ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the current versions of Batgirl and Batwoman as the female characters most directly aligned with Batman. Batgirl and Batwoman are not merely female analogues of Batman, but they are used to incorporate a different and more feminine perspective on issues in the Bat-world. Barbara Gordon is not the only character to have assumed the role of Batgirl in mainstream continuity, but she has been the longest lasting of the group and the character most identified with the role. The fanfare surrounding the new Kate Kane version of Batwoman was celebrated as a positive step towards incorporating LGBTQ characters into the world of superheroes. The difficulty with a Batwoman analogue as part of the Bat-family is that every character needs to be shown as subservient to Batman in order to confirm his supreme patriarchal authority. Batman is the authority, the character who always wins, the one who is always right.
