Orphan (real name Cassandra Wu-San) is a silent young hero who is a member of the Team. A runaway from the League of Shadows, she is mentored by Batman.
Cassandra Wu-San is the daughter of League of Shadows-member Lady Shiva. From an early age, she was subjected to a brutal regime by her mother to make her the perfect assassin. This included damaging her vocal cords, so the only language she would learn was body language. This also left her body, and particularly her face, covered in scars.[1]
2018[]
In January,[6] she was sent on her first mission, one for the Light: Joker was dissatisfied when he learned the true purpose of the Injustice League, and threatened to blow up the United Nations. Cassandra would have to take him out. She observed from the shadows as Batman and his protégés defused his bombs, and as he escaped in the dark, she saw her chance to strike. Before she could land the swing of her sword, Batgirl pushed him away and took the hit. It hit her spine and immobilized her from the waist down, and she explained to Cassandra that she did not do it to save Joker's life, but rather hers.[7]
She moved into Wayne Manor.[8] Batman recruited her for his covert team, joining Robin's squad, with Cassandra adopting "Orphan" as her codename.[9]She began learning to read, write and use American Sign Language.[10]
Robin and his squad were trailing Mad Hatter, who was recently released from Arkham Asylum. After Robin discovered the crook left clay behind, Orphan rushed ahead and cut Mad Hatter in two with her sword, revealing him to be Clayface. They followed him to a warehouse, where the real Mad Hatter oversaw part of the Branchwatermeta-human smuggling ring. The squad fought the mind-controlled Clayface, but Mad Hatter blew up the warehouse as he escaped. Orphan and the others made it out safely.[9]
Orphan was among a group of Batman's team who called in to a meeting of the Justice League and affiliated teams. As part of the meeting, Batman's team was folded into the League and the Team, making Orphan a member of the Team.[11]While most of her teammates were aware of her involvement in Oracle's injury, the fact she was Lady Shiva's daughter was largely kept secret.[12]
Orphan had refused the leave the Vault, despite first Spoiler and then Tigress coming to relieve her of guard duty. Orphan reacted strongly when Tigress let Cheshire in, but relented when Tigress told her it was necessary for the mission. After Cheshire had interrogated both defectors, the group was attacked by Black Spider and Rictus. Orphan fought with her sword and, after the sword was taken by Spider, bow and arrows, until she was knocked unconscious by Lady Shiva who had snuck in via Shade's powers. Shiva demanded Tigress return Savage to Santa Prisca or she would kill Orphan, then left with Orphan and her minions.[1]
Shiva visited Orphan in her prison cell, where Orphan was chained by her hands. Shiva expressed her disappointment that her daughter had not only failed her first mission, but defected from the League and Shiva.[7]
Santa Prisca April 21, 01:02ECT
At Orphan's cell, Spider and Rictus reported to Shiva that they had lost contact with some guards, leading them to assume Tigress had arrived. Shiva made it clear that she would not allow Tigress to leave with either Cassandra and that, despite the Light wanting the data stolen by savage, Shiva's priority had always been getting her daughter back to give her a second chance.
Some time later, Oracle found Orphan with her mini-drone. Oracle promised her help, and the drone ejected a lock pick to allow Orphan to free herself. Shortly after, the drone returned with Tigress, Cheshire and Onyx, but they were soon surrounded by Shiva and her Shadows, who demanded their surrender.[7]
Tigress distracted the Shadows to buy time for Orphan to free herself. Once free, Orphan threw the lockpick into the lights, plunging the room into darkness. The two groups began to fight, with Orphan initially taking on Shiva. Orphan did not fare well in the fight and, at Oracle's urging, Tigress swapped with her, leaving Orphan to face Rictus. Once the lights came back up, Shiva once more demanded their surrender, but Shade teleported the group away. Shiva was able to follow through the portal.
They emerged on the beach. Though vastly outnumbered, Shiva demanded Orphan's return, and provoked her by threatening to have Barbara killed. Orphan began to fight Shiva, even as Oracle pleaded with her to stop. Orphan impaled Shiva through the upper abdomen and prepared to behead her, but at the last moment stopped. Orphan flew away with her rescuers on the Super-Cycle as her mother ranted at her from the beach.[14]
They took the Super-Cycle in pursuit of Cheshire's helicopter, but when they caught up just short of Infinity Island, Cheshire drove them into the water.[14]
Beta went to Royal Memorial Hospital undercover as a United Nations commission after five patients were admitted to with unexplained comas. They found all five worked at a mining camp near Krastmala.[16]
Beta infiltrated the mining camp. They found the underground river and began analysing the area when they were attacked by armored units like those that abducted Perdita Vladek. Orphan saw from their body language that they were robots, and promptly beheaded one. The squad then took down the rest of them.[16]
Powers and abilities[]
Abilities[]
Swordsmanship: As a former member of the League of Shadows,[13] Orphan was raised by Lady Shiva to be the ultimate assassin and weapon.[1] She is trained in swordsmanship, as she skillfully cut Clayface in two with her sword, and later sliced him apart once more.[9] She also cut through Black Spider's webbing with ease.[1]
Marksmanship: Orphan can also throw Batarangs[9] and use a bow and arrow.[1]
Acrobatics: Orphan is very agile, as seen when she evaded Clayface and comfortably dropped into a room from the ceiling.[9]
Cassandra Cain is the second Batgirl. She is daughter of Lady Shiva and David Cain. The alias "Orphan" was used in the New 52, but her costume is based on her time as Batgirl.
