Cassandra Cain has held a very strange position in comics for a very long time. Introduced as daughter to top assassins David Cain and Lady Shiva and chosen to be Barbara Gordon’s successor as Batgirl, Cass grew to be a core member of the extended Batman Family. Bruce became a father figure to her, and eventually even legally adopted her, making her the Batman’s one and only daughter. But all that changed when the New 52 rebooted the universe. Cass’s entire history with Batman and everyone else was wiped away, and while she eventually rejoined the Bat Family and became Batgirl again, her place in that family has been uncertain the entire time.
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Over the course of her sometimes amgbiguous career, Cass has taken and been given many codenames. Batgirl, Black Bat, Orphan, The Nothing, the One Who is All. The amount of names reflects her own ambiguous place in Batman’s inner circle. Once trusted and loved enough to be his daughter, now fans wonder if they even connect at all. But that all changes now, because her mother may have just given her the most important codename of all.
In issue #6 of the Batgirl solo series, Cassandra declared herself Shiva’s daughter by blood, but Batman’s daughter by choice. She rejected her mom’s villanous ways, and said she will always choose Batman because he represents everything she believes in. In turn, Shiva called her “Daughter of the Bat,” fully solidifying that her place as Batman’s daughter has not changed.
What Does This Name Mean for Batgirl’s Future?
For one, this new title narratively fulfills Cass’s journey in accepting both parts of her heritage. Throughout the first six issues of her series, Batgirl has struggled to come to terms with her relationship to Lady Shiva, and while Cass does accept Shiva as a part of her, this means that she will always be Batman’s daughter first and foremost. It marks the first time Shiva has acknowledged this relationship as well, possibly indicating a change in the way the world at large will see it, and foreshadowing Batgirl playing a bigger role in Batman’s affairs going forward.
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The stage is more than set for someone like Cass to step up to the plate as well. Damian Wayne has recently stated that he plans to quit being Robin. This would mark the first time since the introduction of Tim Drake in the 90s that Batman would be without the second half of the Dynamic Duo. It’d be a massive shake to the status quo of the Caped Crusader. And while there are characters that could take his place, such as Stephanie Brown reprising her short sting at the first mainline Girl Wonder or Duke Thomas finally getting the chance to don the red and green, neither one of those seems likely given they don’t have much presence in the comic book space right now. They could have Tim Drake return to his original role as Batman’s full-time partner, especially since he goes by just Robin right now, but having him fall back to the role he first started when he was fifteen all those years ago would feel like massive character regression. Tim Drake fans have been begging DC to take him in a new direction, so it also seems unlikely that he’ll take this massive step back.
Batgirl, meanwhile, is heading her own ongoing comic and establishing herself as a core member of the Bat Family. And unlike the majority of her brothers, she is unafraid to directly refer to Batman as her father in every circumstance. Batman has been a major player in Batgirl’s stories since her original comic, and it’s about time Batgirl returns the favor. DC might have even already tested the waters, with Batgirl being the only Bat Family member to play a significant role in the semi-recent Detective Comics epic “Gotham Nocturne.”
There’s never been a dedicated Batman and Batgirl comic where they are treated as equal partners, and this could be the chance to make that a reality. With all of the buzz around the footage from the canceled Batgirl film and the promise of the Bat Family’s introduction in the upcoming DCU movie Brave and the Bold, this could be the perfect chance for Batgirl to take the spotlight as Batman’s main partner, and I am excited to see what they do with her.
Batgirl #6 is on sale now.
