Batgirl is struggling with mommy issues.

Lots of people have problems with their parents, but Cassandra Cain and Lady Shiva take things to another level. Shiva is one of the world’s best assassins, while Cassandra is Batgirl, a vigilante who has sworn to protect life. They are in direct opposition to one another. It’s almost like a firefighter being the child of an arsonist.

This unique mother-daughter dynamic takes center stage in 2024’s Batgirl #1 (written by Tate Brombal and penciled by Takeshi Miyazawa) , a new series that’s part of DC’s All In initiative. It’s Cassandra’s first solo series in nearly two decades, and the title wastes no time in getting to the action. Shiva and Batgirl are being hunted by a group of assassins known as the Unburied, and the only way they can survive is if they work together. It’s an interesting (and violent) way to confront their unique issues.

It's important to put the threat of the Unburied in perspective. Shiva is one of the greatest fighters—if not the greatest—in the DC Universe and this group has her worried. It makes her desperate enough to not only flee from a fight, but ask for help. As Cass notes, these are things that Shiva does not usually do.

With Batgirl #1, Brombal and Miyazawa build off decades of comics that explore Shiva and Cassandra’s complicated relationship. The two have had plenty of explosive battles over the years, some of them even to the death. (Fortunately, it was only temporary.) Cassandra’s rejection of her mother goes so deep that at one point she took on the codename Orphan. It’s as if she was centering her identity around rejecting her mother. (For more on their history, check out this great rundown from my fellow DC.com contributor Donovan Morgan Grant.)

When you think about it, Cassandra’s issues with her mother make her unique within the Bat-Family. Bruce, Dick, Jason, Tim and Kate all lost their mothers at a young age. Barbara Gordon’s mother abandoned her family and the two haven’t communicated in years. Stephanie Brown’s mother Crystal is mostly alright, but I still haven’t forgiven her for siding with Cluemaster in Batman Eternal. Still, that pales in comparison to what has happened between Shiva and Cass.

In fact, the only member of the Bat-Family who can relate to Cassandra on this would be Damian. Both were raised to be killing machines, and both of them rejected their upbringing to become heroes. Like Cass, Damian has had issues with his mother Talia al Ghul, who always creates chaos when she comes in and out of his life. Damian isn’t the type of person to do heart-to-hearts, but if he and Cass ever spoke about this, they would find they have more in common than they realize.

For now, Batgirl is on her own when it comes to confronting her mother issues and that’s just fine, because Cassandra has proven that she can handle anything Shiva throws at her. From the first page of Batgirl #1, it’s clear that Brombal and Miyazawa understand the assignment. The issue begins with Shiva and Cass having a conversation on two different levels—words and body language.

“You know, I never wanted a daughter,” Shiva says.

“You talk like I wanted a mother,” Cass replies.

As they’re trading these barbs, Batgirl looks at all the subtle clues in Shiva’s body language. Cass was raised to be able to do that, making it hard for people to fool her. However, Shiva knows how to mime and mimic certain movements to mask her intentions, making her body language harder to read. But isn’t that always the way with mothers and daughters?

As Shiva speaks about never wanting a daughter, her body tells a different story.  Watching Shiva, Batgirl’s internal monologue notes, “Glance. Touch. Heartbeat. Smile. These are the ways my mother says she loves me. I do not believe her.”

There is so much going on here with just one exchange, and this is only two pages into the comic!

Once the Unburied show up, things really get cooking, as mother and daughter must fight for their lives. However, Cass is hesitant to get involved in the conflict. She’s worked hard to build a life for herself and escape the shadow of her upbringing. While she didn’t meet Shiva until she was a young adult, her mother still represents everything about herself she’s been trying to reject since she became Batgirl. She doesn’t want to be the weapon she was raised to be and she despises killing.

“My origins were not my choice,” she says. “None of this was ever my choice. But I am an orphan by choice. I am Batman’s daughter by choice. I know how to kill. I hold back by choice. Because I am Batgirl. And no one, not even my mother, will ever take that from me.”.

That’s why Shiva’s presence is such a threat, and that’s why the Unburied are so dangerous. Both threaten to pull Cassandra Cain back into the life she worked so hard to escape from. In a way, that’s what makes Unburied such a fitting name.

In order to overcome her past, Batgirl has no choice but to face it. As the conflict with the Unburied heats up, Cass comes to her mother’s aid, making an interesting admission.

“Tonight, I am a daughter,” she silently thinks. “Tonight, this is my mother.” As we read her internal thoughts, we see Shiva grinning behind her. After all, she can read body language too. She probably knows just what Cassandra is thinking.

Cass may not be embracing Shiva as her mother, not exactly. But this is as close as it’s come and for Shiva that’s enough.
 

Batgirl #1 by Tate Brombal, Takeshi Miyazawa and Mike Spicer is now available in print and as a digital comic book.

Joshua Lapin-Bertone writes about TV, movies and comics for DC.com, is a regular contributor to the Couch Club and writes our monthly Batman column, "Gotham Gazette." Follow him on X at @TBUJosh.

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Joshua Lapin-Bertone and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.