From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Misfit (Charlotte "Charlie" Gage-Radcliffe) is a fictional character in the DC Comics Universe. She first appeared in Birds of Prey #96 as the latest Batgirl, before taking on her own identity as Misfit.

Misfit as the new Batgirl. Art by James Raiz.

In Birds of Prey #96, a couple is saved from muggers by a woman wearing what appears to be Barbara Gordon's classic Batgirl costume. She dispatches one of the robbers with a Batarang, and the others with well-placed punches. The male of the rescued couple says "Batgirl is back!"

In issue #98, Black Canary and Huntress are sent to find the new Batgirl. They have Gypsy fake being attacked, and lure the new Batgirl out of hiding. They are startled when Batgirl appears, a young girl in a homemade costume and using various catch phrases such as "Dark Vengeance". However, she calls Huntress by her real name, and seems to have metahuman powers, such as teleportation, superhuman strength, and rapid healing abilities. She saves Huntress from an assassin and teleports away, only to re-appear behind Oracle in the headquarters, saying, "We have got to spend more time together, Babs."

In issue #99, Oracle and the new Batgirl (who apparently also has cloaking abilities) fight, and Oracle persuades the girl to stop wearing the Batgirl costume by showing her images of Stephanie Brown's autopsy. The girl tells Oracle she will give up being Batgirl but adds that she will not give up being a superhero.

In issue #101, the young girl reappears in Oracle's headquarters, wearing a new, if similar, costume, and calls herself Misfit. Her teleportation powers are demonstrated in issue #103, where she manages to teleport between Metropolis and southern California, and in issue #106, where she teleports from Oracle's headquarters in Metropolis to an unspecified location in Russia.

In issue #106, Misfit's teleporting to Russia is to join the Birds of Prey in their fight against the Secret Six, evening the sides. She engages in an inconclusive, and often rather goofy, fight with Harley Quinn while the Birds fight with the other members of the Six.

Misfit's identity is revealed in issue #108; her real name (Charlotte "Charlie" Gage-Radcliffe) and last known address are provided to Oracle by Spy Smasher. Charlie has been living with her single mother in a slum in Metropolis when a fire breaks out. Charlie is able to teleport to safety, but can not save her mother. Orphaned and homeless, Misfit is adopted into the Birds of Prey by Oracle at issue's end.

The Teen Titans storyline "Titans of Tomorrow... Today!" reveals that as an adult in an alternate future timeline, Charlotte operates as the Huntress in the Titans Army, and has dyed her hair blonde and wears fishnet stockings, like Black Canary. "Dark Vengeance!" remains her characteristic battle cry.

Misfit has the ability to teleport (or, as she calls it, "bounce") vast distances without error or knowing the layout of her destination. In Birds of Prey #106, Oracle refers to her as "the most powerful teleporter I've ever encountered." Apparently, this ability also allows her to bypass security systems, as she is able to enter Oracle's home without triggering any of the many alarms, a feat not even Batman or the Martian Manhunter have been able to achieve; she also knows the real names of the Birds of Prey, information she could have only gotten by hiding in Oracle's operations center and listening to her discussions with the team.

Misfit's power is limited to herself and non-living objects in her possession; in Birds of Prey #108, she tells Oracle that, while she was able to save herself from the fire, she wasn't able to save her mother because, "I knew from experimenting that nothing living survived bouncing with me."

Misfit also has some degree of accelerated healing, as evidenced in both Birds of Prey #98 and #108; in #98, she is shot in the belly with a bullet intended for Huntress, but has healed completely mere minutes later, while in #108, she mentions "the way I don't stay wounded if I get hurt" to Oracle. She also appears to have some degree of enhanced strength, though this has not been confirmed. Her powers are apparently natural metahuman abilities that she was born with, in the style of a Marvel Comics mutant referred to as a meta-gene, as opposed to being the result of some outside influence after birth.