Warning: Spoilers for Batgirl #3
On the surface, the Bat-Family can be perceived as the most fortified family unit in DC lore due to their bonds with each other as associates ofBatman. However, one member of the Bat-Family doesn’t fit in with the rest for a deeply tragic reason. DC is finally acknowledging that Cassandra Cain’sBatgirlis an outcast among Gotham’s tight-knit vigilantes, redefining the Bat-Family’s dynamics in a heartbreaking way.
The preview forBatgirl#3 by Tate Brombal, Takeshi Miyazawa, Mike Spicer, and Tom Napolitano highlights the difference between Batgirl and the rest of the Bat-Family as she leaves Gotham with hermother, Lady Shiva. On the train ride, Cassandra holds onto a photograph of the Bat-Family, but her mother soon strips the comfort from it.
WhenBatgirlpresents the photo to her mother and insists that it shows her true self, Lady Shiva coldly says,“You almost look like you belong.“Her words may be harsh, but they unveil an unfortunate reality about Cassandra’s inability to properly fit in due to the unique language she speaks.
Batgirl Doesn’t Fit In With the Rest of the Bat-Family Due to How She Communicates
Cassandra Cain Speaks the Bat-Family’s Language, But They Don’t Speak Hers
When Cassandra Cain was first introduced, she lacked the ability to speak after being raised by her father as a weapon. Without relying on speech to communicate, Cass developed thesuperpower to read body languagemore effectively than most, interpreting even the most minute facial expressions with staggering accuracy. OnceBatman and the rest of the Bat-Familytook her in and trained her as Batgirl, she was taught to speak and write so that she could interact with her new teammates. Cassandra can now speak verbally with her fellow vigilantes after much practice, but that effort has never been reciprocated by them.
DC Is Finally Done Ignoring Batgirl’s Former Codename, Giving It the Respect (& New Meaning) It Deserves
In the debut of DC’s new Batgirl ongoing solo series, Cassandra Cain briefly acknowledges her past tenure under a different codename: “Orphan.”
Batgirl’s newfound speech skillshave indeed permitted her to communicate with the Bat-Family. However, while she can read them in more ways than one with a combination of verbal speech and body language cues, they don’t possess the means to do the same for her. As Lady Shiva explains,“They taught you to speak their language yet never bothered to learn yours.“Batman and the others could have attempted to understand how she conveys feelings through physicality, but because they haven’t, they have no way of reading her innermost thoughts like she can read theirs. As such, there is an impenetrable divide betweenBatgirl and her Bat-Familypeers.
Lady Shiva Is the Only DC Character Who Truly Understands Batgirl
Cassandra Cain’s Mother Believes She Doesn’t Belong With the Bat-Family
Lady Shiva is the only one who recognizes that Batgirl is an outcast to the Bat-Family, because she is the only one who can speak Cassandra’s language.Like Cass, Shiva can derive meaning from her smallest movements, and she uses this to insist that she is her real family as opposed to her family in Gotham. However, becauseLady Shiva can speak this language, she is also capable of manipulation via calculated gestures and glances.Batgirlis seen by her mother, but Shiva cannot truly be trusted the wayBatmanand his family can - even if they cannot truly see her.
