Batman: All 11 Batgirl actresses ranked from worst to best

6. Stockard Channing

Appeared in: Batman Beyond, Batman: Return of the Joker

Rosario Dawson wasn’t the first to play a version of Barbara Gordon that becomes commissioner of the GCPD, as animated show Batman Beyond showcased what a Gotham City under her protection for years looked like.

The DC Animated Universe took the Batman story into uncharted story here. Set decades after both Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures, New Gotham got a new protector. But Commissioner Gordon wasn’t thrilled about having a new Dark Knight, as she had long since moved on from that era – and wanted Gotham to as well.

Stockard Channing portrayed Barbara with a grit we rarely see from her on-screen. She was very matter-of-fact when it came to dealing with her old friend Bruce Wayne, hardened by the events that led to her retirement as Batgirl decades beforehand (which we see play out in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker). She’s firm, but occasionally shows us glimpses of the fun-loving girl that she once was.

It was an unexpectedly authentic portrayal of a woman who had grown out of the life of vigilantism after all it took from her, and Channing did an expert job bringing that to life on the show’s first two seasons.