn’t do to cement her reign…
Dark Knights of Steel II #2 is out now.