Hope you all had an amazing Thanksgiving! Today, I'm writing about a character that I am thankful for: Cassandra Cain, as part of my blog series, "Why ___ is Awesome." (for a lack of a better title).
1. Special
Cassandra Cain stands out because she's so different from most of the Bat-family. For starters, she's Asian. She was raised by the League of Assassins (like Damian). Her costume was frightening and different from the other Batgirls. Cass doesn't even care much about her secret identity or having a social life. She didn't know how to talk earlier in her career. She always had an air of mystery to her since she was never one to talk a lot. Cass has a tough girl attitude with a kind heart. She is one of the most famous Asian comic book superheroes and the first Batgirl to receive a solo series because she is so special and unique.
2. Character Depth and Background
Cass is a girl with a troubled past. She is the daughter of deadly assassins David Cain and Lady Shiva. From birth she was raised to become the perfect bodyguard for Ra's al Ghul. She was raised to be a killer, with an almost inescapable fate. What I love about Cass Cain is that she is a poor girl running away from her past, trying to change, and trying to put it all behind her. As a kid, she never got choices. But now, she's able to make choices, and she chooses to be a vigilante, part of the Bat-family. I see great character depth in her, knowing that it hurts her to not have a "real" childhood and be bred into a killer. She's constantly seeking redemption and putting the past behind her. I always feel sympathetic for her, which is why she's such a compelling character.
3. Hardcore Ninja
What more can I say? Her fights are some of the most entertaining fights among the Bat-family because of just how impressive she is. Cass never learned how to speak as a child, but instead was taught by her parents to develop an uncanny body reading ability, able to read body language and react accordingly. Throughout the years, she has shown incredibly feats of speed and hand to hand combat that even impresses Batman himself. Cass possesses a tough attitude and has many times been completely unfazed in the heat of the moment when shot by guns.
4. Indomitable Will
Something that really got my respect was Cassandra's extreme dedication and indomitable will. When a psychic rewired her brain, she could finally talk, but at a cost. She had lost her amazing body reading ability and had to start from scratch. There's this one panel (see right) that really sticks to me, which was when Batman was helping her regain her body reading ability. He would fight her, in hopes that Cass would be able to predict his movements. Unfortunately, she got punched in the face again, and again. But she took Batman by shock when she would not stop the exercise, not even giving up after being hit so many times. Her strong sense of will is something that makes her really special. Something else I recall was when she was training immensely for an upcoming fight between her and her mother, the great Lady Shiva. No one thought that she could do it. But guess what? Cass trained harder than anyone. In the end, she finally beat Shiva.
Well? What are your thoughts on Cassandra Cain? Like what you've read? Read more: Why _____ is Awesome
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