Gotham’s beloved Gordon family is about to get a new member.
With Titans heading to Dick and Jason’s home city during its upcoming third season, Variety reported this morning that the HBO Max series has cast Savannah Welch in the role of Barbara Gordon. When the Titans arrive, the former Batgirl will be serving as Gotham’s police commissioner, having hung up the cowl after being shot and paralyzed by the Joker. Much like her path in the comics, Barbara will be confined to a wheelchair (though whether she’ll have an alternate persona as Oracle isn’t yet known). Described as having a combative relationship with Bruce Wayne, Barbara’s life gets more complicated when Dick Grayson (Brenton Thwaites) returns to Gotham, rekindling their old romance and starting a new crimefighting partnership.
As viewers of Titans know, Dick ended season two by taking on the mantle of Nightwing during an ongoing battle with Deathstroke. The events of that battle left Jason Todd angry and estranged from the rest of the Titans, and it’s been revealed that he’ll serve as season three’s main antagonist after becoming Red Hood. With Barbara presumably also having a relationship with Jason, it would make sense for Dick and Babs to partner, though how any rekindled romance is seen by Starfire (Anna Diop) could be interesting since her relationship with Dick could also be described as intimate. (Of course, it’s very likely Starfire will have other things on her mind since her sister, Blackfire, will also be a major part of season three.)
As for Welch, the actress appeared in both Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life and Richard Linklater’s Golden Globe and Oscar-winning Boyhood, but was most recently seen in the History Channel’s Six, in which she played a Marine who lost a leg in combat. Welch herself is an amputee and an activist within the disabled community.
Welch will be the third live action Barbara Gordon to hit the screen after Yvonne Craig helped establish the character in the Adam West Batman series and Dina Meyer introduced the post-injury take in 2002’s Birds of Prey TV series. Titans debuted in 2018 with the first two seasons airing initially on DC Universe before the series was brought to HBO Max. It’s not yet known when the third season will debut, but with casting solidifying and production starting to ramp up, we should have a good idea about that soon.
But how do you feel about DC’s newest Barbara Gordon? Babs is a hugely popular—and hugely important—DC character. Are you excited to see her return to the screen? Nervous? Hoping for some naughtiness with Nightwing? Head on over to the DC Community and let us know your thoughts!