Barbara Kean (Gotham)

Barbara Kean appears in the television series Gotham, which acts as an origin show to several DC related characters in the years prior to Bruce Wayne becoming Batman. She is introduced in the "Pilot" episode, initially as the fiancée to protagonist James Gordon. But it becomes clear she has had a troubled past with alcohol and drugs, and is also revealed as the former bisexual partner of Renee Montoya.

Biography[]

Unlike the comic counterpart, this version later becomes a villain in the show. In fact, after being mentally abused by The Ogre, she murders her parents near the end of the first season and tries to kill Gordon's new partner, Leslie Thompkins.

In the second season she becomes a part of a group known as 'The Maniax' and works under the season's primary antagonist, Theo Galavan. She then tries to kill herself but ending up in a coma instead, she later wakes up and helps Jim with the intention of reconciling with him, failing.

In the third season she continues her career as a gangster along with her girlfriend Tabitha Galavan and Butch Gilzean (later known as Solomon Grundy). She then allies with Edward Nygma with the intention of stopping Oswald Cobblepot from beign the king of the city. She briefly becomes the queen of Gotham before being electrocuted to death by Tabitha.

In the fourth season Barbara gets resurrected by Ra’s al Ghul. She then makes peace and reunites with Tabitha and Selina Kyle, being known as The Sirens. They briefly work with Sofia Falcone and they stop Penguin‘s control over the city. Ra's then makes her the new Demon’s Head, which leads her to summon the League of Shadows, she eventually gives up her powers to save Tabitha. The two, with the help of the Sisters of the League, claim their territory in “The Sirens Club” when villains take control over Gotham City.

After the incident with the Speed Demonz biker gang, Cobblepot sends Barbara, Tabitha, and Selina to the Narrows to bring him Nygma. When Firefly crashes the fight between Tabitha and Solomon Grundy, Barbara shoots Cherry after Leslie Thompkins disabled Firefly. Barbara then declares to the crowd that they are defecting from Cobblepot's services. After abducting Sofia while thinking that she is on Cobblepot's side, Barbara learns that Sofia is against Cobblepot while seeing that she was right about her claim when Victor Zsasz uses a rocket launcher to destroy her lair. Afterward, Barbara, Tabitha, and Selina side with Sofia in her war against Cobblepot.

The energy that Ra's al Ghul placed in Barbara turned out to be a beacon for the rest of the League of Shadows, who arrive at The Sirens club. After relinquishing it to a revived Ra's al Ghul, she assists Alfred in rescuing Bruce as she manipulates events that have her forcing Bruce's hand into thrusting the embalming knife into Ra's al Ghul. After hearing from Tabitha about Butch's death at the hands of Cobblepot, Barbara blames men for the troubles they have been dealing with and decides to kill the males from the League of Shadows that offered to follow her after Ra's al Ghul's defeat.

A few weeks after the government abandons Gotham, Tabitha is killed by Penguin, and an enraged Barbara vows revenge. She later rescues Gordon while he is on a mission to rescue children being used for slave labor and then has a one-night stand with him. Barbara becomes pregnant with his child, and she requests that Lee provides prenatal care for her. Barbara gives birth to a daughter, and after giving birth, she and Lee are chased by Bane, at the request of Nyssa al Ghul, for her involvement in her father's death. Once Bane is defeated, she reveals that she named her daughter Barbara Lee after the people she trusts the most. She ends her feud with Lee Thompkins, and Gordon, Lee, and Barbara all agree to raise the child together.

10 years later, Barbara is no longer in the criminal business, working on a tower to outdo the size of the rebuilt Wayne Tower. After discovering a plot to blow up Wayne Tower, she helps Selina to subdue Nygma and then helps disarm the bombs. Then, Barbara picks up her daughter and goes to get a gun from the Sirens, but is ambushed by Jeremiah and Ecco. After stabbing Ecco, Barbara is subdued by Jeremiah and has her leave a message for Gordon while making off with Barbara's daughter. Luckily, when Gordon goes after Jeremiah, although they are almost killed, Gordon and Barbara Lee are saved when Batman arrives.

Appearances[]

Season 1[]

• "Pilot"
• "Selina Kyle"
• "The Balloonman"
• "Arkham"
• "Viper" (mentioned)
• "Spirit of the Goat"
• "Penguin's Umbrella"
• "The Mask"
• "Harvey Dent"
• "Rogues' Gallery"
• "What The Little Bird Told Him"
• "The Fearsome Dr. Crane" (mentioned)
• "The Blind Fortune Teller"
• "Red Hood"
• "Under the Knife"
• "The Anvil or the Hammer"
• "All Happy Families Are Alike"

Season 2[]

• "Rise of the Villains: Damned If You Do..."
• "Rise of the Villains: Knock, Knock"
• "Rise of the Villains: The Last Laugh"
• "Rise of the Villains: Strike Force"
• "Rise of the Villains: Scarification" (mentioned)
• "Rise of the Villains: By Fire"
• "Rise of the Villains: Tonight’s the Night"
• "Rise of the Villains: A Bitter Pill to Swallow"
• "Rise of the Villains: Worse Than A Crime" (flashback)
• "Wrath of the Villains: A Dead Man Feels No Cold"
• "Wrath of the Villains: Mad Grey Dawn"
• "Wrath of the Villains: Into the Woods"
• "Wrath of the Villains: Pinewood"
• "Wrath of the Villains: Azrael"
• "Wrath of the Villains: Unleashed" (mentioned)
• "Wrath of the Villains: Transference"

Season 3[]

• "Mad City: Better to Reign in Hell..."
• "Mad City: Burn the Witch..."
• "Mad City: Look Into My Eyes"
• "Mad City: New Day Rising"
• "Mad City: Anything for You"
• "Mad City: Follow the White Rabbit"
• "Mad City: Red Queen" (hallucination)
• "Mad City: Blood Rush"
• "Mad City: Time Bomb"
• "Mad City: Beware the Green-Eyed Monster"
• "Mad City: Ghosts"
• "Mad City: Smile Like You Mean It"
• "Mad City: The Gentle Art of Making Enemies"
• "Heroes Rise: How the Riddler Got His Name" (deleted scene)
• "Heroes Rise: These Delicate and Dark Obsessions"
• "Heroes Rise: The Primal Riddle"
• "Heroes Rise: Light The Wick" (mentioned)
• "Heroes Rise: All Will Be Judged" (mentioned)
• "Heroes Rise: Pretty Hate Machine"
• "Heroes Rise: Destiny Calling"
• "Heroes Rise: Heavydirtysoul"

Season 4[]

• "A Dark Knight: Pax Penguina" (mentioned)
• "A Dark Knight: The Fear Reaper"
• "A Dark Knight: They Who Hide Behind Masks"
• "A Dark Knight: The Demon's Head"
• "A Dark Knight: The Blade's Path"
• "A Dark Knight: A Day in the Narrows"
• "A Dark Knight: Stop Hitting Yourself"
• "A Dark Knight: Things That Go Boom"
• "A Dark Knight: Queen Takes Knight"
• "A Dark Knight: Pieces of a Broken Mirror"
• "A Dark Knight: A Beautiful Darkness"
• "A Dark Knight: The Sinking Ship, The Grand Applause"
• "A Dark Knight: One of My Three Soups"
• "A Dark Knight: That's Entertainment"
• "A Dark Knight: To Our Deaths and Beyond"
• "A Dark Knight: One Bad Day"
• "A Dark Knight: No Man's Land"

Season 5[]

• "Legend of the Dark Knight: Year Zero"
• "Legend of the Dark Knight: Trespassers"
• "Legend of the Dark Knight: Penguin, Our Hero"
• "Legend of the Dark Knight: Ruin"
• "Legend of the Dark Knight: Pena Dura"
• "Legend of the Dark Knight: 13 Stitches"
• "Legend of the Dark Knight: Ace Chemicals"
• "Legend of the Dark Knight: Nothing's Shocking"
• "Legend of the Dark Knight: The Trial of Jim Gordon"
• "Legend of the Dark Knight: I Am Bane"
• "Legend of the Dark Knight: They Did What?"
• "Legend of the Dark Knight: The Beginning..."

Gotham: A City Gone Mad[]

• "A City Gone Mad: Sirens" (mentioned)
• "A City Gone Mad: The Interview" (mentioned)
• "A City Gone Mad: Mommy's Home"

Novels[]

• Gotham: City of Monsters

Trivia[]

• The show's version of Barbara is the first to be presented as a bisexual character.
• Barbara's character is based on Barbara Gordon, the first wife of Jim Gordon, but she has many similar attributes to Harley Quinn. At one point, the writers considered actually making her Harley Quinn, as well as Magpie, the latter of which would later appear, while the former was adapted into another character named Ecco. Magpie herself was also introduced for an episode in season 5.