publisher	DC Comics
debut	''Batman'' #139
debutyr	1961
debutmo	April
debutyr1	1967
debutyr2
debutyr3	2006
writer1	Bill Finger
artist1	Sheldon Moldoff
characters	Betty Kane ("Bat-Girl")Barbara GordonHelena BertinelliCassandra CainStephanie Brown
seealso
cvr image	Batgirl v1 1.jpg
cvr caption	''Batgirl'' #1 (April 2000)Featuring the Cassandra Cain version of the character.Art by Damion Scott.
schedule	Monthly
format	(vol 1, 3, & 4)Ongoing series(vol 2)Limited Series
limited	Y
ongoing	Y
superhero	Y
pub series	DC Comics
1stishhead	vol 1
1stishyr	2000
1stishmo	April
endishyr	2006
endishmo	April
1stishhead1	vol 2
1stishyr1	2008
1stishmo1	September
endishyr1	2009
endishmo1	February
1stishhead2	vol 3
1stishyr2	2009
1stishmo2	October
endishyr2	2011
endishmo2	October
1stishhead3	vol 4
1stishyr3	2011
1stishmo3	November
endishyr3	Present
issues	(vol 1)73 and 1 Annual(vol 2)6(vol 3)24 | main_char_team (vol 1 & 2)Cassandra Cain(vol 3)Stephanie Brown(vol 4)Barbara Gordon
writers	Kelley PuckettScott PetersonDylan HorrocksAndersen GabrychAdam BeechenBryan Q. MillerGail Simone
artists	Damion ScottRick LeonardiAle GarzaPop MhanJim CalafioreLee GarbettDustin NguyenPere PerezAdrian Syaf
cat	super
subcat	DC Comics
subcat pub	Batman
limsub	DC
hero	y
sortkey	Batgirl
sort title	Batgirl }}

Batgirl is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, frequently depicted as female counterparts to the superhero Batman. Originally created by Bill Finger and Sheldon Moldoff, a character that is (arguably) considered by some to be the first incarnation of Batgirl, the "Bat-Girl" Betty Kane, debuted in ''Batman'' #139 (April 1961) as the Robin-like sidekick to Batwoman. Following the promotion of Julius Schwartz to editor of the Batman-related comic book titles in 1964, the Bat-Girl character was removed from publication (along with Batwoman) and replaced by the "new" Batgirl Barbara Gordon, police commissioner James Gordon's daughter, in late 1966. This version of Batgirl was introduced in Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino's ''Detective Comics'' #359, entitled "The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl."

Batgirl proved vastly more popular than the earlier "Bat-Girl" and made regular, in-continuity appearances in DC comics from late 1966 to 1988. The official retirement of Batgirl took place in ''Batgirl Special'' #1 (June 1988), which was published a few months after Barbara Gordon's shooting by the Joker in the graphic novel ''Batman: The Killing Joke'' (March 1988). Editor Kim Yale and comic book author John Ostrander later reinvented the discarded Barbara Gordon character as Oracle, the premier information broker of the DC Comics Universe and leader of the Birds of Prey organization. In the 1999 story "Batman: No Man's Land", Helena Bertinelli (better known as Huntress) briefly assumes the role of Batgirl until she is stripped of the identity by Batman towards the conclusion of the story for violating his stringent codes. Within the same year, Cassandra Cain (created by Kelley Puckett and Damion Scott), introduced during the "No Man's Land" series, becomes the fourth Batgirl. She is mentored by Batman and Oracle. Cassandra Cain became the first version of the Batgirl character to be featured in an eponymous monthly series, which was published from 2000 to 2006, ending with Cain relinquishing her role as Batgirl. Subsequently in the pages of ''Teen Titans'', Cassandra Cain reclaimed her former identity as Batgirl. Later still, she passes on the Batgirl alias to Stephanie Brown (previously known as Spoiler and Robin) in the first issue of Brown's own ''Batgirl'' series (October 2009).

''Batgirl'' has also been the title of two ongoing comic book series (as well as one comic book miniseries) published by DC Comics.

Characters

Betty Kane

Following the accusations of homosexuality between Batman and Robin as described in Fredric Wertham's book ''Seduction of the Innocent'' (1954), a female character, Kathy Kane the Batwoman, was introduced in 1956 as a love interest for Batman. In 1961, a second female character was introduced as a love interest for Robin. The creation of the Batman Family, which included Batman and Batwoman depicted as parents, Robin and Bat-Girl depicted as their children, the extraterrestrial imp Bat-Mite and the "family pet" Ace the Bat-Hound, caused the Batman-related comic books to take "a wrong turn, switching from superheroes to situational comedy". Schwartz had asserted that these characters should be removed, considering the Batman related comic books had steadily declined in sales, and restored the Batman mythology to its original conception of heroic vigilantism. However, even though Bat-Girl did not exist in the post-''Crisis'' continuity, a modified version of the character, Mary Elizabeth "Bette" Kane, was introduced as the superhero Flamebird, who continues to appear in DC Comics publications.

Barbara Gordon

A new, more independent Batgirl — Barbara "Babs" Gordon, the daughter of Batman supporting character Police Commissioner James Gordon — debuted in ''Detective Comics'' #359 (cover-dated January 1967, but released in November 1966). In her debut, Barbara is on her way to a masquerade ball dressed as a female version of Batman when she disrupts a kidnapping attempt on Bruce Wayne by the villainous Killer Moth. This attracts the attention of Batman and leads to her establishing a crime-fighting career. This new character, jointly created by Editor Julius Schwartz, artist Carmine Infantino and author Gardner Fox, was a collaboration between DC Comics and the ''Batman'' television series of the late 1960s which aired on ABC. When television producer William Dozier sought to renew the Batman program for a third season, he asked Schwartz for a new female character to be introduced in the comic book medium, which could be adapted into the television series in order to attract a female audience.

As Batgirl, Barbara Gordon proved to be more popular than the previous Bat-Girl and Batwoman duo, though she was not a sidekick, but an independent crime fighter. Barbara Gordon appeared as Batgirl in both ''Batman'' and ''Detective Comics'', as well as other DC Comics publications unrelated to Batman. The character also received a starring role in the ''Batman Family'' comic book series which debuted in 1975, where she became part of the "Dynamite Duo: Batgirl & Robin" with Dick Grayson. Described as one of the most popular characters to appear in publications during the Silver Age of Comic Books, Barbara Gordon appeared as Batgirl regularly from 1966 to 1988, and she is frequently featured as Batgirl in "flashback" stories in current DC Comics publications. Famously, Barbara Gordon is shot through the spinal cord by the Joker in ''Batman: The Killing Joke''. The plot, which led to Gordon's paralysis, subsequently became a point of controversy among critics and commentators. Editor Kim Yale and author John Ostrander revived the character in ''Suicide Squad'' #23 (1989) under the guise of Oracle, a freelance information broker and expert hacker. As Oracle, Barbara Gordon is written as an ally to various DC Universe superheroes, but is most notable as the founder and leader of operations of the "Birds of Prey" superhero organization. Barbara Gordon will be returning to the role of Batgirl in ''Batgirl'' #1 due September 7, 2011.

Helena Bertinelli

Eleven years after the editorial retirement of Barbara Gordon as Batgirl, a new version of the character was introduced in ''Shadow of the Bat'' #83 during the maxiseries ''Batman: No Man's Land'' (1999). In ''Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight'' #120 (1999), the new Batgirl is revealed to be Helena Bertinelli, an established DC comics superhero alternatively known as the Huntress. Bertinelli is eventually forced to abandon the mantle by Batman. After reclaiming her identity as the Huntress, Bertinelli later joins Oracle's Birds of Prey, becoming the second former Batgirl to be on the team's roster.

Cassandra Cain

Depicted as a martial arts child prodigy, Cassandra Cain is written as a young woman of partly Asian descent who becomes the third in-continuity Batgirl, with the approval of both Batman and Oracle, following her introduction in ''Batman'' #567 (1999) as part of the ''Batman: No Man's Land'' crossover. Cassandra Cain wears the same Batgirl costume worn by Helena Bertinelli. Raised by assassin David Cain, Cassandra Cain was not taught spoken language, but instead was taught to "read" physical movement. Subsequently, Cain's only form of communication was body language. The parts of the character's brain normally used for speech were trained so Cain could read other people's body language and predict, with uncanny accuracy, their next move. This also caused her brain to develop learning functions different from most, a form of dyslexia that hampers her abilities to read and write.

Despite Cain's disability, author Andersen Gabrych describes the character's unique form of language as the key factor in what makes Cain an excellent detective; the ability to walk into a room and "know" something is wrong based on body language. This issue is resolved during the second arc of the series, ''Batgirl: A Knight Alone'', when Batgirl encounters the assassin Lady Shiva who agrees to teach her how to predict movement once again. Six years after its debut, DC Comics canceled the ''Batgirl'' comic book series with issue #73 (2006), ending with Cain relinquishing her role as Batgirl.

When DC Comics continuity skipped forward one year after the events of the limited series ''Infinite Crisis'', Cassandra Cain is revived as leader of the League of Assassins, having abandoned her previous characterization as an altruist. The character's progression from hero to villain angered some of her fans and was accompanied by heavy criticism. Cain reprised her role as Batgirl in the "Titans East" (2007) storyline of ''Teen Titans'', where it was discovered that she had been influenced by a mind-altering drug administered by supervillain Deathstroke the Terminator. Following the conclusion of the storyline, DC Comics has restored Cain's original characterization as a superhero and the character has been given a supporting role in the comic book series ''Batman and the Outsiders''.

Following the events of Batman's disappearance, Cassandra, acting under her mentor's orders in the event of his death, handed over the Batgirl mantle to Stephanie Brown, the former Spoiler and Robin. After decling an offer from Tim Drake to reclaim the Batgirl mantle from Stephanie, Cassandra rejoined the Batman Family under the new identity of Blackbat. She currently acts as the Hong Kong representative of Batman Inc.

Stephanie Brown

Stephanie Brown, formerly the Spoiler and briefly the fourth Robin, takes up the mantle of Batgirl after Cassandra Cain gives Brown her costume under Batman's order. Eventually, Barbara Gordon approves of Brown as her newest successor — and she gives Brown a purple Batgirl costume (much like the one actress Yvonne Craig wore on the 1960s ''Batman'' television series) and becomes her mentor for a period. Brown is the fifth in-continuity Batgirl and the second Batgirl to star in her own ongoing ''Batgirl'' comic book series.

Publication history

The first ''Batgirl'' ongoing comic book series was published in 2000 and featured Cassandra Cain as Batgirl. In 2009, a new ''Batgirl'' miniseries was created also featuring Cain, whom, by the end of the series, passes on her Batgirl identity to character Stephanie Brown. The third series features new characters, as well as Batman and Robin, who will monitor Brown's actions as Batgirl. The series is a direct sequel to ''Oracle: The Cure'', part of the "Batman: Battle for the Cowl" story arc.

Volume one (2000–2006)

Cassandra Cain was DC Universe's Batgirl from 1999 until 2009. The Asian American daughter of two assassins, Cain herself grew up to be the greatest assassin in the world. She is featured in the comic book series ''No Man's Land'', the eponymous ''Batgirl'' (2000 series and 2008 mini-series), the "One Year Later" storyline, ''52: World War III'', and ''Batman and the Outsiders'' (vol. 2).

Volume two (2008)

Batgirl searches for her father and Deathstroke the Terminator. She eventually finds her father and faces him. Her father falls off a building when Cain is unable to save him. Batman saves him and lets Batgirl move into Wayne Manor again. Batgirl soon realizes that Deathstroke has opened up an academy where he is training her siblings.

Volume three (2009–2011)

Taking place after ''Oracle: The Cure'', Stephanie Brown is given the Batgirl mantle by a disillusioned Cassandra Cain. Stephanie hides her identity from her mother, who does not approve of it and wants her to be an ordinary girl.

Barbara Gordon meets with Leslie Thompkins, who has taken in the crippled daughter of the villain Calculator known as Wendy. Barbara later has lunch with her father (James Gordon), who tries to set her up with a new officer. She gets a call from Batman, who has deduced that the new Batgirl is Stephanie Brown.

After 24 issues, ''Batgirl'' was cancelled in August 2011 as part of a company-wide relaunch in the wake of the ''Flashpoint'' crossover.

Volume four (2011–present)

Immediately following the cancellation of the Stephanie Brown ''Batgirl'' series, a new title starring Barbara Gordon, again able to walk, will be launched in September 2011. It will be written by Gail Simone and drawn by Ardian Syaf.

Collected editions

! Title !! Material collected !! Publication date !! ISBN
Barbara Gordon
Batgirl: Year One	''Batgirl: Year One'' #1–9 (2003 mini-series)	February 2003
Batman: Batgirl	one-shot special	July 1997
Showcase Presents: Batgirl	various titles	July 2007
Cassandra Cain
Batgirl: Silent Running	''Batgirl'' #1–6	March 2001
Batgirl: A Knight Alone	''Batgirl'' #7–11, #13–14	November 2001
Batgirl: Death Wish	''Batgirl'' #17–20, #22–23, #25	August 2003
Batgirl: Fists of Fury	''Batgirl'' #15–16, #21, #26–28	May 2004
Robin/Batgirl: Fresh Blood	''Robin'' #132–133; ''Batgirl'' #58–59	October 2005
Batgirl: Kicking Assassins	''Batgirl'' #60–64	January 2006
Batgirl: Destruction's Daughter	''Batgirl'' #65–73	September 2006
Batgirl: Redemption	''Batgirl'' #1–6 (2008 miniseries)	June 2009
Stephanie Brown
Batgirl: Batgirl Rising	''Batgirl'' (vol. 3) #1–7	September 2010
Batgirl: The Flood	''Batgirl'' (vol. 3) #9–14	May 2011

Character attributes

Betty Kane's Bat-Girl was primarily interested in vigilantism in order to develop a relationship with the original Robin, Dick Grayson, as her introduction into publication was a deliberate attempt to avoid further allegations of homosexuality that ''Seduction of the Innocent'' presented to the public. Depicted as the niece of Batwoman, Bat-Girl had developed a crush on Robin after arriving in Gotham City and decided to fashion her own superhero persona based on Robin's costume. Her appearance in comic books primarily displayed her character attempting to develop a romantic relationship with Robin, despite his embarrassment or lack of interest. Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino's new "Batgirl" was written as an adult and as a career woman working as head of Gotham City Public Library. Though the Barbara Gordon character saw Batman as her inspiration and idol, fashioning her crime-fighting persona after him, her primary concern was solving cases and often worked independently from Batman and Robin. Batgirl was primarily featured in ''Detective Comics'' in stories separate from the Dynamic Duo.

In other media

A pop culture icon, the Barbara Gordon version of Batgirl has been adapted into all media relating to the Batman franchise including merchandise, television, animation, video game, and feature film. The Barbara Gordon Batgirl, jointly inspired by producer William Dozier and DC Comics editor Julius Schwartz, appeared in the final season of the live-action ''Batman'' television series in 1967, promptly following the character's comic book debut. Actress Yvonne Craig was featured in a promotional short, which was shown to ABC executives in order not only to add Batgirl to the cast, but also to ensure a third season for the television series. As Barbara Gordon, Craig was a replica of her comic book counterpart, working as a librarian for Gotham City Public Library; she led a double life as Batgirl, helping Batman, Robin and the Gotham City police department to solve an array of cases. Although Craig's addition to the cast was able to renew the program for a third season, it did not save the series from cancellation; ''Batman'' was officially canceled in March 1968.

Barbara Gordon's Batgirl made her first animated appearance in ''The Adventures of Batman'' in 1968 and was also adapted into its successor animated program ''The New Adventures of Batman'' in 1977. During the 1990s and 2000s, Barbara Gordon appears as Batgirl in the series of animated programs and animated films which comprise the DC Animated Universe; these include ''Batman: The Animated Series'', ''Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero'', ''The New Batman Adventures'', and ''Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker''. A younger version of the Barbara Gordon character also played a recurring role in the animated series entitled ''The Batman''.

In ''Batman: The Brave and the Bold'', Batgirl's costume somewhat resembles the design worn by her DC animated universe incarnation. In her first appearance on the series in the episode "The Last Patrol!", an in-joke reference to the 1960s television series is made, with Batman being unaware of Batgirl's identity.

In addition to animated adaptations, the Barbara Gordon version of Batgirl served as the inspiration for the character Barbara Wilson in the 1997 feature film ''Batman & Robin''. Departing from the comic book character's history, the alternate version of Barbara is portrayed by Alicia Silverstone as the niece of Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne's butler and Batman's loyal assistant. The short-lived ''Birds of Prey'' television series, which aired on The WB network in 2002, features a paralyzed Barbara Gordon donning her Batgirl costume after creating a device that allows her to walk. The series featured Dina Meyer as Barbara Gordon, in a future where she has been paralyzed by the Joker and operates as Oracle.

Cultural impact

The depiction of the Barbara Gordon incarnation of Batgirl as a career-oriented woman, coupled with her alter-ego as a crimefighter, is considered to be symbolic of the women's empowerment movement of the 1960s according to critic and historian Peter Sanderson. Gordon's career as a librarian also represented a "valued and honored profession" within mainstream American comics, despite the fact that comic books were not considered to be a respectable pastime by library professionals.

...likely explanations for why Batgirl's alter ego was a librarian are (a) librarianship was at the time an established and acceptable occupation for a(n) (unmarried) young woman, and (b) Barbara Gordon's job as a seemingly meek and passive librarian had to be considered an ideal contrast to her truly significant (and exciting) work as Batgirl.

Actress Yvonne Craig, who was cast as Batgirl during the final season of the ''Batman'' television series, also portrayed the character in the 1972 public service announcement for the United States Department of Labor advocating equal pay. Craig has stated her portrayal of Batgirl remains a symbol of women's empowerment. Despite this, the Batgirl character has often been criticized for being a distaff variation of Batman. Compared to Wonder Woman, described as "the principal icon of superheroines", Batgirl has been disregarded as a derivative of her male counterpart. When Yvonne Craig portrayed Batgirl in the ''Batman'' television series, she was not allowed to engage in hand-to-hand combat; her fight scenes were all based on choreographed dance routines of Broadway showgirls, leading some to claim this made her appear as an inferior version of Batman.

The Cassandra Cain version of Batgirl is also notable for being one of the most high-profile non-white superheroes and the first commercially successful Asian-American superhero to wear the emblem of a superhero icon.

See also

Batwoman

Alternative versions of Barbara Gordon

Gotham Girls

List of women warriors in folklore

Misfit

References

External links

Canarynoir: Home of Birdwatching – ''Birds of Prey''

TVObscurities.com – Batgirl Promotional Short

Category:Fictional vigilantes

ca:Batgirl de:Batgirl es:Batgirl fa:بت‌گرل fr:Batgirl it:Batgirl he:באטגירל hu:Batgirl nl:Batgirl ja:バットガール no:Batgirl pl:Batgirl pt:Batgirl ru:Бэтгёрл fi:Batgirl sv:Batgirl tl:Batgirl vi:Batgirl

character name	Black Bat
converted	y
publisher	DC Comics
debut	as Cassandra:''Batman'' #567 (July 1999)as Batgirl:''Legends of the Dark Knight'' #120 (August 1999)as Black Bat:''Batman, Inc. #6 (May 2011)
creators	Kelley PuckettDamion Scott
alter ego	Cassandra Cain
alliances	Batman FamilyYoung JusticeJustice League Elite (as Kasumi)League of AssassinsTitans EastOutsidersBatman Incorporated
aliases	Kasumi, One Who Is All, the Nothing, Cassandra Wayne, Black Bat
powers	Able to intuitively read body language and anticipate her opponent's actionsMaster Martial artist|Martial artist]]
cat	super
subcat	DC Comics
hero	y
villain	y
sortkey	Cain, Cassandra }}

Cassandra Cain is a fictional character in the , one of several who has served as Batgirl, an important character in the Batman comic book franchise. Cassandra's backstory presents her as the daughter of assassins David Cain and Lady Shiva, she was deprived of speech and human contact during her childhood as conditioning to become the world's greatest assassin. Consequently, Cassandra grew up to become an expert martial artist while simultaneously remaining mute, developing very limited social skills, and being illiterate. Cassandra first appeared in ''Batman'' #567 (July 1999) and was created by Kelley Puckett and Damion Scott (though it was Alex Maleev who designed her costume). Cassandra was the first Batgirl to star in her own ongoing ''Batgirl'' comic book series. An Asian American, she is also the first non-white member of the Batman family and remained one of the most prominent non-white superheroes until she was replaced as Batgirl by Stephanie Brown in a 2009 storyline. She returned in late 2010, where she was now shown working as an anonymous agent of Batman in Hong Kong before adopting the new moniker of Black Bat.

Publication history

Cassandra appeared as one of the main characters in a short story written and drawn by Amanda Conner for ''Wonder Woman'' #600, where she helps Wonder Woman and Power Girl in a battle against Egg-Fu.

Controversy

Critical reception of the "One Year Later" storyline had been mixed. In general, the portrayal of Tim Drake has been praised, whereas Cassandra's depiction "rings false even given the One Year Later." Upon being asked if Cassandra's characterization was editorially mandated, writer Adam Beechen stated, "When I came to the book, I was told that the first arc would deal with presenting Cassandra as a major new enemy for Robin. From there, I worked out the details of just how that would come about with our initial editor, Eddie Berganza, and then his successor, Peter Tomasi." In a follow-up interview, he clarified further, stating, "They didn't present me with a rationale as to why Cassandra was going to change, or a motivating factor. That was left for me to come up with and them to approve. And we did that. But as far as to why the editors and writers and whoever else made the decision decided that was a good direction, I honestly couldn't answer."

In recent interviews and press conferences, Dan DiDio and others have stated that Cass will "be going back to basics," as in her early adventures before she was able to talk. Later, Geoff Johns was quoted as saying, "We will be addressing in ''Teen Titans'' exactly what the deal is with her. Is she a bad guy? How? Why? She was a completely different character before 'One Year Later,' so let’s find out what happened."

According to ''Wizard Magazine'' #182, the storyline was "one of the most controversial changes to come out of DC's 'One Year Later' event," and "fans rose up in arms, organizing websites and letter-writing campaigns to protest the change." Dan Didio commented, "I'm glad to see there was a reaction created, it shows that people care about the character and want to see something happen with her."

Fictional character biography

No Man's Land

Cassandra Cain was first introduced during the "No Man's Land" crossover storyline in 1999. She is one of the Oracle's agents in Gotham City. In that arc, Gotham was leveled by an earthquake, declared a "no man's land," and isolated from the rest of the United States. After proving herself by saving Commissioner Gordon's life, she is given the Batgirl costume with the approval of both Batman and the Oracle. She becomes a ward of Barbara Gordon (Oracle). In this story arc, Cassandra cannot speak at all and can only communicate through gestures and drawings.

Bruce Wayne (Batman) eventually learns about Cassandra's past. She murdered a businessman when she was eight years old after David Cain transmitted a video he had made of the murder to the Batcave. Nevertheless, Wayne continues to accept Cassandra after she takes several bullets to save the life of a hired assassin, proving her devotion to protecting human life. This action illustrates the major difference between Cassandra and the other members of the Batman family; that while the other characters were motivated to fight crime by the murders of loved ones, Cassandra is fighting crime to atone for a murder that she herself committed.

''Batgirl''

In 2000, Cassandra became the first Batgirl to be featured in an eponymous ongoing comic book series. A telepath "rewires" Cassandra's brain so that she can think with words and use language, but these abilities come at some cost to her ability to read people's body language. As she had relied completely on this ability to fight, she is unable to effectively fight crime. Worried, Bruce Wayne takes away her costume and begins training her in defensive skills.

Cassandra's birth and childhood are revealed in the ''Batgirl'' series. David Cain had sought a perfect bodyguard for Ra's al Ghul. He found a potential mother when he saw Sandra Wu-San fighting her sister Carolyn in a martial arts tournament. Believing that Sandra was holding back for Carolyn, Cain murdered Carolyn and lured Sandra into a trap, sparing her life in exchange for giving birth to his child and leaving that child for him to raise. She agreed. After the birth of Cassandra, Sandra set out to become Lady Shiva.

Cain trained Cassandra from birth how to be an assassin. She was not taught to read or write; instead, reading body language was her only language. She was able to read people's movements and predict what they were going to do. When she was eight, Cain took her to kill a businessman. As the man died, she read what he was feeling, realized what she had done, and ran away from her father, resurfacing again during the "No Man's Land" story arc.

Cassandra soon discovers that assassin Lady Shiva can read people like she used to be able to and asks Shiva to reteach her. Lady Shiva accepts on the condition that they would have a duel to the death a year later. As Cassandra would rather be "perfect for a year" instead of "mediocre for a lifetime," she accepts the offer. When the women fight in a year's time, Cassandra dies within minutes. Shiva then restarts her heart, realizing Cassandra had a death wish, so that they can have a real fight. In the subsequent fight, Cassandra beats Shiva but does not kill her.

Though not known for her private life, Cassandra does have a one-time romance with Conner Kent after meeting him on a cruise ship. He was the first boy she ever kissed, and she even visited him at his home in Smallville, though the relationship never became serious.

Batman holds Cassandra in high regard. During the "War Games" story arc in 2004, he relied heavily on her to help control the violence of the gang war in Gotham City.

Following "War Games", Batgirl moved to Blüdhaven with Tim Drake (the third Robin) at Batman's suggestion and with his financial support (Nightwing had been injured during the crisis, and the Gotham City Police Department had declared all costumed heroes illegal). There, Deathstroke took on a contract from the Penguin to kill Batgirl and decided to let his daughter, Rose (the current Ravager), do the job instead. Cassandra beat Rose by playing on her emotions to leave her open for a critical strike, giving Deathstroke no choice but to get her medical attention.

During this time, Cassandra starts developing a friendship with Brenda, the woman who owns the local coffee shop, and even a very short-lived relationship with a boy named Zero. Unfortunately, her friends would all be killed in the Blüdhaven disaster.

Cassandra also went undercover for Batman in the Justice League Elite, working under Sister Superior to track and eliminate metahuman threats to the population. She worked with the Batman's old fellow Justice League members Green Arrow and the Flash, and formed a certain bond with Coldcast, who was the first person she revealed her real identity to. Although he was subsequently accused of murder, she and the rest of the team soon realized that he had been manipulated by renegade Elite member Menagerie, who was also being manipulated by the spirit of Manchester Black as he tried to drive his sister to destroy London. As the JLA fell, the Elite, united by the spirit of the deceased Manitou Raven, freed Vera and vanquished Black, although the team disbanded after this last mission.

Cassandra gathered evidence that indicated that Shiva could have been her mother, and sought out Shiva to confirm this. After being proclaimed by Nyssa al Ghul as the "One Who Is All", the students of the League of Assassins split their allegiances, half following Shiva and the others Cassandra. In the ensuing confrontation, Cassandra was mortally wounded by her "adoptive brother", the Mad Dog, while heroically saving one of the students under her leadership. Shiva revived Cassandra in a Lazarus Pit, then answered Cassandra's questions on her parentage. When Cassandra asked Shiva if she had killed more people since their last battle and Shiva said that she had, Cassandra asked if she would ever stop. Shiva responded, "It's why I had you," and Cassandra agreed to fight her to the death once more.

In an evenly matched battle, Cassandra managed to break Shiva's neck, paralyzing her. She appeared ready to place Shiva in the Lazarus Pit, but Shiva pleaded with her not to do so. In response, Cassandra impaled Shiva on a hook hanging over the pit, apparently killing her. Although Cassandra's intent regarding this action is unclear, whether to kill her or let her fall into the pit and be revived, it has been confirmed that Shiva is alive in the "One Year Later" storyline. Cassandra then abandoned the identity of Batgirl and returned to her life as a wanderer.

One Year Later

Cassandra took on the role of a villain by becoming the head of the League of Assassins following the "One Year Later" continuity jump, as established in ''Robin'' #150 (July 2006). Robin (Tim Drake) captures David Cain and brings him to the League of Assassins as ransom to free Cassandra, only to find that Cassandra is the new leader. Cassandra produces a gun and tells him to shoot Cain and join her league. Upon his refusal, she shoots Cain herself. Tim and Cassandra engage in a fight which, fortunately for Cassandra, ends when the platform they are fighting on explodes. By the time Tim comes back to the original location, Cassandra and Cain are gone and the ninjas' necks have been snapped. Tim had secretly recorded the conversation, clearing his name, but branding Cassandra as a murderer at the same time.

Cassandra then appears in ''Supergirl'' #14 (April 2007), battling the title character, (Kara Zor-El), in her role as leader of the League of Assassins. She is hired by Dark Angel to kill Supergirl and attempts to do so by kidnapping Supergirl's friend, Captain Boomerang. Supergirl arrives at the League's Tibetan headquarters to confront Cassandra, where they fight. Cassandra uses swords that emit red sun energy which strip away Supergirl's powers. However, as Cassandra prepares to kill her, Supergirl mysteriously extrudes crystals from her body which injure Cassandra.

This story is shown to follow the "One Year Later" jump in the ''Robin'' series, as in ''Supergirl'' #14 there is a file in the Batcomputer titled "Cassandra Cain and the League of Assassins", showing this takes place after she battled Robin. In ''Teen Titans'' (vol. 3) #44 (April 2007), it revealed that Cassandra battled Supergirl first, before attacking the Teen Titans with the Titans East.

Cassandra reappears later in the ''Robin'' series. Cassandra approaches Dodge, a wannabe superhero with teleportation powers, wanting him to steal a drug that gives humans metahuman strength in exchange for money. Cassandra (with an ally) plans to use the drug to create an army. She also makes another appearance where she murders the businessman who was producing that drug. Robin had been unable to legally bring him to justice.

Cassandra is also on the roster of Titans East and is once again wearing the Batgirl costume. Cassandra remained in the role of a villain, under the command of Titans East's leader, Deathstroke. It is revealed in ''Teen Titans'' (vol. 3) #43 that she is being drugged by Deathstroke. In issue #44, after a rematch with the Ravager and a brief confrontation with Robin, Robin injects Cassandra with a counter-serum (prepared in case Deathstroke regains control of his daughter). She apparently regains control over herself, with a desire for revenge by killing Deathstroke for violating her like Ravager and Terra before her. In issue #45, Cassandra is allied with the Teen Titans (to which Miss Martian comments that she is more in control of herself now) and faces Deathstroke, Match, and other former Titans East teammates, before being subdued by Risk. Soon after, Cyborg, Raven, and Duela Dent summon former Titans Nightwing, Donna Troy, Beast Boy, and the Flash (Bart Allen), who join them against Deathstroke's team. Batgirl attempts to kill Deathstroke, but is stopped and knocked unconscious by Nightwing, who demands that Deathstroke face the courts. Unfortunately, Deathstroke escapes from the Titans with the help of Inertia, and after the battle is over, Batgirl and Duela Dent both vanish without a word.

''52: World War III''

Following the events in ''Infinite Crisis'', ''52'' fills in the one-year gap where "One Year Later" left off. Cassandra was left behind while Batman, Robin, and Nightwing left for their year long trip and Harvey Dent was charged with protecting Gotham instead of her. Deathstroke approaches Cassandra and preys on her desire for a loving father as well as her feelings of abandonment. Although occurring off-screen, Deathstroke managed to inject Cassandra with drugs, from a distance, that warped her mind allowing for him to manipulate her to his liking.

Batman and the Outsiders

In October 2007, DC announced that Cassandra would be taking up the Batgirl identity as a member of the Outsiders in the upcoming ''Batman and the Outsiders'' ongoing series to be written by Chuck Dixon, which appears to, or is hoped to, begin resolving the controversy.

Cassandra retakes the Batgirl mantle to join the Outsiders at Batman's request near the end of ''Batman and the Outsiders'' (vol. 2) #2 (January 2008). Cassandra moves into the team's apartment, but does not show much desire to socialize with her teammates. Batman also offers membership to Green Arrow, who is furious to learn that the former leader of the League of Assassins is on the team as well. While on a mission, Green Arrow and Batgirl battle one another and end up gaining an unusual sort of respect for each other. The team as a whole begins to slowly accept Batgirl into their ranks when she frees all of them from the Chinese military.

After the loss of their leader in the 2008 "Batman R.I.P." storyline, the Outsiders are left in disarray. Cassandra, believing that Batman brought her onto the team for just such a contingency, takes command of the group. Together, they undertake a search for him.

''Batgirl'' (2008)

In February 2008, Dan DiDio revealed during a convention panel that writer Adam Beechen would be writing a "new Batgirl" mini-series. Beechen himself said that the story would resolve the questions over Cassandra's behavior and will be a setup for new Batgirl adventures.

In this series, Cassandra moves into Wayne Manor and desires to kill her father and Deathstroke for what they did to her. She uses the Batcave's computer to locate them, but is attacked by Nightwing, who claims she cannot be trusted. Robin and Batman give her the benefit of the doubt.

During the series, Cassandra learns that David Cain and Deathstroke started up a school training Cassandra's "sisters." When Cassandra hears that the school's purpose was to "cripple the meta-hero community," she believes Oracle is about to be assassinated and rushes to her base of operations. She locates her father on a rooftop and engages in a one-on-one fight, eventually sending him over a ledge. When he loses his grip, she tries to save him but fails; he falls to another part of the rooftop. Batman, who had followed her, accepts her into the family again and says he will adopt her and make her his daughter.

The first issue of a 2009 ''Batgirl'' ongoing series, set after Bruce Wayne's apparent death during ''Final Crisis'', shows Cassandra disillusioned. She passes her Batgirl identity to her close friend, Stephanie Brown. She leaves Gotham, with her whereabouts unknown.

Black Bat

After Bruce Wayne returns, it is revealed that Cassandra's disillusionment was a ruse, and that she had willingy handed over her Batgirl mantle to Stephanie because she was acting under her mentor's order in the event of his death or disappearance. Tim Drake is revealed to have been in regular contact with her, implying that she is now an anonymous agent to Batman. Following Bruce Wayne's public announcement about his intention to create a global team of Batmen, Tim visits Cassandra in Hong Kong, where she has been acting as an anonymous vigilante. He attempts to persuade Cassandra to return to Gotham now that things have returned to normal, but she refuses, saying that Stephanie needs the Batgirl role more than she does. Just before departing, Tim gives Cassandra a copy of her old costume and tells her that if she chooses to stay and fight crime in Hong Kong, he hopes she will do it while wearing a Bat-symbol.

In Grant Morrison's ''Batman Inc.'' series, it is revealed that Cassandra has taken Tim up on his offer and joined up with Bruce's new group, now wearing a heavily modified costume that uses her original outfit as a base. She now uses the name of Black Bat, and is shown contacting Bruce after bringing down a heroin-smuggling operation in Hong Kong.

At C2E2 2011, it was confirmed that Cassandra would be appearing as a main character in Scott Snyder and Kyle Higgins' mini-series ''Batman: Gates of Gotham''. In the first issue of the series, a new supervillain named the Architect destroys three Gotham bridges with the help of explosives smuggled from Hong Kong, resulting in the deaths of dozens of civilians. Feeling guilty over her failure to stop the explosives from leaving China, Cassandra returns to Gotham and partners with Red Robin, Dick Grayson, and Damian Wayne (the new Robin) to bring the Architect to justice. During a stakeout at Oswald Cobblepot's night club, Cassandra is mocked and berated by Damian, who tells her that he is a better hero and that Bruce likely sent her to Hong Kong as a demotion. Despite Damian's hostility toward her, Cassandra ultimately saves his life after pulling him out of the club mere seconds before it is destroyed by a bomb.

Cassandra later infiltrates a tournament for hired killers and rescues Red Robin, who had been captured and was about to be raped by the sister of Ra's al Ghul. After rescuing Tim, Cassandra apparently kills him with a katana, thus winning the tournament for herself. It is later revealed that she had merely faked Red Robin's death in order to allow him to escape. The two then travel to Hong Kong in order to catch a 10-year old assassin known as the Cricket, but are easily defeated. Just as Cassandra and Tim fall into unconscousness, the Cricket vows to face them again someday, and tells them that he hopes they will put up a better fight next time.

After Dick discovers that the Architect plans to flood Gotham and kill thousands of civillians, Cassandra and Damian work together to dispose of the explosives that were supposed to sink the city. Once the Architect is defeated and captured, Cassandra implies that she intends to stay in Gotham rather than return to Hong Kong.

DC Relaunch

Skills, abilities, and equipment

Training and abilities

Like the rest of the Batman family, Cassandra has no superhuman powers. As a child, she received intensive training by her father, along with several other members of the League of Assassins, including Bronze Tiger, Merlyn the archer, and a series of instructors hired by her father, including Alpha. Upon taking the mantle of Batgirl, she was trained further by Batman, Oracle, Black Canary, and by Lady Shiva. She received supplementary instruction from Onyx. She was also very briefly trained in detective methods by Tim Drake during their time in Blüdhaven.

Cassandra's superiority in combat results not just from her excellent physical condition, but from her cognitive functions (the result of her idiosyncratic upbringing) that enables extraordinary feats of coordination as well as perceiving minute changes in an opponent's movements and body language. In ''Batgirl'' #14 (May 2001), the writer, Kelley Puckett, places Cassandra in a position within the story in which her skills are analyzed by a group of government experts. The creative team reveal to the reader that the character has no metagene. Yet her genetic status was felt to be incompatible with her recorded abilities. One expert states, "Her individual moves are borderline human. It's her aggregate speed that's metahuman. Look—humans can throw a 100 miles-per-hour fastball, smash concrete blocks with their heads, and run 4.2 forties. What they can't do is all of that at once. It's not so much physical as... as mentally impossible. Too much to coordinate."

Her upbringing using body language as her exclusive mode of communication also had the effect of enabling her to "read" minute changes in an opponent's expressions, breathing, muscles, joint position, and center of gravity which in turn allows her to see or "predict" an opponent's moves before they happen. It is possible this ability is only partially the result of her upbringing and that there is a genetic predisposition to it since Lady Shiva, Canssandra's mother, is the only other martial artist known in the DC universe to have this ability. When a telepath "rewired" Cassandra's brain to allow her speech, this had the unintended consequence of blocking her ability to "predict" attacks. Eventually, Lady Shiva helped her to regain this ability, but how this was done is never revealed. "

Cassandra also exhibits extraordinary resistance to pain. On more than one occasion she has been described as "being able to take a bullet wound and not even bat an eye."

Language skills

As a side effect of her father's training, Cassandra's brain developed learning functions different from most. Having been brought up by Cain deliberately without speech, the communication centers of her brain learned body language instead of spoken or written language. Thus, she originally had as much trouble learning spoken and written language as a normal individual would have in learning body language. Although she was able to learn some very basic things ("no," "yes," "me") the same way a normal person can learn to recognize smiles and frowns, it took a telepath "rewiring" her brain to teach her to speak and understand English. Even then, she only spoke with extreme difficulty (very falteringly, short sentences with long pauses, frequently using the wrong words, etc.). In ''Batgirl'' #67 (October 2005), Oracle performed a number of tests on Cassandra, determining the severity of the problem: "The language centers of your brain are all over both hemispheres. Not centralized like with most people. When you try to read or write, your brain doesn't know how to keep it cohesive."

In the 2008 ''Batgirl'' mini-series, the first issue delves into an explanation as to Cassandra's increased verbal and literary skills. It is explained that during the year in which Batman, Nightwing, and Robin were abroad, Cassandra and Alfred took it upon themselves to help develop the skills that she lacked due to her less than conventional childhood. By day she took speech and ESL courses. The formal training aided her thought processes related to language and thus her verbalization improved rapidly.

Costume and equipment

Cassandra's costume as Batgirl is composed of black skin-tight leather. Her mask covers all of her head with the exception of the eyes, which are darkened, and symbolic stitches surround the mouth of the mask. Cassandra wears a yellow-rimmed black logo rather than the yellow bat version of the logo worn by Barbara. The costume was first created and worn by the Huntress in the early stages of "No Man's Land".

Like the other members of the Bat-Clan, Cassandra's Batgirl also wears a yellow-pouched utility belt which contains grappling hooks, batarangs, mini-explosives, tracking devices, a hand-held computer, binoculars, PlastiCuffs, and smoke pellets. However, Cassandra rarely uses any of these devices.

The costume displays slight variations in Titans East. The cape shows a yellow lining and Cassandra wears a "capsule" utility belt rather than pouches. In ''Teen Titans'' (vol. 3) #43, the once hollow bat-symbol appears to have been filled in and her cape is once again completely black; a new line of stitching goes up the forehead of her cowl. This version of the costume apparently results from one artist's interpretation, as Cassandra's appearances elsewhere (i.e., ''Supergirl'' and ''Batman and the Outsiders'') show her wearing her standard Batgirl costume.

Her costume as Blackbat incorporates her former Batgirl costume, with some modifications. She now wears a domino mask and exposes the rest of her face and head. Her cape is now severely torn, looking ragged and almost smoke-like. Her hands are wrapped in bandages rather than her former scalloped bat-gloves.

Other versions

In the alternate timeline portrayed in the "Titans Tomorrow" storyline in ''Teen Titans'', Cassandra was mentioned as having been murdered by Duela Dent. Years later, Tim Drake (now the new Batman) killed Duela in retaliation.

In the timeline depicted in the sequel, "Titans Tomorrow... Today!", Cassandra is portrayed as Kate Kane's successor to the Batwoman mantle, and a member of Lex Luthor's Titans Army.

Collected editions

Most of the 2000 ''Batgirl'' ongoing series, as well as the 2008 mini-series, has been collected into trade paperbacks.

! Title !! Material collected !! Publication date !! ISBN
Batgirl: Silent Running	''Batgirl'' #1-6	March 2001
Batgirl: A Knight Alone	''Batgirl'' #7-11, #13-14	November 2001
Batgirl: Death Wish	''Batgirl'' #17-20, #22-23, #25	August 2003
Batgirl: Fists of Fury	''Batgirl'' #15-16, #21, #26-28	May 2004
Robin/Batgirl: Fresh Blood	''Batgirl'' #58-59; ''Robin'' #132-133	October 2005
Batgirl: Kicking Assassins	''Batgirl'' #60-64	January 2006
Batgirl: Destruction's Daughter	''Batgirl'' #65-73	September 2006
Batgirl: Redemption	''Batgirl'' #1-6 (2008 mini-series)	June 2009

In other media

Television

In the ''Justice League'' season one finale "The Savage Time" (based in the DC animated universe), a girl is seen with Tim Drake, Barbara Gordon, and Dick Grayson in an alternate timeline that bears a resemblance to Cassandra. The creators of the show have stated this as an uncredited cameo.

Video games

Cassandra Cain as Batgirl appears in a cameo alongside Robin (Tim Drake) in the video game ''Batman: Dark Tomorrow''.

She can be made in the character creator in ''Lego Batman: The Videogame''.

Cassandra appears as Batgirl in ''DC Universe Online'' voiced by Mindy Raymond.

See also

Bette Kane — Earth-2/Golden Age Bat-Girl

Barbara Gordon — Earth-1/Silver Age Batgirl

Huntress — Second Batgirl

Batwoman — Other female counterparts of Batman

References

External links

Interview with Kelley Puckett

Category:Comic book sidekicks Category:DC Comics martial artists Category:Fictional American people of Asian descent Category:Fictional assassins Category:Comics characters introduced in 1999 Category:Fictional killers Category:Fictional mute characters

fr:Cassandra Cain it:Cassandra Cain tl:Cassandra Cain

name	Yvonne Craig
birth name	Yvonne Craig
birth date	May 16, 1937
birth place	Taylorville, Illinois, U.S.
yearsactive	1957–1990, 2003 (acting), 2008-present (voice acting)
spouse	Jimmy Boyd (1960–62)Kenneth Aldrich (1988–?)
website	http://www.yvonnecraig.com/ }}

Yvonne Joyce Craig (born May 16, 1937) is an American actress best known for her role as Batgirl from the 1960s TV series ''Batman'', and as the Orion Marta in the ''Star Trek: The Original Series'' episode “Whom Gods Destroy”.

Early life and career

Yvonne Craig was born in Taylorville, Illinois. She was originally trained to be a ballet dancer and was a member of the corps de ballet of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in the 1950s. Gradually, she moved into acting, and in 1959 appeared in three films: ''The Young Land'', ''The Gene Krupa Story'', and ''Gidget''. In 1960, she appeared as a busty young coed with Bing Crosby in ''High Time'', where she met and married singer/actor Jimmy Boyd. In the following year, she appeared with Cesar Romero in ''Seven Women from Hell''. Romero would later play one of the primary villains in ''Batman''. Another connection to ''Batman'' occurred when Craig appeared in "The Case of the Lazy Lover", a 1958 episode of the television series ''Perry Mason'', which also featured Neil Hamilton as her stepfather. Hamilton would later play her father in ''Batman''.

After divorcing Boyd in 1962, Yvonne starred in several films, including roles with Elvis Presley in ''It Happened At The World's Fair'' and ''Kissin' Cousins'' and with Dennis Hopper, and appeared in ''In Like Flint'' as a Russian Ballet dancer opposite James Coburn.

Move into television

In the mid-1960s, with film roles beginning to taper off, she moved into television, notably as Marta, a green-skinned Orion slave girl in the third season ''Star Trek'' episode "Whom Gods Destroy" (1968). In this episode, she is interned in an insane asylum and does a dance number.

In a 1965 episode of ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' ("The Brain Killer Affair"), she helps solve the mystery of a brain-endangering poison. In 1966 ''U.N.C.L.E.'' released a theatrical film, ''One Spy Too Many''. This was made from a two-part episode plus new footage with more violence and risque content than seen on television. Craig was hired to do a semi-nude sunbathing scene and carry on a flirtatious relationship with Napoleon Solo.

In a 1966 episode of ''The Wild Wild West'' ("The Night of the Grand Emir"), she plays an assassin who does an exotic Arabian dance. She also played an exotic dancer in an episode of ''McHale's Navy'' ("Pumpkin Takes Over", 1965). She appeared in an episode of ''The Big Valley'' with Lee Majors and Barbara Stanwyck.

In a 1968 episode of ''The Ghost & Mrs. Muir'' ("Haunted Honeymoon"), she plays a bride-to-be stranded overnight at Gull Cottage.

But her highest profile would come with the cult 1960s television series ''Batman'' as Batgirl.

''Batman''

Most famously, in ''Batman'', she had the role of Batgirl (and her alter ego, librarian Barbara Gordon, Commissioner Gordon's daughter). She appeared in the final 1967–1968 season. Batgirl's true identity was unknown to Batman and Robin, and their true identities were unknown to her; only Alfred, the butler for Bruce Wayne/Batman, was aware of Batgirl's identity.

Although the ''Batman'' TV show has been criticized as "campy," (and Adam West himself said that the show was intentionally a lampoon and farce) many have praised Yvonne Craig's portrayal as having paved the way for many other television heroines in the years that followed. Craig appeared in the last season of the series and was often put in "perilous" situations, along with Batman and Robin.

Craig felt some connection to the character and complained to DC Comics about her fate after Barbara Gordon was shot/paralyzed by The Joker in the 1988 graphic novel, ''Batman: The Killing Joke''.

Later career

After ''Batman'', Yvonne Craig continued to act sporadically in movies and television. Notably, she appeared in guest roles in ''Love, American Style'' (the first episode), ''Kentucky Jones'', ''It Takes a Thief'', ''The Mod Squad'', and ''Emergency!'' From 1969–1972, she appeared in four episodes of the comedy series ''Love, American Style.'' She also did a guest role on ''The Six Million Dollar Man'' (1974).

Craig eventually moved into private business. For a time, she was a coproducer of industrial shows, after which she worked successfully in the real estate business. She maintains her own internet website.

Craig appears in the documentary ''Ballets Russes''.

Selected filmography

''The Young Land'' (1959)

''Gidget'' (1959)

''The Gene Krupa Story'' (1959)

''High Time'' (1960)

''By Love Possessed'' (1961)

''Seven Women from Hell'' (1961)

''It Happened at the World's Fair'' (1963)

''Kissin' Cousins'' (1964)

''Ski Party'' (1965)

''Mars Needs Women'' (1966)

''One Spy Too Many'' (1966)

''In Like Flint'' (1967)

''How to Frame a Figg'' (1971)

Bibliography

References

External links

Yvonne Craig's Official Personal Home Page

Ty's Yvonne Craig Homepage

MSN Entertainment - Yvonne Craig

Yvonne Craig at TV.com

Bat-Bios - Yvonne Craig

Yvonne Craig as Batgirl

Yvonne Craig Interview at Elvis2001.net

Category:1937 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from Illinois Category:American ballet dancers Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo dancers Category:People from Christian County, Illinois Category:Ballerinas

de:Yvonne Craig es:Yvonne Craig eu:Yvonne Craig fi:Yvonne Craig sv:Yvonne Craig

Lady Shiva (real name Sandra Woosan, or more recently Sandra Wu-San) is a fictional comic book character co-created by Dennis O'Neil and Ric Estrada, and published by DC Comics. She first appeared in ''Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter'' as an antagonist of Richard Dragon. Over time, she has become more closely associated with Batman and related characters, both as an enemy and an ally. She is a martial arts grandmaster, one of the most skilled combatants in the entire DC Universe. She is an assassin-for-hire, who specializes in killing her targets with her bare hands.

Fictional character biography

Becoming Lady Shiva

Pre-crisis

Sandra Woosan is first introduced as an antagonist to martial artist Richard Dragon, believing him to be a spy responsible for the murder of her sister Carolyn. In reality, Carolyn's murder was orchestrated by Guano Cravat, a corrupt businessman whose criminal ambitions had been foiled by Dragon. Cravat convinced Woosan that Dragon killed Carolyn, deliberately pitting her against Dragon in an act of revenge.

In order to avenge her sister, Woosan becomes a master combatant. During the course of her training, she discovers that she is a prodigy, rapidly mastering several martial arts and eventually dubbing herself "Lady" Shiva.

When Shiva tracks Dragon down and lures him to Cravat's hideout, Dragon reveals Cravat's deception. The Swiss, Carolyn's real murderer and Cravat's underling, had already died in battle with Dragon, rendering Shiva's vendetta moot.

Afterward, she briefly takes up crimefighting with Dragon and fellow martial artist Ben Turner, to allay her feelings of purposelessness, saying "I tolerate Dragon because danger seems to cling to him like fly to honey... and without danger my life is empty!" Dragon, in hopes that she might follow his example and use her skills for good, coaxes her to explore the spiritual side of martial arts, to no apparent success. When the three eventually part ways, Shiva begins a wandering existence, training herself further, and eventually parlaying her skills into a career as a master assassin.

Post-crisis

Shiva was born in a shanty town, in an unknown country, and raised to be a warrior and protector of the village. Eventually, Shiva fled the village with her sister. Years later, when the heroine Black Canary visits the village to experience Shiva's training, a village child named Sin is held hostage by the villagers, with the promise that if Canary fails to become the warrior-protector of the village, Sin is to take her place, suggesting that Shiva's sister was once used in a similar manner. Speaking about her childhood, Sin says that Ra's al Ghul's League of Assassins ran the village where she and Shiva were born and raised.

The sisters moved to Detroit, Michigan, using the names Sandra and Carolyn Wu-San. There, they devoted their time to practicing the martial arts. Because of the girls' young age, talent, and unique bond as sisters, their practice evolved into a secret, perfected language that only they could share. Out of love for her sister, Sandra held back in her spars with Carolyn. The assassin David Cain saw this restraint in Sandra one day when he visited Detroit to see the siblings perform. Considering Sandra a kindred spirit, Cain murdered Carolyn, in order to remove the obstruction that blunted Sandra's true potential.

Discovering that David Cain had murdered her sister, Sandra hunted him down, only to be lured into an ambush by Ra's al Ghul's League of Assassins, of which Cain was a member. In the heat of a losing battle, Sandra realized how Carolyn had held her back, and how much undeveloped potential she had. Cain spared her life, and in exchange, Sandra agreed to bear Cain a child, and leave it for him to raise. The child, Cassandra Cain, was to be Ra's al Ghul's "One Who Is All," a perfected bodyguard, whose only form of communication was literacy in body language, and whose sole instinct was for hand-to-hand combat. With Carolyn gone, Cassandra and Sandra were the only two humans known to share this gift. The day of Cassandra's birth, Sandra set out to become reborn as the Lady Shiva: creator and destroyer.

Canonicity

Due to revelations in the final issue of ''Batgirl'' (issue #73, February 2006, see Cassandra Cain), the relative Post-Crisis canonicity of Guano Cravat and Richard Dragon in Shiva's history remain in question, as Sandra appears to immediately know the identity of her sister's killer, and her decision to become Lady Shiva stems entirely from events related to her sister's death and daughter's birth, rather than a rivalry with Dragon.

Professional assassin

Meeting the Question

During her time with Richard Dragon, Shiva becomes addicted to combat and life-or-death situations. Already a very accomplished martial artist, Shiva hires herself out as a mercenary both to recapture the thrill and to finance further training. Her considerable skills allow her to ask a high price for her services, and she soon becomes highly sought after.

Shiva is eventually hired by Reverend Hatch, the corrupt adjunct to the mayor of Hub City, to fight troublesome masked crimefighter the Question. She defeats him with ease, but rather than have Shiva kill him, Hatch instead has his men beat the Question further, shoot him in the head with an air gun, and dump him into the river. Seeing "a passion for combat" in the hero, Shiva rescues a near-death Question, and brings him to Richard Dragon's mountain hideaway, to give him a chance to fulfill his potential. In his civilian identity as Victor Sage, the Question enters Dragon's tutelage, training in combat and undergoing a spiritual awakening.

On leaving Dragon, Sage meets Shiva, who orders him to fight her. She ends the fight after only a few moves, and confirms her own suspicions of a "warrior's passion" in him, because he was willing to fight her even after his previous, crushing defeat. However, influenced by Dragon's philosophy, Sage proposes that he was simply "curious" what would happen if they fought again. Shiva leaves without telling Sage why she saved him, and Sage readopts the identity of the Question, returning to Hub City.

Shiva and the O-Sensei

Shiva eventually travels to Manchuria to visit with her godfather, the O-Sensei, former instructor of Richard Dragon and Bronze Tiger. After living over 150 years, he has finally decided to die. He intends to fulfill a promise to his wife, and be buried alongside her, but his wife's family had hidden her remains to punish him for abandoning her. The O-Sensei has Shiva select three warriors to aid him in the search for her remains: the Question, Green Arrow, and Batman. Reluctant to acknowledge the O-Sensei's death wish, Shiva expresses her ambivalence both verbally and physically, unnecessarily applying deadly force in battles with O-Sensei's assailants.

Shiva and the O-Sensei then travel to Hub City, meeting with the Question, who, in turn, brokered Shiva's first meeting with Batman. Compelled to test his skill, Shiva immediately fights the vigilante only to be stopped by the O-Sensei. They do, however, convince Batman to aid them.

In their search for Green Arrow, Shiva encounters slave traders, killing all except one, who successfully cuts her; she rewards him with a kiss on the forehead. After locating Green Arrow, she meets Black Canary for the first time, and spars with the hero. Although Canary does not know it at the time, the two had both studied under Sensei Otomo, though non-concurrently.

After recruiting Green Arrow, Shiva returns to Hub City, and saves the Question from an attack by former employees of the now-dead Reverend Hatch. Shiva kills the men, who had been after a fortune in embezzled funds stored in Hatch's abandoned home, and sets fire to the money. Later, she nurses the Question's elderly friend Tot back to health. While the Question puzzles over her inscrutable and violent nature, she confesses that the O-Sensei was "the one man I am certain I would not harm if he kissed me."

When Batman discovers that the remains of the O-Sensei's wife had been moved to a small island, Shiva, the O-Sensei, Green Arrow, and the Question set out for the island, only to be caught in a storm. The O-Sensei is lost overboard, but the group discovers that his wife's remains had likewise been mislaid, years earlier, while in transport, leaving O-Sensei's promise fulfilled.

Toward Sodom and Gomorrah

When Hub City fall victim to rapid, systemic urban decay, Shiva returns to offer her services to one of the ruling gangs, but instead kills the members for sending "unskilled" men to kill her. On meeting the Question, she is dismayed to find that staying in Hub City had atrophied his fighting skills. Nevertheless, she repeatedly saves both him and his lover, Mayor Myra Fermin, from assassins.

She vanishes some time later, only to reappear stepping out of a helicopter meant to rescue the Question and his companions, who had decided to flee the city. Shiva explains that though the Question and his friends wished to leave, it is now a fit place for her to go toward. The Question and Shiva have a final exchange before he left. {{bquote|"I never know what to say to you, Shiva. I'm afraid that if it's the wrong thing, you'll destroy me.""Ah. Then you have not yet understood the grand secret.""Which is?""I cannot destroy you unless you permit me to." -from ''The Question #36'', by Denny O'Neil}}

After Hub City

Shiva continues to work as a mercenary for money, challenge, and perfection of her skills. Eventually, she crosses paths with the League of Assassins, and its leader, Ra's al Ghul, and begins an on-and-off association with them. Though she has kept close ties with the League, she sometimes works against their interests, as seen during ''Batman: Legacy''.

While training prospective assassins, mercenaries, and terrorists in war-torn Lebanon, she is approached by Jason Todd, the second Robin, and his guardian Batman, acting on a rumor that she had associated with Todd's father, and speculating that she might be his mother.

Eager to finally face Batman uninterrupted, Shiva knocks Robin unconscious and challenges the Dark Knight. Initially underestimating Shiva, Batman soon learns that her skills are such that she could kill him, and begins to fight in earnest. It takes intervention from Robin to knock Shiva unconscious and subdue her for interrogation. When asked if she was Jason’s mother, Shiva laughs, sarcastically claiming to have littered dozens of babies across the globe. When Batman doses her with sodium pentothal, Shiva claims to have no children, confirming that Jason is not her son. Batman leaves her in the desert, reasoning that she would soon free herself from her bonds. Shiva warns him that they would meet again, to which Batman simply replies, "Too bad."

Later, Shiva begins to track down those who referred to themselves as Shihan, "Master," or any other title proclaiming mastery of a martial arts form. She would learn what she could from them and, depending on their skill and personal whim, kill them when they were of no further use to her.

Teaching a Little Bird

In further pursuit of her art, Shiva tracks the defeats of martial arts masters, in order to discover new techniques. In this way, she develops an interest in the defeat of Koroshi, master of the art of empty-handed fighting. Gaining no information from Koroshi himself, she begins to search for King Snake, the man rumored to have defeated him. During her search, she meets Tim Drake, who is fighting King Snake's criminal organization, the Ghost Dragons, as part of his training to become the third Robin.

Shiva sees potential in Drake, and takes him on as a student. As a bonus, she offers to train him in one weapon, and he chooses the bo staff. Shiva derisively mentions that it is not a lethal weapon, and Drake explains that was the reason he had chosen it. At the end of his training, he defeats Shiva in a sparring match with the bo, and she gives him a collapsible bo staff.

Eventually, they discovers that the Ghost Dragons are creating a virulent plague. Robin, Shiva, and ally Clyde Rawlins attempt to stop them from releasing it, but the Dragons escape with a few canisters. After tracking them to Hong Kong, they eventually defeate King Snake, though Rawlins dies in the attempt and Shiva mostly witnesses the proceedings. While King Snake hangs precariously on the ledge of a building, Shiva orders Robin to kill him to signify his "graduation" and become her "weapon." Robin refuses and leaves. Shiva then throws the King Snake off the ledge herself, though he survives the fall.

Getting involved with Gotham

After Bane breaks Batman's back, Batman seeks training from Shiva to help him regain his skills and fighting spirit. Though she deems him unworthy of her efforts, she devises a training regimen, out of respect for what he had been before his injuries. As part of this training, Shiva kills the Armless Master, a sensei notable for training Catwoman, while wearing a tengu mask, making sure that his death was both witnessed and relayed to his best students. Shiva then makes Batman wear the mask while performing training missions. He is then ambushed by the master’s students, who mistake him for the "Tengu Mask warrior." He defeats all of them in turn, but Shiva attempts to complete Batman’s training by manipulating him into killing an opponent using her fatal Leopard Blow. Batman simply feigns using the maneuver on an assailant to trick her into believing he used lethal force. Shiva later discovers the truth, but does not seek vengeance.

Later, she helps Batman fight Ra's al Ghul and his League of Assassins, including Bane, when Ghul attempts to release a deadly virus called Ebola Gulf A that would have killed half the world's population (see ''Batman: Legacy''). The trail leads Batman to Calcutta, India. Since their knowledge of the city is limited, Oracle contacts Shiva, who agrees to help Batman. Together they defeat Ghul's men and prevent the virus from being released.

Shiva later travels to an army base in Transbelvia to fight a young political rebel and martial artist named Dava Sbörsc, who specializes in undefeatable "single-blow techniques" and wishes to learn Shiva's Leopard Blow. Instead, Dava's friend, her former pupil Tim Drake, in his identity as Robin, jumps into the fray in her place. Granted superspeed by a drug Dava gave him, and unused to its effects, Robin unwittingly uses lethal force, killing Shiva in battle. He quickly administers CPR, both reviving Shiva and dosing her with the drug. Thus enhanced, she kills attacking soldiers while Robin and Dava make their escape, vanishing immediately after.

During the ''No Man's Land'' story arc, Shiva fights in the Brotherhood of the Monkey Fist's martial arts tournament under the alias "Paper Monkey". In a final, close battle, she fights and defeats Connor Hawke, the Green Arrow. As repayment for saving her life, Robin asks her to spare Connor. She relents, warning Robin that this use of her favor means she would challenge and kill him when he grew older.

Over the years, Shiva amasses groups of followers who worship her as an incarnation of Shiva, the Hindu incarnation of death. She pays them little attention, occasionally using them as lackeys or killing them when it suits her whims. Some of her followers have even created temples to honor her victories, one of which is in Gotham, which she later destroys.

Shiva and Batgirl

At age 8, Shiva's daughter Cassandra flees from David Cain, horrified after killing a man with her bare hands on her first assassination. She then wanders the world as a mute, and, seeking redemption, finds herself in Gotham City during the events of No Man's Land. Seeing promise in Cassandra, Batman and former Batgirl, Barbara Gordon, give Cassandra their blessings to take up the mantle of Batgirl.

Eventually, Batgirl's skills attract Shiva's attention. Without telling her of their relationship, Shiva challenges Batgirl to a battle to the death. To Shiva's disappointment, she defeats Batgirl soundly. Batgirl's body language fluency is newly impaired by a telepath's forcible inculcation of the ability to speak. Wanting to fight Batgirl at her peak, Shiva spares her life, and promises to retrain her on the condition that they have a rematch in one year. The secret to being undefeatable, Shiva explains, is to not fear death, even to seek it. Under Shiva's care, Batgirl soon regains her abilities.

Shiva reappears to fight Batgirl at the Forum of The Twelve Caesars, and kills her in combat. Realizing that Batgirl had not given her all, Shiva revives her. Batgirl admits to harboring a death wish ever since Cain first forced her to kill; her ability to perfectly read the agony of her victim had deeply traumatized her. Having overcome her death wish, Batgirl fights Shiva again, shattering her sword. In the midst of battle, Batgirl accuses Shiva of having a death wish herself, really only traveling and fighting in search of her own death. Batgirl thus defeats Shiva.

A new Sensei

In Gail Simone's ''''Birds of Prey'''' series, during a joint hunt with Black Canary for the murderer of a shared, beloved sensei, Shiva is beaten and kidnapped by supervillain Cheshire. Cheshire ties up, gags and locks Shiva in the trunk of a car wired with explosives, so as to use a charred corpse in a plan to fake her death and flee the country after murdering a senator. Fortunately, Shiva is saved when Catwoman discovers her. After Cheshire confesses to murdering their sensei, Black Canary punches her out of a helicopter (using Ted Grant's Haymaker) to prevent Shiva from killing her in a vengeful rage. Shiva subsequently offers to share her knowledge with Black Canary, who takes her offer under consideration.

Cassandra begins to suspect that Shiva is her mother, but cannot provoke Cain into an admission. She embarks on a search for Shiva, eventually finding her as the new sensei the League of Assassins under the leadership of Nyssa Raatko, Ra's al Ghul's eldest daughter. In battle, Cassandra sacrifices her life to save former League member Tigris from an attack by her own unsuccessful experimental predecessor, Mad Dog. Shiva decides to resurrect Cassandra in a Lazarus Pit to reveal the truth of her heritage, and fight her once more.

On reviving her, Shiva admits that the reason she agreed to give birth was that she hoped her child would be the one to kill her. In an evenly matched battle, Cassandra breaks Shiva's neck, paralyzing her. She appears ready to place Shiva in the Lazarus Pit, but Shiva pleads with her not to do so. In response, Cassandra impales Shiva on a hook hanging over the pit, apparently killing her. Although Cassandra's intent regarding this action is left ambiguous, whether to kill her or let her fall into the pit and be revived, it has been confirmed that Shiva is alive in ''One Year Later''. Cassandra then abandons the identity of Batgirl and returns to her life as a wanderer.

During the ''Infinite Crisis'' storyline, she later appears as a member of Alexander Luthor, Jr.'s Secret Society of Super Villains.

One Year Later

Having switched places with Black Canary in order to allow them both to experience each other's life experiences, Shiva joins Oracle's covert team of female operatives known as the Birds of Prey (with Canary hoping that spending time with them would soften Shiva), using the name "Jade Canary". Shiva remains unchanged, however. Oracle semiseriously refers to Shiva as a sociopath, and refuses to call Shiva by the Jade Canary title, even though Shiva (as part of the deal with Canary) has taken to wearing Black Canary's boots and trademark fishnet stockings (though she hates wearing them).

Shiva continues to perform solo work, and visits Robin to assist him (much to Robin's chagrin) in discovering the truth behind Batgirl's recent disappearance and recent upheaval within the League of Assassins. She refuses to allow herself or Oracle's team to be involved, and instead trusts her former pupil to handle the situation. It appears that she holds no ill-will towards Cassandra as she informs Tim that she hopes that her daughter is well.

During a recent mission, Oracle's team confronts the villain Prometheus, whose helmet allows him to copy the skills of 30 of the world's greatest martial artists, including Shiva herself. This had allowed him a victory against Batman in the past. Shiva believes that his files on her would be out of date, and that she would be able to defeat her "old self". She seems unconcerned about the skills of the other 29 fighters, and apparently decides to attack Prometheus head-on. Prometheus, however, has more up-to-date files than Shiva suspected, and in three seconds knocks her to the ground. After this defeat, Shiva vanishes, leaving a message for Black Canary: "Tell the Canary, I release her."

Stripped of her chance to mold Black Canary in her own image, and stripped of Sin, the young girl who was next in line as her successor, Shiva is last seen talking to Bethany Thorne, daughter of the late Crime Doctor. It appears that she is yet again hoping to train a new heir in the art of her lethal form of martial arts.

Still, although Shiva is no longer an active member of the Birds of Prey, she continues to be protective of her former teammates. Such is the case when the Birds of Prey are being threatened by Spy Smasher, who attempts to steal control away from Oracle. After a mission in Russia, Oracle and Spy Smasher fight against one another for control of the team. Although Oracle is unable to use her legs, she is victorious, although Spy Smasher attempts to go back on their deal. Unfortunately, she is confronted outside by every single living Birds of Prey Agent Oracle has ever recruited, who warn her against ever going after Oracle again; Lady Shiva is among them. When Barbara later asks the others who called Shiva, no one responds.

Blackest Night

During the events of the ''Blackest Night'', Shiva tracks down Renee Montoya, the new Question, and tells her she intends to test her in battle. The two women begin their duel, only to be interrupted when Victor Sage, now a reanimated Black Lantern, arrives on the scene and attacks them. Using his new supernatural abilities, Sage effortlessly defeats Shiva and tries to kill her by tearing out her heart. However, Shiva realizes that the Black Lanterns feed on human emotion, and cuts herself off from all feeling through the use of meditation, rendering her invisible to Sage. After the others on the scene do the same, Victor angrily departs.

Brightest Day

During the events of the ''Brightest Day'' crossover, a new martial artist known as the White Canary comes to Gotham and sets a plan into motion to ruin Black Canary's life by framing her for the murder of a European terrorist. When Black Canary first encounters the White Canary, she muses that the villain may be Shiva in disguise. but later White Canary pits Black Canary against Lady Shiva in an honor bound match to the death after breaking Black Canary's wrist, thereby making sure she would be killed. Both parties accept because White Canary dangles the life of Sin, Black Canary's adopted daughter, as her bait. But Huntress challenges Shiva instead and even manages to knock her down, to everyone's surprise, even after receiving many blows. But the death match is stopped when Black Canary rescues Sin herself and points out a technicality, they need not continue the battle to death immediately and can pick it up at any time in the future.

In other media

Television

Lady Shiva appears in the ''Birds of Prey'' TV series in the episode "Lady Shiva" portrayed by Sung-Hi Lee. Here, she is about equally skilled as Barbara Gordon and Huntress. Instead of being Cassandra's nemesis as Batgirl, she is Barbara's. In her civilian identity, she is a former schoolmate of Huntress. Unlike her comic book counterpart, she is portrayed as a common thief with no ties to any known organizations and wears a mask.

Film

Lady Shiva appears in the direct-to-video animated film ''Superman/Batman: Public Enemies'' with her sound effects provided by Rachael MacFarlane. She is among the villains that try to claim the bounty on Superman and Batman. She has no lines of dialogue and her role is entirely unchanged from the comic, in which she fights Batman briefly before he knocks her out. It has been speculated that the role of Miranda Tate in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises, played by Marion Cotillard, is based on Lady Shiva.

Video Game

Lady Shiva appears in the ''DC Universe Online'' video game, voiced by D.B. Cooper.

Miscellaneous

Lady Shiva was voiced by Lorelei King in the 1994 ''Batman: Knightfall'' audio book.

Reception

In 2011, UGO Networks featured Lady Shiva on their list of 25 Hot Ninja Girls: "She's the type of woman who makes it obvious why Bruce Wayne never really found love - his type is all too capable of kicking his ass." She was ranked #8 on the list of Top 10 Fictional Ninjas by Fandomania for being "one of the deadliest martial artists on the DC Comics universe".

References

External links

Women of Gotham Biography: Lady Shiva

CanaryNoir

Category:Characters created by Dennis O'Neil Category:Comics characters introduced in 1975 Category:DC Comics martial artists Category:DC Comics supervillains Category:Female supervillains Category:Fictional American people of Asian descent Category:Fictional assassins Category:Fictional characters from Detroit, Michigan Category:Fictional characters from Michigan Category:Fictional ninja

tl:Lady Shiva

birth date	October 04, 1976
birth place	San Francisco, California, U.S.
occupation	Actress
years active	1992–present
spouse
website	http://www.thekindlife.com }}

Alicia Silverstone (; born October 4, 1976) is an American actress, author, and former fashion model. She first came to widespread attention in music videos for Aerosmith, and is perhaps best known for her roles in Hollywood films such as ''Clueless'' (1995) and her portrayal of Batgirl in ''Batman & Robin'' (1997).

Early life

Silverstone was born in San Francisco, California, the daughter of Deirdre "Didi" (née Radford), a Scottish-born former Pan Am flight attendant, and Monty Silverstone, an English-born real-estate investor and part-time actor. Silverstone was raised in a "traditional Jewish household"; her father, a native of east London, is Jewish, and her mother converted to Conservative Judaism before marriage. Silverstone is the youngest of three children and also has a half-sister, London-based rock singer Kezi Silverstone, and a half-brother, David Silverstone, both from her father's previous marriage. Silverstone attended Crocker Middle School and then San Mateo High School, but did not complete her high school studies. When she was six years old, she began modeling and was subsequently cast in television commercials, the first being for Domino's Pizza. She acquired some early modeling and advertising work and was eventually cast as "dream girl" Jessica on the episode "Road Test" of ''The Wonder Years''.

Career

Silverstone won several awards for her film performances, including MTV Movie Awards, National Board of Review, Young Artist Awards, and an American Comedy Award. She has been nominated for an Emmy award and a Golden Globe Award. During her career, she turned down several key roles in films, including Dede Truitt in ''The Opposite of Sex'' and a role in ''Scream 3''. She was also considered for roles in ''Scream 2'', ''Bewitched'', ''Little Women'' and ''Heartbreakers''. She turned down the role of Valerie Malone on ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' in 1994; Tiffani Thiessen was cast instead.

1990s

Silverstone won a leading part in the 1993 film ''The Crush'', playing a teenaged girl who sets out to ruin an older man after he spurns her affections; she won two awards at the 1994 MTV Movie Awards for the role—Best Breakthrough Performance and Best Villain. Silverstone became legally emancipated at the age of 16 in order to work the hours required for the shooting schedule of the film. Also in 1993, Silverstone auditioned for the lead role of Angela Chase in the ABC TV series ''My So-Called Life'', but Claire Danes was chosen for the role instead. Alicia made some television movies in her early career including ''Torch Song'', ''Cool and the Crazy'' and ''Scattered Dreams''.

After seeing her in ''The Crush'', Marty Callner decided Silverstone would be perfect for a role in a music video he was directing for the band Aerosmith, called "Cryin'"; she was subsequently cast in two more videos, "Amazing" and "Crazy". These were hugely successful for both the band and Silverstone, making her a household name (and also gaining her the nickname, "the Aerosmith chick"). They also got her noticed by filmmaker Amy Heckerling, who, after seeing them, decided to cast her in ''Clueless''.

''Clueless'' became a sleeper hit and critical darling during the summer of 1995. Silverstone's performance was well received, and she was branded the spokeswoman for an emerging young generation. As a result, she signed a deal with Columbia-TriStar worth $10 million. As part of the package, she got a three-year first-look deal for her own production company, First Kiss Productions. Silverstone also won "Best Female Performance" and "Most Desirable Female" at the 1996 MTV Movie Awards for her performance in the film. In the same year, Silverstone starred in the erotic thriller ''The Babysitter'', film adaptation of the novel by Dean Koontz, ''Hideaway'', and the French drama about Americans, ''New World''.

Silverstone's next role was as Batgirl in ''Batman & Robin'', and while it was not a critical success, the film grossed $238,207,122 worldwide. Silverstone's turn as Batgirl was not well received, and won her a Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress. However she also won a Blimp Award at the Kid's Choice Awards for the role. She suffered further bad press for allegedly striking a pedestrian with her vehicle in a crosswalk. In addition to ''Batman & Robin'', Silverstone also starred alongside Benicio del Toro and Christopher Walken in 1997's dark comedy ''Excess Baggage'', which was the first movie to be released by her production company, First Kiss Productions.

Silverstone ended the 1990s with the Saturn Award-nominated romance/comedy film ''Blast from the Past'' which also stars Brendan Fraser, Christopher Walken and Sissy Spacek. In 40 Hottest Hotties of the '90s she was ranked #5. ''Topsocialite.com'' listed her as the 3rd Sexiest woman of the '90s.

2000s

In 2000, Silverstone appeared in Kenneth Branagh's film adaptation of the Shakespeare play ''Love's Labour's Lost'', in which she was required to sing and dance. In 2001, Silverstone provided the voice of Sharon Spitz, the lead character in the Canadian animated television ''Braceface''. During this time she also made the films ''Global Heresy'' and ''Scorched''. In 2002, she made her Broadway debut alongside Kathleen Turner and Jason Biggs in The Graduate. After removing herself from the public eye for a few years, she resurfaced in the short-lived 2003 NBC television show ''Miss Match'', which was canceled after 11 episodes. Silverstone later acknowledged that she hates the trappings of fame, saying, "Fame is not anything I wish on anyone. You start acting because you love it. Then success arrives, and suddenly you're on show".

After the cancellation of ''Miss Match'' in 2003, Silverstone did a pilot with Fox called ''Queen B'', in which she played a former high school prom queen named Beatrice (Bea) who has discovered that the real world is nothing like high school. It was not picked up for production. In 2005, she co-starred with Queen Latifah in ''Beauty Shop'', a spinoff of the ''BarberShop'' films, as one of the stylists in the beauty shop. In the same year, she played a reporter alongside Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr. in ''Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed'', which did well financially, and appeared in the direct-to-video film ''Silence Becomes You''.

In 2006, Silverstone starred in an ABC pilot called ''Pink Collar'', in which her character worked in a law firm. Like ''Queen B'', this pilot was not picked up for syndication. That year she also starred alongside Ewan McGregor, Mickey Rourke and Sophie Okonedo in the film ''Stormbreaker'', and appeared in the Hallmark Hall of Fame made-for-TV movie ''Candles on Bay Street'', based on the book by Cathie Pelletier. Silverstone continued her theatre work, next appearing in David Mamet's Boston Marriage and Speed-the-Plow. In 2008, she filmed another ABC pilot alongside Megan Mullally called ''Bad Mother's Handbook'' and made a cameo appearance in the comedy film ''Tropic Thunder''.

In early 2009, Silverstone starred in the world premiere of Donald Margulies's ''Time Stands Still'' at the Geffen Playhouse LA. The play focuses on a longtime couple and journalistic team who return to New York from an extended stint in the war-torn Middle East. In a review, Silverstone was described as "a formidable stage presence who creates sparks whenever she performs".

Silverstone filmed a small segment in ''Elektra Luxx'', a sequel to ''Women In Trouble''. Director Sebastian Gutierrez cut her segment but will possibly use it for a third installment, tentatively titled ''Women In Ecstasy''. She also starred in the music video for Rob Thomas's 2009 single "Her Diamonds".

2010s

She reprised her role in ''Time Stands Still'' alongside Laura Linney in the New York production of the play on Broadway, which premiered on January 28, 2010, directed by Daniel Sullivan, who described Silverstone as "a breath of fresh air." The play received good reviews with the ''New York Times'' praising Silverstone, saying she "brings warmth, actorly intelligence and delicate humour."

Silverstone next appeared in the teen romance ''The Art of Getting By'', which premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.

She will appear in ''Butter'' as the adoptive mother of a 12-year old African American girl who enters a local butter sculpture competition in a small Iowa town, alongside Jennifer Garner, Hugh Jackman, Olivia Wilde and Ashley Greene. The movie is said to be inspired by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama's battle to secure the Democratic nomination for president. Rob Corddry, who plays her husband, invited her to appear in an episode of his show ''Children's Hospital''.

She is also set to appear alongside Sigourney Weaver and Krysten Ritter in director Amy Heckerling's vampire film, ''Vamps'', playing one of two vampires who fall in love and face a choice that could jeopardise their immortality. She was offered the role after Heckerling came to see her in ''Time Stands Still''.

Silverstone will also appear in ''Gods Behaving Badly''.

Personal life

Silverstone married her longtime boyfriend, rock musician (for the band S.T.U.N.) and basketball coach Christopher Jarecki, in a beachfront ceremony at Lake Tahoe, on June 11, 2005. After meeting outside a movie theater in 1997, the couple dated for eight years prior to their marriage. They got engaged about a year before their marriage and Jarecki presented Silverstone with an engagement ring that had belonged to his grandmother.

Silverstone and Jarecki live in an eco-friendly Los Angeles house complete with solar panels and an organic vegetable garden. She bought the house, shared with a "menagerie of rescued dogs," in 1996.

In 2009, Silverstone released ''The Kind Diet'', a guide to vegan nutrition, and launched its associated website ''The Kind Life''. ''The Kind Diet'' has topped the New York Times best sellers list. The book was mostly ghostwritten by nutritionist Jessica Porter.

On January 14, 2011, it was announced that Silverstone and Jarecki were expecting their first child together. On May 5, 2011, they welcomed a baby boy named Bear Blu Jarecki.

Political beliefs

Silverstone is noted for being an animal rights and environmental activist. She became a vegan in 1998 after attending an animal rights meeting. "I realized that I was the problem," she told ''InStyle Home'', in Spring 2007. "I was an animal lover who was eating animals." She has revealed she struggled with childhood vegetarianism stating "There were times when I would get selfish and eat meat—at eight years old it's hard to stick to your guns—and so through the years I was always starting and stopping trying to be a vegetarian." In 2004, Silverstone was voted, "Sexiest Female Vegetarian," by PETA. In 2007, Silverstone appeared nude in a print advertisement and 30-second commercial for PETA championing vegetarianism; the TV spot was subsequently pulled from the Houston, Texas, market by Comcast Cable. Silverstone has set up a sanctuary for rescued pets in Los Angeles.

Federal campaign contribution records also reveal that Silverstone contributed US$500 to Dennis Kucinich's 2004 presidential campaign. She also supported Barack Obama's presidential candidacy.

On May 23, 2007, Silverstone was a guest on ABC's ''The View''. Moments before she entered, hosts Rosie O'Donnell and Elisabeth Hasselbeck had a heated argument regarding the Iraq war. The video segment shows Silverstone entering and walking past Hasselbeck to greet the other hosts. Though the interview continued normally and featured easy conversation between Silverstone and Hasselbeck, ''Access Hollywood'' deemed the act a deliberate snub. Hasselbeck later revealed, on an episode of ''The View'' which aired September 19, 2007, that Silverstone called and apologized for the incident. Hasselbeck said that Silverstone never meant to be rude, but was simply nervous when she walked on the stage and believed that incident was wrongly perceived by the media.

In 2009, she appeared in "The Gaythering Storm," a Funny or Die spoof internet video parodying anti-same-sex marriage commercial "The Gathering Storm." She also appeared in "My Mother's Red Hat" with Alanis Morissette parodying indie movies.

Filmography and credits

+ Film
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1993	''''	Adrian Forrester	MTV Movie Award for Breakthrough Performance
1995		Trudy Wadd
1995		Regina Harrison
1995
1995	''''	Jennifer
1996		Mary Giordano	direct-to-video
1997
1997	''Excess Baggage''		also uncredited producer
1998	''Junket Whore''	Herself	documentary
1999		Eve Rustikoff
2000		The Princess of France
2002	''Global Heresy''	Natalie "Nat" Bevin	a.k.a ''Rock My World''
2003		Sheila Rio
2004	''Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed''
2005	''Beauty Shop''	Lynn
2005	''Silence Becomes You''	Violet	direct-to-video
2006		Jack Starbright
2008	''Tropic Thunder''	Herself	Cameo appearance
2011	''The Art of Getting By''	Ms. Herman
2011		Goody
2011

+ Television
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1992	''''	Jessica Thomas	Episode: "Road Test"
1993		Delphine	TV movie
1993	''Scattered Dreams''	Phyllis Messenger	TV movie
1994	''Rebel Highway''	Roslyn	Episode: "Cool and the Crazy"
1994	''Cool and the Crazy''	Roslyn	TV movie
1998	''Wildlife Vet''	Herself	TV documentary
2001–2005	''Braceface''	Sharon Spitz (voice)	TV cartoon seriesalso executive producerEmmy nomination
2003	''Miss Match''	Kate Fox	TV seriesGolden Globe nomination
2005	''Queen B''	Beatrice 'Bea'	TV pilotco-executive producer
2006	''Pink Collar''	Hayden	TV pilot
2006	''Candles on Bay Street''	Dee Dee Michaud	TV movie
2007	''''	Georgia	TV series (unreleased)
2008	''Bad Mother's Handbook''	Karen	TV series
2011	''Children's Hospital''	Owen's Wife	Episode: "Munch By Proxy"

+ Music videos
! Year	! Title	! Role	! Artist
1993		Girl	Aerosmith
1993		Girl	Aerosmith
1994		Girl #1	Aerosmith
2009	"Her Diamonds"	Frozen Girl

+ Theatre
! Year	! Title	! Role	! Director	! Writer
1993	''Carol's Eve''	Debbie
2002	''''	Elaine Robinson
2006		Catherine
2007	''Speed-the-Plow''	Karen
2009–2010		Mandy

Awards and nominations

+ Awards and nominations
! Year	! Award	! Category	! Title of work	! Result
1994	MTV Movie Awards	Best Villain		Won
1994	MTV Movie Awards	Best Breakthrough Performance	''The Crush''	Won
1994	MTV Movie Awards	Most Desirable Female	''The Crush''	Nominated
1994	Young Artist Awards	Best Young Leading Actress, Drama	''The Crush''	Nominated
1996	American Comedy Awards	Funniest Actress in a Motion Picture		Won
1996	Blockbuster Entertainment Award	Best Female Newcomer	''Clueless''	Won
1996	Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite Movie Actress	''Clueless''	Nominated
1996	MTV Movie Awards	Best Female Performance	''Clueless''	Won
1996	MTV Movie Awards	Most Desirable Female	''Clueless''	Won
1996	MTV Movie Awards	Best Comedic Performance	''Clueless''	Nominated
1996	National Board of Review	Best Breakthrough Performer	''Clueless''	Won
1996	Young Artist Awards	Best Young Leading Actress, Feature Film	''Clueless''	Nominated
1998	Blockbuster Entertainment Award	Favorite Supporting Actress, Sci-Fi		Nominated
1998	Golden Raspberry Awards	Worst Supporting Actress	''Batman & Robin''	Won
1998	Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite Movie Actress	''Batman & Robin''	Won
2002	Daytime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program	''Braceface''	Nominated
2004	Genesis Awards	Children's TV Series	''Braceface''	Nominated
2004	Golden Globe Awards	Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy	''Miss Match''	Nominated
2004	Satellite Awards	Best Actress, Musical or Comedy Series	''Miss Match''	Nominated

She was awarded a ''Heart Of Green Award'' in 2009, which "recognises individuals, organizations or companies who have helped green go mainstream." In 2010, she was awarded a ''Voice Of Compassion Award'' by the Physician's Committee For Responsible Medicine for "shining a spotlight on the powerful health benefits of a vegan diet."

References

External links

The Kind Life Silverstone's website.

Alicia Silverstone at PETA (including the ad)

Alicia Silverstone Video at TV-Click

Category:1976 births Category:Actors from California Category:Aerosmith Category:American child actors Category:American film actors Category:American Jews Category:American female models Category:American stage actors Category:American television actors Category:American vegans Category:American voice actors Category:Shakespearean actors Category:American people of English descent Category:American people of Scottish descent Category:American people of British-Jewish descent Category:Jewish actors Category:Living people Category:People from San Francisco, California

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