DC Just Turned Batman’s Greatest Fighter Into a Major Villain

Batman is one of the world’s greatest fighters in every universe. He’s a master of more fighting styles than most people could name, and regularly uses those insane skills to protect Gotham City and beyond. However, as great as he is, he’s not the best fighter alive. There’s definitely some competition for that title, but there’s one character who, even beyond arguably being the greatest fighter of all, is definitively the best fighter in the Batman-Family. Cassandra Cain is the second Batgirl, the daughter of Lady Shiva, trained by Bronze Tiger, and the fighter who has proven that she is just as dedicated to Batman’s mission as she is skilled at combat.

Cass has been a hero dead set on saving every life with her incredible skills for ages now, but that’s all changing in DC’s newest epic. The Absolute Universe is all about taking the heroes we know and love and stripping essential aspects from them. In Cass’s case, that means that she never escaped her assassin heritage and is now a major villain. Absolute Catwoman #1 has pitted this deadly new Cassandra Cain against the titular cat-burglar, and as good as Selina is, I’m not sure that she stands much of a chance.

Catwoman Versus the Absolute Greatest Fighter

The issue started with Selina celebrating her twenty-fifth birthday and planning to retire from the thievery game. Unfortunately, we know that getting out is never that easy. Holly, her friend and member of her old crew, the Callicos, showed up to ask for Selina’s help on one last job. Selina declined, but got dragged in anyway when Holly left something in her cake, and a whole crew of Catwoman-impersonators showed up to take her down for it. Selina showed everyone that her Catwoman was practically the Batman of her universe, complete with her very own Cat Cave, and tore them apart with superior training and arms.

Unfortunately, a black-clad assassin kidnapped Holly. Selina tried to fight her, but despite Catwoman’s insane training,  the assassin matched Selina and easily overcame her. Even though Selina was using her high-tech prehensile tail and practically risking death to throw the assassin off her game, Catwoman stood no chance. Eventually, she decided to cut her losses and disengage. Instead of saving Holly, she stole back the orb everyone was after. The assassin carted Holly to a warehouse, where her handler told her that they were very proud of her. The assassin removed her helmet and, as I’m sure you’ve guessed, revealed herself as Absolute Cassandra Cain.

Absolute Cass With an Absolute New Direction

Obviously, this version of Cass is very different from what we’re used to. Instead of a hero, she’s a villain, or at the very least, someone who works for big villains. Given that her name is still Cain, it’s very likely that she either works for her criminal father or, given how she was praised, the psycho assassin-trainer Mother. Either way, this Cass has grown into adulthood as a criminal, and that fundamentally differentiates her from her Prime counterpart. She likely has no problem killing, given how she caused a pile-up to throw Catwoman off her path. Based on recent DC announcements of Cass’s own upcoming one-shot, Absolute Cassandra Cain: The Shadow’s Hand, which will show that she survived the Joker’s massacre of the League of Assassins.

Obviously, this Cass is a total villain and the main physical opponent for Catwoman in this series, but where can she go from there? Cass always started as an assassin, and just because she’s a little further down the road doesn’t mean that she can’t claw her way back. If she does redeem herself, then I can definitely see Cass being Catwoman’s ally, or possibly even her own sidekick, for a time. When Catwoman returns to Absoltue Batman, she might even bring Cass along with her. On the other hand, Cass could easily just be this world’s Shiva, where she remains a major threat over time. Personally, I’d love to see her as a hero.

Absolute Catwoman #1 is on sale now

What do you think of Absolute Cassandra Cain? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!

Every Member of the Absolute Justice League, Ranked by Threat Level