Warning: this article contains spoilers for Batgirls #12!Most vigilantes don't have the healthiest relationships with their parents, and Stephanie Brown's Superhero parents tend to range from beloved but dead to straight-up evil. First introduced as Spoiler in the early 90s, Stephanie Brown is the daughter of Arthur Brown, the Batman villain Cluemaster. Ironically, her dad was Steph's inspiration to become a hero, donning her handmade purple costume to "spoil" Cluemaster's plans.
However, Cluemaster wasn't destined to spar with her father for long, as his death wasn't far away. Considering their less than amicable relationship, Spoiler was unsure how to take it, especially since - having been a part of the Suicide Squad - Cluemaster "died with honor, in service to his country." Later, it was revealed that he was still alive, albeit severely scarred. It was his memories of Steph that kept Arthur going during his year of recuperation, and yet tragedy returned, as Spoiler died during the epic War Games event. Adopting the name "Aaron Black," Cluemaster hunted down Batman, blaming him for the death of his daughter. Despite Batman being aware that her father is alive, Steph herself was kept in the dark.
In Batgirls #12, by Becky Cloonan, Michael Conrad and Neil Googe, Stephanie Brown and Cassandra Cain face off against the Riddler, who has been working with Mr Fun, the mysterious Hill Ripper they've been searching for. Steph goes toe-to-toe with the Riddler while Cassandra jet-packs away with Killer Moth to find Mr Fun before he murders Grace O'Halloran. Unfortunately, the Riddler throws Steph off her games, hinting at "clues" and "family." It's obvious he's implying that Arthur Brown, A.K.A. The Cluemaster (and Stephanie's dad) is still alive... something she actually already knows.
Batgirl Already Knows Cluemaster Is Alive
Unfortunately, the Batgirls reveal has created a plot hole in DC's main continuity. Steph already discovered that her father was still alive during her solo 2009 Batgirl run. Cluemaster, as the mysterious benefactor to the Reapers, had been setting up clues for his daughter to find him. Their reunion is brief, but not something Batgirl would easily forget. Between Batgirl Vol 3 and the current Batgirls series, there have been no other fake deaths for Arthur Brown, meaning that Stephanie should be fully aware that her father's alive.
It'll be interesting to see how DC explains away this issue, or if it gets addressed at all. DC's Infinite Frontier era recently combined all past continuities, claiming that "everything matters" - this has resulted in some changes to established stories, but uniformly by embracing prior continuity, not ignoring it. If this is indeed a plot hole, it's an invitation to retcon the reason Steph believed her father to be dead - after all, The New Golden Age #1 recently revealed a number of forgotten characters were excised from DC history, so fixing this misstep would be nothing by comparison. Whatever the case, it's unlikely Batgirl's father has left his villainous ways behind him, and it seems like Stephanie Brown's very personal nemesis will be integral to the latest threat to Gotham.
Batgirls #12 is now available from DC Comics!
