Following Rocksteady’s recent announcement that Batgirl will be playable as part of the Season Pass for Batman: Arkham Knight, speculation has run wild as to which of the women who has worn that particular mantle would be featured in the game. Would it be Cassie Cain, the daughter of the League of Assassins’ David Cain, or Gotham Police commissioner Gordon’s daughter, Barbara?
Rocksteady has put the debate to rest and confirmed that it will indeed be Barbara Gordon.
As a few of you have asked about the DLC, "who is Batgirl?" I can confirm it is indeed Barbara Gordon.
— Sefton Hill (@Seftonhill) May 5, 2015
Barbara Gordon has already been featured in the previous Arkham games as Oracle, the voice in Batman’s ear providing support and advice from back at home base. Many have speculated that this prequel episode, called A Matter of Family, will draw from The Killing Joke, an Alan Moore-penned Batman story from the late ’80s in which the Joker shoots Barbara Gordon as Batgirl in the spine, paralyzing her and laying the groundwork for her becoming Oracle.
The Batman: Arkham Knight Season Pass will be available for $40 on its own or as part of the Premium Edition of the game for $99, adding six months of additional content following the game’s release. In addition to A Matter of Family, it will include new story missions for Batman, custom race tracks for testing out various Batmobile’s from the Dark Knight’s long history, and various challenges and additional character skins.
In a new trailer, Rocksteady also revealed much of the game’s prestigious core voice cast. Kevin Conroy, who has voiced Batman in cartoons and video games for over 20 years, returns with his iconic, gravelly baritone. Jonathan Banks, best known for playing the intimidating Mike Ehrmantraut in Breaking Bad, will play commissioner Gordon — I, for one, would not want to have to explain to him that his daughter had been shot by the Joker. John Noble (Fringe) lends his talent to the creepy Scarecrow. Ashley Greene (the Twilight films) will play as Barbara Gordon/Oracle/Batgirl. The cast also includes video game voice acting mainstays Troy Baker, Nolan North, and Tara Strong as Two-Face, Penguin, and Harley Quinn, respectively.
On a tangentially-related note, here’s a great clip of Kevin Conroy from I Know That Voice, describing the time he was recognized while cooking meals for 9/11 rescue workers:
Batman: Arkham Knight comes out on June 23 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows.
