Cassandra Cain

Cassandra Cain is a fictional superhero appearing in Batman and other related DC Comics media. She debuted in Batman #567 (July 1999), and soon after inherited the Batgirl mantle from her predecessor, Barbara Gordon, who had moved on to become Oracle. 
Cassandra later adopted the code name Black Bat, passing the Batgirl mantle down to her junior, Stephanie Brown. After the New 52 reboot, Cassandra's origin was altered and her history as Batgirl was erased. She was reintroduced in the New 52 timeline as the second Orphan. 
==Canon==
===Pre-Flashpoint: Batgirl of No Man's Land (1999) to Black Bat===
She was raised by her father to understand body language rather than spoken language and to be the perfect fighter. She ran away from him at age 8 after he had her kill someone and she realized what death and fighting really were. After wandering the world for many years Cass ended up in Gotham where she was discovered by Barbara Gordon, and given the role of Batgirl. Bruce Wayne also mentored her, groomed her to be his successor, and eventually adopted her. Along the way she learned to talk. As she was raised by her father, she originally didn't know who her mother was. She had already fought Lady Shiva multiple times before learning of their relationship. Cass has clinically died twice but only for a few moments each time. Cass has a very strong moral stance against killing and a desire to be the best at what she does.
===Post-Flashpoint (2011): New 52, Rebirth, Infinite Frontier===
===DC Extended Universe===
A very different version of Cassandra Cain debuted in the 2020 DC Extended Universe film Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). This version of Cassandra appears to be a typical American child, who is unhappy in her foster home and turns to pick-pocketing for jollies. Other than her name, sex, and East Asian ethnic background, this version of Cassandra bears no resemblance to the original comics version.
===Young Justice (2010 animated series)===
Cassandra makes a cameo as Orphan in Young Justice: Outsiders (2019), then appears as a major character with a focused arc in Young Justice: Phantoms (2021).
===Wayne Family Adventures (2021)===
Cass is a main character in Batman: Wayne Family Adventures.
==Meta and fanon==
The Batfamily fandom is rife with second-degree fandom and "kittyfic", meaning that many fan creators are minimally or not at all familiar with the source material. The situation is compounded by the fact that compared to other characters (such as Dick, Barbara, Jason, and Damian), Cassandra has not been as heavily featured in high-profile adaptations (animated series, movies, or video games) that would reach non-comics fans; comics Cass fans typically criticize the adaptations that do feature Cass in more popular forms of media (such as Young Justice, Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn, and to a lesser extent Batman: Wayne Family Adventures). Thus the fanon version of Cassandra is often a radical departure from the original comics character, or fan fiction may omit the character. Some fans say that Cass belongs to a generation of disregarded 1990s comics characters such as Jean Paul Valley and Ben Reilly.
Cass is frequently subjected to Bruce Banner Syndrome. According to this exchange on Tumblr, Cass-inclusive Batman fan content was terribly rare in the 2008-2013 period, but the character has since become somewhat more included in more fan content as of 2021.I really hate when you ask someone about their opinion on the Batfam or a specific headcanon they have on the Fam
Originally, Cass was around the same age or a smidge older compared to Jason Todd, making her about 19 or 20 by the events of Flashpoint in 2011. The 2011 New 52 reboot deaged Cassandra back to being a teenager, about sixteen. Some fans have been disappointed that Cassandra's growth and maturity seem to have been undone; some fans have since felt restricted from depicting and appreciating the character in sexual situations, and some fans connect this change to "infantisation" of East Asian women. The "everything is canon" idea of the 2021 "Infinite Frontier" timeline reboot has caused some confusion on this matter; some fans criticized Cass' seemingly childish characterization in Batgirls (2022), and some have praised her depiction as an attractive adult woman in Detective Comics and in Birds of Prey (2023).
===Post-Flashpoint===
==Relationships==
===Gen relationships===
* Cassandra Cain & Barbara Gordon
* Cassandra Cain & Bruce Wayne
* Cassandra Cain & Jean-Paul Valley
* Cassandra Cain & Stephanie Brown
* Cassandra Cain & Tim Drake
* Cassandra Cain & Basil Karlo
* Cassandra Cain & Duke Thomas
* Cassandra Cain & Damian Wayne
* Cassandra Cain & Jason Todd
===Pairings===
Cass has had only brief romantic interactions with men in canon, and is generally portrayed in fan fic as being more interested in women. She is frequently paired with her best friend Stephanie Brown (Spoiler/Robin IV/Batgirl III), or with her mentor Barbara Gordon (Batgirl I/Oracle). Otherwise, she's often paired up with Tim Drake (Robin III/Red Robin) in het works.
* Tim Drake/Cassandra Cain
* Kon-El/Cassandra Cain (KonCass)
* Barbara Gordon/Cassandra Cain
* Stephanie Brown/Cassandra Cain
* Tai'Darshan/Cassandra Cain
* Cassandra Cain/Brenda Miller
* Zero/Cassandra Cain 
* Coldcast/Cassandra Cain 
* Dr. Chin/Cassandra Cain
==Fan works==
===Fan art===
Image:2015 09 06 jaisamp Cassandra Cain BTAS homage.jpg|art by jaisamp (2015-09-06)
Image:
* Orphan by lightningstrikes-art
* Endure by aaronnaluzart
* Little princess by varphi
* Batgirl by lightningstrikes-art
* Seasons by yellowis4art
* Time ran together by k20z
* Batgirl by aionyu
* guess who i love by unhooking-the-stars
* A Break from Patrol by ameliartist
* Batgirl by jaisamp
* https://www.deviantart.com/aaronnsn/art/Cassandra-Cain-Batgirl-780599185
* Escorting the princess of the Darkness by polmcarts
*Untitled art by hokkemaruyaki
*Ok but imagine if batsis met Cassandra? by blughxreader
*Some old Cass doodles. by restless
*spooky Cass by restless
*A belatedly christmassy Cass! by restless
*Have some soft and spooky Cass sketches. by restless
===Meta===
* Tips on writing Cassandra CainArchived from the original by jncera (2014?)
* Guide to writing Cassandra CainArchived from the original by littlemissonewhoisall (17 Jan 2019)
* Workshop: Writing Cassandra Cain (Batgirl II)Archived from the original by Greeneyelove (18 Sep 2007)
* Re: "I was wondering if you have any must-read or recommended comics for cass, I'm just getting into the comics and I really like her character!!!" by fuckyeahbatgirls
* Why Cassandra Cain Is The True Successor To The Batman Mantle by Dennis Upkins
* Cassandra died twice by fuckyeahbatgirls
*Cass and Puzzles by redundantthinking 
* Cassandra's Name by renaroo
* First Appearance by fuckyeahbatgirls
* January 26th: Just Another Day by renaroo
* Cassandra and Barbara by fuckyeahbatgirls
* [American Comics] Batgirls - How to split a fanbase, turn them on each other, and then re-unite them against yourself by beary_good (2021)
* TBH I don’t like when people portray Cassandra’s relationships with Bruce, Barbara, Stephanie, etc. as this pure and one-dimensionally bright and positive thing. Like, Cass’s relationships are MESSY AS HELL. by littlemissonewhoisall (2021)
* i have a lot of opinions about the cass david cain relationship and i feel like puckett did it MUCH better than horrocks but i am having a hard time explaining why… by fancyfade
===Fan fic===
*"Cassandra Cain, The Batgirl" by Dan Ingram (2005-08-15) - Batgirl and her allies fight against the forces of Hell, while heroes outside of Gotham struggle to come to their aid!
*"Just Interpretation"WBM by Dragonbat (2008-04-09) - If heroes don't kill, then how can they justify turning over criminals to face the death penalty? Cassandra Cain doesn't understand. 
*"At the Ballet"WBM by Esther-Channah (2011-02-27) - Barbara finds a way to introduce Cass to a classic fairytale. Written for the Fairy Tale Challenge at Bludhaven.
*"Batwoman"WBM by Aaron Nowack (2012-11-09) - When Batman leaves Gotham for a year, someone else takes up the fight. But why would one of the world's most feared killers choose to become the Batwoman?
*"Crisis of Infinite Batgirls" by adventuresofcomicbookgirl (2013-02-18) - Fighting a time traveling villain out to destroy all Batgirls in existence, Stephanie Brown has to team up with Cassandra and Barbara of the past to save the world. On the way, the three of them have to cope with what it REALLY means to be Batgirl...
*Dragon and Daughter
*Angel of the Bat WBM by MJTR (2014-03-17) - The life changing religious odyssey of Cassandra Cain. Inspired by the outline by Gail Simone
*Volving by shobogan
*"A House Divided"WBM by Capucine (2018-03-25) - Batgirl does not condone killing. When a murderer is scheduled to be executed, this principle is put to the test--and the aftermath of her decision will change everything. [...] This is based on Batgirl issue 19, in which Batgirl intervenes in a scheduled execution. I didn't feel it played out true to character, and I also thought that it would make a much more interesting story if I followed what I felt she probably would have done. So, this is that story.
*"the cain conundrum" by gummiworm (2019-03-31) - Cassandra knew she had one chance to leave and so she took it. Too bad that nothing is as it seems and Cain is always one step ahead of her, playing at her strings like she's a puppet and he's the puppetmaster. Though getting stuck with an internationally wanted assassin is a fun twist that she hadn't really seen coming.
*"I'm Still Breathing" by DontTouchTheSun (2019-11-16) - "You're fourteen and there’s blood on your hands. The knife’s on the ground and the body’s in front of you and your face is stained with tears." Cassandra Cain's life from age 3 to 21.
*freedom to be fools by Hinn_Raven
* "The House and Crow" by waterunderthebridge12 (2024-03-09) - Mother tongue? But she'd had no mother. And her father had stolen her tongue. / Cass comes to terms with just how much her childhood took from her. Stephanie/Cass, Cass & Batfamily
* "Nourish"
===Events and challenges===
*Cassandra Cain Appreciation MonthArchived from the original
*Cass Cain Week
==Archives & Communities==
* Cassandra Cain works at AO3
* Cassandra Cain: Orphan, Black Bat, Batgirl Appreciation 2021 at Comic Book Resources
==Links==
* Cassandra Cain tag on Tumblr
* Fuck Yeah Cassandra CainArchived from the original on Tumblr
* In The Name Of Cassandra CainArchived from the original on Tumblr 
* Cass Cain Campaign (archived 20212) on Tumblr
* Who the Fuck Is Cassandra CainArchived from the original on Tumblr
* Understanding Cassandra Cain (archived 2016) on Tumblr
* cassandra-cain group on DeviantArt
* Cassandra Cain Network 
==Resources==
* Cassandra Cain on Wikipedia
* Cassandra Cain on the DC Comics wiki
* Cassandra Cain at BatmanYTB
* Cassandra Cain page at Batgirls of Gotham
==References==
Category:DC Comics Characters Category:Batman Characters