Helena Bertinelli

* Civilian
* The Huntress

**Helena Bertinelli** is a rogue vigilante known as **The Huntress**. She is also a devout Catholic, and is very in touch with her Italian heritage. Her career is inspired by a personal vendetta against organized crime, responsible for killing her entire family. At first, her ruthless methods and willingness to kill made her an outcast from the heroic community, but in time she learned to temper her methods and became accepted by her peers.

## History

### Early Life

Helena was born the daughter of Franco Bertinelli, a Mafioso that ran Gotham’s Lower East Side, and Franco’s wife Maria. When Helena was a little girl, she eavesdropped on a conversation between her parents and learned that she was not Franco's biological daughter. Shortly after, a mob war broke out and armed men barged into the Bertinelli household led by Stefano Mandragora. Helena's parents hid her in a closet, where she watched Mandragora kill them.

Helena was placed under the care of her Uncle Tomasso's nephew, Salvatore Asaro. She was taken back to the old country, Sicily, where she would be kept safe and where the family was still strong. When arriving, she was terrified. Helena remained there for a number of years. Watching her cousin and uncle train and practice with weapons and hand-to-hand combat. However, the nightmares stayed with her. One night, her cousin showed her that only she could stop the nightmare by putting an end to those who murdered her family: blood cries for blood. When taken into the barn, she asked her cousin to teach her how, picking up a crossbow on the wall. She trained until the age of fifteen when she was sent to a boarding school in Switzerland to protect her from the Italian authorities who were cracking down on the Mafia.

When reading and seeing what was happening, she realized that everything she had been told was a lie about the Mafia. She realized that the Mafia was a force of corruption and evil, and it had been headed by her own family in Gotham City. At age sixteen, she finally returned to Gotham City to spend Christmas with her uncle. However, she hated everyone there. During the party, Helena witnessed her family finally was frightened of something. Batman had crashed the party and fought with them. Inspired by the way Batman frightened and defeated the people she hated, Helena realized that she could fight them too by following his example.

Helena returned to Switzerland for school where she plotted her vengeance. She went to her old house in Sicily (which had since been abandoned as a result of her uncle and cousin being arrested), and took a crossbow and a number of items for her crusade. Enrolling at the university in Palermo, she learned all about the Mafia. She constructed her costume and a number of weapons. She thought herself as a nun, totally devoted to her quest.

### Arrival in Star City

Helena later learned that her biological father was a man named Santo Cassamento, a criminal living in Star City. Furthermore, she learned that Cassamento was a serial rapist and Helena was likely a product of one of his attacks. Helena shot down Paul Copani, a member of her Cassamento's crew, almost shooting Moira Queen in the process. Unbeknownst to Helena, Moira's son Oliver was the vigilante operating in Star City known as the Hood. Oliver managed to find Helena's hideout, and learned that her next target was a man named Nick Salvati.

Helena tracked Salvati to a restaurant called Russo's where he was harassing the owners for protection money. Before her father's crew could hurt anyone, she and Oliver, as the Hood, separately stepped in and fought them. When they confronted each other, Oliver managed to take off her helmet and see her face.

Likewise, Salvati also saw her face. When Oliver went to Helena's hideout to confront her, the two were picked up by Salvati's men. Oliver and Helena freed themselves and fought Nick and his men, killing Nick and a few others. that night, Oliver dropped into her room. Both admitted that they like being able to tell each other the truth and slept together.

### Becoming the Huntress

After sleeping with Oliver, she left in the night and tried to shoot Zhishan to spark a conflict between the Triad and Cassamento. Oliver intervened and got her to safety as Chien Na Wei and the bodyguards returned fire. Oliver offered to help take down her father, however, she declined and said that she did not need his help. Oliver later visited her at her house and showed her Sara's grave and explained how he had hurt people with his actions. She recognized herself in his story and decided to let him help her in her crusade. Oliver tried to teach her that there was another way to take down her father without killing innocent people. He trained her in archery, which she considered impractical at first. He taught her that archery is about patience and discipline, though she ultimately decided a crossbow was more suitable. He also created a costume and mask to conceal her identity.

The two took down a drug warehouse of her father, without killing anyone. Helena saw her father who was angry because of the "loss" of his warehouse. Helena and Oliver went out in a restaurant, but ran into Laurel and Tommy, whom Oliver invited to eat with them because the latter couple was still waiting. Helena and Laurel developed a friendship quickly before Tommy and Laurel left after a disagreement.

Upon returning to the Bunker, Helena found Oliver's list and realized he had been killing people as part of his crusade for his father. Calling him a hypocrite, Helena left, continuing her original plan. She killed Zhishan and some other high-ranked members and told one survivor that Cassamento sent his regards.

She watched from a distance as Chien Na Wei and a hit squad attacked the mansion. Cassamento managed to escape, but she shot an arrow in his leg. He was shocked to learn of her identity, and claimed to love her mother. She prepared to shoot him; however, Oliver disarmed her with another shot. She angrily attacked him and the two engaged in hand-to-hand combat. She managed to take him down and made an attempt to overpower him. She was unaware that her father grabbed her crossbow. Oliver tried to shield her; however, the arrow hit her in the chest and knocked her down. She later woke up in the Bunker and was angry that Oliver had saved her father from her. He tried to tell her that he tried to save her from herself and that killing her own father would destroy her. He said that her father was in custody and would be in jail soon. She indignantly replied that she will keep going after her father, then left.

### Return to Star City

Helena questioned then killed her father's former lawyer. She returned to track down her father, who turned state to the F.B.I. She then extorted Oliver into helping her by threatening to injure Tommy when she sneaked into Verdant. Attacking the transport carrying her father, Helena was arrested by Detective Lance. However, Oliver quickly broke in and freed her, then ordered her to leave the city. Ignoring him, she forced Felicity to track down her father's location. She invaded the safehouse and dispatched the US Marshals assigned to protect him. Before she could attack her father, Oliver intercepted. After a brief standoff, Oliver tried to shoot Helena, but she caught the arrow. Furious that he tried to kill her, she struck him. She disarmed him and temporarily overwhelmed him before Oliver could recover his bow. They were interrupted by McKenna who tried to arrest both of them but was shot by Helena. Helena promptly fled the scene, not to be seen again.

### The Canaries

Later Helena returned to Star City after her father Frank was arrested. She broke into the courthouse where his trial was about to take place and attempted to kill him, only to get confronted by a SWAT team. She and her men engaged in a firefight and the SWAT team was forced to retreat. Santo managed to escape and Helena was confronted by Laurel who tried to reason with her. Helena promptly fled. Later, Helena and her men broke into the FBI safe house but Laurel and Sara showed up starting a fight during which Helena was able to hold and knock down both the women. In the scuffle, Cassamento managed to escape FBI custody.

While Oliver and Sara wanted to take down Helena, Laurel wanted to take a different approach, arguing that Helena has been alone her entire life and upon learning she was the product of rape, lost any sense of identity. Laurel found Helena praying in a church and attempted to appeal to her humanity. Laurel told her that redemption is a long journey, but she could still be a hero. Although evidently shaken by her words, Helena eventually responded that it was too late for her and left to find her Cassamento.

Helena found Cassamento but before she could strike Sara and Laurel arrived and once more Laurel stepped in between. Helena told her to forget being who Oliver wants her to be and asked her who she wanted to be. As Cassamento's men approached from behind Laurel, Helena fired at the criminals. The three women then dispatched the criminals and Helena left her father for the FBI, departing with the Lance sisters, stating that they were stronger together as the "Birds of Justice" or "something like that".

Helena later joined Team Arrow in the Arrowcave and apologized for her actions and decided to seek a new path like Oliver, one without killing. Still Helena knew that justice for her parents was still not served and decided to return to Gotham City and find the man truly responsible for her misfortune - Stefano Mandragora.

### Adventures in Gotham

Helena continued to operate as the Huntress in Gotham City for several years, taking organized crime head-on while leaving the 'costumed criminals' to Batman. At one point, she came into contact with the Caped Crusader and remarked that he was 'overrated' and that the two didn't get along due to Helena's more brutal methods. She also had a brief fling with Nightwing. She eventually brought down Mandragora's criminal empire and brought her parents' killer to justice, though in doing so she allowed Black Mask to take control of Gotham's underworld. She continued her cruise against the mob, earning Black Mask's ire.

### Lock-Up

At some point in 2019 Helena engaged a fight with the vigilante-hunter Lock-Up but lost the fight. She fled to Star City where Team Arrow as now facing the mysterious masked man. Helena assisted Team Arrow in their fight against him, unmasking him as Lyle Bolton, former head of security at Iron Heights that blamed vigilantes for the collapse of law enforcement in Star City. Helena used this as an opportunity to make amends with Team Arrow, Oliver in particular. She then return to Gotham after leaving her number for Laurel, just in case she ever wanted a 'girls night out'.

### Birds of Prey

A year later, Helena later crossed paths with Laurel again when she moved to Gotham to get a fresh start after the death of Oliver. The two were later contacted by the Oracle, a hacker who was taking on Black Mask and attempting to bring him justice. The trio of women took on the mobster and his men, forming a vigilante team known as the Birds of Prey. The team continued to operate after they took down Black Mask, expanding their roster and working with Batwoman to secure Gotham's future.

## Abilities

* **Peak of human physical condition:** Helena is in remarkable physical form, with her physical strength being noteworthy as she was able to break her father's right-hand man Nick Salvati's neck with her bare hands and break a block a concrete with a single kick. She also has impressive reflexes. allowing her to catch an arrow that Oliver shot at her, a move that she stated to have practiced a lot.
* **Expert hand-to-hand combatant/Martial artist:** Helena is a formidable hand-to-hand combatant and martial artist, able to easily beat multiple opponents be it thugs or trained police soldiers. She even proved to be an unpredictable combatant to more skilled opponents such as Oliver Queen and Sara Lance, having been able to contend with Oliver and disarm him in all their fights but was ultimately bested on both their fights, as well as beat Sara armed with her stick when she was holding back without much effort.
	+ **Expert markswoman:** Helena is proficient with various types of firearms, but her skills are noted to be rudimentary at first. Although still willing to use guns and not being trained enough to use a recurve bow, she began to show favoritism to hand-held crossbow. She has later demonstrated highly proficient use of one that she could take out a team of armed US Marshals with a single crossbow.
	+ **Skilled stick-fighter:** When fighting against Sara, Helena was able to quickly disarm her and use her own baton against her to quickly take advantage of her in their fight.
* **High-level intellect/Expert tactician/Manipulator:** Helena is proven to be willing to go to great lengths to achieve her goals, willing to use sex, threats, and even physical violence to get what she wants and force others to help her. She is also intuitive, as she was able to repeatedly anticipate her enemies plans and deceive them with misdirection.
	+ **Bilingual:** Helena is capable of fluently speaking English and Italian.
	+ **Skilled driver:** Helena is capable of driving multiple vehicles, such as cars and motorcycles.

* **Stealth**: Huntress can be very stealthy when she needs to. With her specially outfitted suit and various toys in her utility belt she can sneak into a facility and learn whatever information she desires although she sometimes prefers to fight her way in.

* **Throwing**: Helena learned the art of throwing from her cousin Salvatore Asaro.

## Equipment

* **Huntress' Motorcycle:** Helena uses a customized motorcycle with a purple and black paint job, added armored plating, an enhanced Kord-Tech engine, and all the gadgetry added after-market.
* **Huntress' Crossbows:** Helena uses dual mini-crossbows or a heavy duty large crossbow with a scope to fire her plethora of trick bolts, though mostly she just likes to shoot people in the knee with the real thing.
* **Huntress Battle-Staff:** A collapsible, combat metallic staff that she has adopted since she realized that she needed extra tactical support when dealing with metahumans. The staff has taser mounting jolt delivery system incorporated and an emergency grapnel line.

## Trivia

* Had she not become a vigilante, Helena mentioned she would have liked to be a teacher, having taken an interest in history.
* Helena has slept with both of her teammates' (Laurel and Barbara) primary love interest, having been in a relationship with Oliver and had a fling with Dick. Both of these instances occurred before she met them.

## Behind the Scenes

* Helena Bertinelli of the DC comics is the third Huntress, created to replace the second, Helena Wayne, daughter of the Golden Age Batman and Catwoman, after the Crisis on Infinite Earths negated the character. In the DC comics, Helena Bertinelli became the Huntress to avenge the death of her family at the hands of the mafia at the age of 19 (later retconned to 8).
* This version of Helena is portrayed by Nina Dobrev, rather than Jessica De Gouw.
* Unlike the main Arrowverse, this Helena is not a villain, but more of an anti-hero. Her backstory also takes inspiration from the comics.