The Cassandra Cain iteration ofBatgirlis enjoying a second coming of sorts.A new solo seriesaccompanied by a role in DC’s mainline Birds of Prey has gifted the Cass character a new resurgence to the forefront of the DC Universe. Seeing how pumping new life into long dormant characters can afford DC Comics new success, perhaps there’s room to revive another from their untapped superhero roster.
Sucha character primed for a new age treatment is Aruna Ramanan, also known as Aruna Shende, who first debuted inBatgirl Annual2000 #1 by Scott Peterson, Mike Deodato Jr., JohnStanisci, Rick Taylor, Jamison, and Albert DeGuzman. Upon the character’s debut, Aruna appears front and center on the cover art, with the tagline: “Introducing: Aruna! You’ve Never Met Anyone Like Her!” Oddly enough, despite the tag hyping the hero in such an epic way, this would be her first and only appearance for DC.
A case can be made for Aruna being ahead of her time, and worth reviving.
Who is Aruna? Origins, Powers, Abilities Explained
Her ForgottenBatgirlDebut
Young actor Ashok Ramanan goes missing from the set of his latest movie.Batgirl teams with her adopted fatherto find the 15-year-old boy. They travel to Ashok’s last filming location, the city of Madras (now Chennai) in India, where Bruce and Cass go undercover as press members of the Global Press Syndicate. They talk to the director, Rajiv Shankar, then his assistant, who shows them the final footage they shot. Wayne especially takes notice of the actor who played Shiva, Aruna Shende, whose effects and stunts look almost too realistic. No one can explain it and Aruna never tells.
When Batman and Batgirl attempt to interrogate her, their first suspect, Aruna gives chase. The dynamic duo search all over the area for her, only finding an old man. Batman’s ready to move on, but Cass won’t stop fixating on the old man. Upon further inspection, it’s discovered that the only man is Aruna Ramanan. As it turns out,Aruna is a shapeshifter. She’s among the lower-class people of India, known as untouchables, who are so frowned upon that not even the police come to help them. Ashok was once untouchable, hence why there’s no official investigation for him.
.
When first mentioned in conversation, she’s referred to as Aruna Shende, but without explanation, she’s addressed to and mentioned as Aruna Ramanan after she makes her first on-panel appearance.
Aruna joins Batman and Batgirl -respecting Cassandra Cain’s silence, pegging her for a wise woman who knows how to listen - and learns that Ashok’s parent’s neighbor Mr. Lahiri helped orchestrate the boy’s disappearance and murder, all because"his kind do not belong here.“Later, Aruna explains her origin story asa young child whose powers manifested so early that she does not remember her original gender or name (she chose the name Aruna as an adult). Her parents were taken away by mysterious men when she was a child without explanation, but she speculates it may have to do with her powers.
Could Aruna Ramanan Return?
Never Say Never, Especially with Batgirl’s Secret Superpower
After debuting in the year 2000, Aruna Ramanan has been entirely absent from DC material for 25 years and counting. It’s unclear why she never appeared again in a DC comic after this. After all, the final pages focus so much time on her origins, concluding with the allusion that Aruna was anxious to embark on a new, heroic path. Her future remains uncertain and may never actually be delved into again, butthe fact that this is a Batgirl comic makes this one that the DC lexicon can always trace back to for future reference.
For instance, this is a comic that showcasesBatgirl’s mastery of body language,revealing that she can use it to see right through a disguise, or in this case, a shapeshifting alteration.Her new solo series has been bringing many of Cass' abilities back to the surface. This secret power can always come back in just the same way, with the caveat that it could easily prove to be a window to bring Aruna back into the fray, if only because she used this ability when Cass met her as a new ally.
Should Aruna Ramanan Return?
The Most Diverse Hero That DC Never Uses
In 2025 when audiences are begging their creators for characters to reflect who they are, Aruna would be a welcome addition to DC Comics.
That may sound like wishful thinking, but the sentiment remains that Aruna is a superhero worth reviving in 2025. Her background and origins paint her asan Indian genderqueer hero, two demographics that don’t get a lot of representation in DC’s superhero roster. What makes Aruna different from other heroes arguably alienated her from audiences in 2000, but in 2025 when audiences are begging their creators for characters to reflect who they are, Aruna would be a welcome addition to DC Comics.
Batgirl Is the Bat-Family’s Perfect Hero And DC Really Wants You to Know Why
Cassandra Cain’s Batgirl is the ideal Bat-Family superhero because she takes on the traits of every other member, proving she’s the best of them all.
Just as her presence offers a diverse voice to DC, it also presents DC with the opportunity toexplore topics that DC never gets the chance to talk about.Aruna’s story was the creative team’s attempt to shed light on the mistreatment of untouchables (or Dahli) in India, which as the comic notes, half a million get attacked every year while less than 4% of cases get solved. Now more than ever, DC Comics has a chance to use (or, rather, re-use) Aruna Ramanan to tell special stories, andBatgirlmight be the gateway to finally bring her back.
Batgirl Annual2000 #1 is on sale now from DC Comics
