Warning: contains spoilers for Batman and the Outsiders #17.

Batman has come to rely on Cassandra Cain as much as any of his other allies, but the fact that – in DC’s newest version of comics canon – she was not asked to assume the mantle of Batgirl has been a touchy subject. After completing a recent mission, the Dark Knight cleared the air on Orphan’s place within the Bat-Family.

Cassandra Cain is known as one of the most skilled and dangerous combatants in the DC Universe. As the daughter of assassins Lady Shiva and David Cain, she was raised to be a living weapon. David Cain never taught Cassandra to speak, instead training her to read body language. This enables her to read and anticipate an opponent’s movements. In time, she rejected this path and came to be under the wing of Batman, learning to speak and how to be more than the ruthless killer others intended her to be. She still faces adversity from her parents. Over the course of Batman and the Outsiders, Cassandra is repeatedly taunted by Shiva, who claims Batman doesn’t respect or value Orphan enough to make her Batgirl.

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In Batman and the Outsiders #17, the final issue in the series, Bruce Wayne has an emotional heart to heart with Cassandra about her crime fighting moniker. The team recovers after defeating Ra’s Al Ghul’s latest plot to reshape the world on a ranch outside Gotham. As the other Outsiders, Black Lightning, Katana and Signal, ponder their next steps, Bruce opens up to Orphan. He emphasizes that Shiva is incorrect about him not respecting or trusting her, telling Cassandra he only intended to allow her to find herself without the weight of being an extension of his creation. After Bruce declares his faith in her, Cassandra leaps into his arms to hug him – poetically making her feelings known without the use of verbal communication.

For now, operating as Orphan will seemingly suffice for Cain, however she does have history with the title of Batgirl. In Pre-New 52 continuity, Cassandra did indeed assume the role of Batgirl. During No Man’s Land, Cassandra aided Oracle, aka Barbara Gordon, and earned the Batgirl costume after saving Commissioner Gordon from an assassin. In the current continuity, Cassandra selects Orphan as her codename, after her father David, who had previously operated as Orphan, perished.

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Long gone are the days where the only allies fighting at Batman’s side were Robins or Batgirls. Orphan’s Outsider’s teammate Duke Thomas similarly flirted with donning Robin’s red and yellow in the pages of We Are Robin before becoming Signal, and in her brief time as a crime fighter, Harper Row became Bluebird. As Batman changes and grows, so do the people he fights alongside. There will most likely always be a place at the Dark Knight’s side for a Robin or Batgirl, but it’s clear the caped crusader is willing to let the young heroes he guides find their own identities and paths. After all, Cassandra Cain is doing fine on her own, and Batman knows it.

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About The Author


Dillon Stevenson
(83 Articles Published)

Dillon Stevenson is a comedian and writer based out of NYC, and is the one “Dillon” anyone ever REALLY needs in their life. As the One Dillon, he’s landed writing jobs at Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas (HBO), and The Big Fib (Disney+) and co-created Super Video Bros, a comedy party dedicated to celebrating music videos as an art form. Much like his favorite superhero, the Silver Surfer, Dillon’s passion is finding the best places to eat.

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