Warning: Spoilers for Batgirl #1!The greatest assassin that Batman ever had to face on Gotham soil, Lady Shiva, could be on course for redemption. Gotham villains have a knack for going through redemption arcs, especially since Batman believes in giving villains a chance to see the error of their ways and to change. The only question is whether Lady Shiva is willing to see the light - especially for her daughter, Cassandra Cain.
The latest Gotham supervillain who could be attempting redemption is none other than the one fighter Batman can never beat: Lady Shiva, as teased in Batgirl #1 by Tate Brombal and Takeshi Miyazawa. Shiva is a recurring villain who, in terms of combat, Batman just can't beat. She's also the mother of Cassandra Cain, this generation's Batgirl, who shares the mantle with Stephanie Brown.
Batgirl must work with her devious mother in her new solo series, but the hero sees an unexpected labor of love that could hint at Shiva's own hero potential - assuming it's not too late.
Gotham's Lady Shiva May Be Getting a True Redemption Arc Despite Her Assassin Roots
Batgirl #1 by Tate Brombal, Takeshi Miyazawa, Mike Spicer, and Tom Napolitano
Batgirl #1 sees Lady Shiva summon her estranged daughter to an anonymous building in the middle of Gotham. Shiva tries to convince Cassandra Cain that they need to work together because they are both in danger, but understandably, given their contentious history, Batgirl does not trust her mother. Shiva even urges Cass to use her skill of reading body language to see if she's lying - something that Cass would do throughout the issue - but they are quickly interrupted by Shiva's very real attackers: the Unburied.
Lady Shiva isn't the only Gotham femme fatale who's getting the morally-fraught redemption treatment. Check out the award-winning
Poison Ivy
run by G. Willow Wilson and Marcio Takara, available now both digitally and in collected editions from DC Comics.
The Unburied are a group of ninjas who are now targeting Lady Shiva and her Order of Shiva. When her and her daughter arrive at Shiva's temple in an attempt to find safe haven, an Unburied member's arrow nearly takes Cassandra's life when she isn't looking, and it would've - if not for her mother blocking it. Once Cass takes cover, Shiva attempts to sacrifice herself to save her daughter. She tells the Unburied that they want her and only her, because her daughter means nothing to her. Cass uses her body language reading abilities to learn that, to her surprise, Shiva is lying about how much she cares about Batgirl.
Is Redemption Even Feasible for Gotham's Lady Shiva?
Is the Batman Baddie Too Far Gone?
Out of all the Gothamites that Lady Shiva encounters, Cassandra Cain is probably the most recurring. As such, DC's comics often delve into Shiva's stance on her daughter in interesting ways, but seldom does that stance feature genuine love. There's only so much room for love when Shiva is certain Cass' only way to prove herself is by killing her own mother. However,this small moment in Batgirl #1 adds a new layer to their relationship, while exposing a layer to Shiva's character that most readers never would've expected: Shiva is capable of love. Given her track record, that's shocking.
Shiva can love just like any other Gotham character, and in a lot of ways, that humanizes her, perhaps for the first time in Batman lore. She's been shown to relate to characters like Batman, but never actually be relatable to readers - mostly because she doesn't allow herself to be relatable. Humanizing a cold, calculated villain like this seems to open the door for a redemption arc, especially as the series is expected to continue expanding on her partnership with Cass. If that is true, it's worth questioning if it would be believable to redeem Lady Shiva, given her past evil antics.
Lady Shiva Has Plagued Gotham City for Decades, a Key Player in Batman's World
The Crimes of Batman's Recurring Rival
Lady Shiva's biggest offense, first and foremost, is being a terrible parent to Cassandra Cain. Cass was forced into the assassin life early by Shiva and her father, David Cain. The future Batgirl was completely deprived of a childhood in favor of being trained to be the perfect assassin. She was even deprived of the basics of language, as she was raised to only read body language and speak the language of violence. Her parents even urged her to commit her first murder as a child, without Cass understanding what she was doing, convincing her to run away.
Shiva only ever saw Cass' potential as a warrior who could surpass her, rather than a child who needed to be a child.
Shiva is a notoriously bad parent and ranks among the worst in Gotham City. Yes, she's even worse than Bruce Wayne, who has infamously been considered by fans to be the worst father of all time. Even Bruce has been redeemed as a parent in more recent memory, becoming a good dad (for now) to Damian. Shiva only ever saw Cass' potential as a warrior who could surpass her rather than a child who needed to be a child. While it is a horrible offense on Shiva's behalf, it's her only egregious offense, which Batgirl as a series could address head-on.
Could Batgirl Bring Her Mother, Lady Shiva, into the Light?
Can Batman's Enemy Become a Friend?
Batgirl is likely to build itself on Cassandra Cain growing closer to Lady Shiva, understanding her better as a mother and a person beyond her credentials as an assassin. The opposite could be the case as well, and Shiva understanding her daughter better could be the gateway for her to make up for lost time as a "good mother." Redemption may not necessarily look like Shiva becoming a full-blown hero, but it could manifest in an apology or accountability for raising Cass with cruelty. That possibility in itself could progress their relationship in major ways, and maybe even frame Shiva as more of an anti-hero.
It's not like Lady Shiva is above seeing the error of her ways. In "Death Wish," a story from Batman: Urban Legends #3 by Che Grayson, Alberto Jimenez Alburquerque, David Baron, and Tom Napolitano, Lady Shiva comes to Batman with a literal death wish. Bruce then takes Shiva to show her she has at least one thing left to live for: her daughter. Despite their past, Shiva is touched at the sight of seeing Cass play mini-golf with her friends. Maybe for the first time, Shiva is relieved to see Cass happy, something she says she deserves. If nothing else, Shiva cares about now giving Cassandra the life she failed to give her then.
Fan-favorite Batgirl Cassandra Cain returns for a new adventure and Tate Brombal spills all the details on what readers can expect for Cass’ future.
Batgirl #1 continues a quiet trend over the past decade or so of DC slowly stripping Lady Shiva of her villainy. In fact, DC actually replaced her as Gotham's deadliest assassin. Because she's civil enough to be cordial with the likes of Batman and even her daughter, one can say the bulk of Shiva's villainy comes from never atoning for the childhood she gave Cass. Once Lady Shiva atones for that by building a bridge with Cass, she could be on course to become a Gothamhero in the same vein as Batman.
One of DC's most iconic heroes, Batman is the vigilante superhero persona of billionaire Bruce Wayne. Forged by tragedy with the death of his parents, Bruce dedicated his life to becoming the world's leading martial artist, detective, and tactician. Recruiting an entire family of allies and sidekicks, Bruce wages war on evil as the dark knight of his hometown, Gotham City.
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