Who's Magpie?

Who's This? The 80s fashion nightmare from Who's Who Update '87 #4, page 5, by popular demand.

The facts: Created by John Byrne as the first foe of the post-Crisis World's Finest (non)team, Margaret Pye first appeared in the Man of Steel mini-series #3 (1986). She would go on to face Batman once more in Batman #401 that same year. And that's it for the next nine.
How you could have heard of her: In 1995, she appeared in a crowd scene in Underworld Unleashed #1, which suggested Neron would have powered her up. But none of her appearances after that corroborate this idea. Appearing as a non-costumed inmate in Arkham Asylum: Living Hell in 2003 is probably a career high, as she's mostly appeared in cameos (JSA #28, 2001; around the Intergang table in 52 #25, 2006), or as a dead body (she is found dead in Batman #651/Detective #818; then as one of the Black Lanterns in Blackest Night). In the New 52, she's appeared in a couple issues of Batman Eternal (out of costume, as an Arkham inmate), and has appeared in a number of episodes of the Beware the Batman animated series, where she is Margaret Sorrow who has poisonous claws and an inability to feel pain.
Example story: Batman #401 (1986) "A Bird in the Hand..." by Barbara J. Randall and Trevor Von Eeden

If I was to cover the much-request Magpie, it wouldn't be from her first appearance, which has been collected and made famous by Superman's Byrnification. It would have to be Magpie as a Batman villain. And there's only story like that. This one. It's a story that doesn't seem to know Batman and Superman first encountered Magpie years ago and plays like it just happened despite the fact that Batman has gone from no oval, no Batmobile and no relationship to the GCPD, to yellow oval, Jason Todd Robin and expected meetings with Commissioner Gordon. Gordon waves the World's Finest's statements like they were recently taken, and complains the judge set bail on Magpie and she's out and about. That was one long stint in county!

Regardless of the timeline, Magpie strikes again, stealing a priceless jewel called the Eagle's Heart right off its wearer's throat. So to speak.

Harsh! Whatever she steals, she replaces with something dangerous... like an open wound! Though Gordon is puzzled, Batman quickly sees the pattern here. She's stolen the Eagle's Heart, the Robin's Egg and an emerald off a Mrs. Turtledove. Birds is the pattern. As you'll see, though this ISN'T years ago, the plot is - gore aside - a lot like something out of Batman '66. Batman has Bruce Wayne set a trap for the GCPD, a party where an undercover cop will wear yet another jewel, the "Falcon's Eye". As the party gets going and Glorious Godfrey starts ranting about superheroes (it's a Legends crossover, see), his gesticulations send drinks flying on Lady Cop's dress. But the server who helps her clean up? Magpie without the tri-hawk wig.

She soon stumbles back into the ballroom with a gas-emitting gem at her throat. After the immediate crisis passes, Batman and Robin follow Magpie's catering truck to her hideout, where she's busy demonstrating her obsession with shiny things. Let's just say it makes her a bit of a clean freak.

And while she's killed a lot of people, I'm not sure how badass she is if her reaction to seeing the Caped Crusader and Friend is...

Or is that her Magpie Battle Cry? What ensues is Mags pointing at the Dynamic Duo a lot so her goons will know who to attack. And then Jason Todd shows us just how impractical her very 80s costume really is:

Oops! And even oopser for Jason for whom the sight of a woman's bare breasts is pure kryptonite. She escapes, pulls herself back together, puts the heroes (and her goons) in a death trap, grabs her favorite treasures and then trips! One of her shinies flies under a dresser!

And that's how they catch up to her. Stupid pathology! It's also how Batman disarms her, by shining something bright in her face. That bastard.

In conclusion, Magpie tells him he's a "horrible man", and he responds that he is what he HAS to be. So dramatic. And Magpie? She went on to a lackluster career as a background character. With such a clear pathology, do you think she should have figured more? Or did the immediately dated costume do her in?

Who's Next? We're going so far back, it won't even be DC Comics anymore...