Though Gotham is rife with vigilantes, both Nightwing and Red Hood have agreed on the scariest member of the Bat-Family, and it’s not Batman. Heroes and villains alike know the tides have turned when Cassandra Cain makes an appearance. Cassandra may be firmly on the heroes’ side, but that doesn’t stop them from acknowledging how truly terrifying she can be.
Cassandra Cain was originally and brutally trained from birth to be the world’s best assassin. After abandoning her father and trainer, David Cain, for Gotham and the Wayne family, Cassandra took a no-kill oath and began her career as a Gotham hero. Though she has gone by different aliases over the decades, she currently goes by Batgirl alongside her friends and other Batgirls, Barbara Gordon and Stephanie Brown.
Villains certainly know to fear Batgirl, and Cassandra’s fellow vigilantes Nightwing and Red Hood agree that her prowess can’t be beat. In Task Force Z #8, written by Matthew Rosenberg with art by Jesus Merino, Jack Herbert, and Vicente Cifuentes, Red Hood battles other Gotham heroes—including Nightwing—without fear. Red Hood’s attitude toward the conflict changes once Batgirl appears, as he exclaims audibly and appears to take the fight more seriously. Once Batgirl figures out Red Hood’s plan, he proclaims, “There’s a reason she’s the one everyone is afraid of.” Over in DC’s Justice League: Road to Dark Crisis one-shot, in a story written by Joshua Williamson with art by Dan Jurgens, Norm Rapmund, and Hi-Fi, Nightwing tells Brick mid-fight, “You’re lucky you ran into me and not the Batgirls.” Even Dick Grayson, the original Robin, knows there’s no comparison.
Fans and in-universe characters alike often argue that Cassandra Cain is the best fighter in the DC Universe. Red Hood and Nightwing seem to agree and openly acknowledge that others should be afraid of Batgirl. There’s one important difference between these two instances. Whereas Red Hood claims that Cassandra Cain is “the one everyone is afraid of,” Nightwing thinks Brick should be afraid of the Batgirls—plural. Cassandra isn’t the only hero currently using the Batgirl mantle. Nightwing believes the whole Batgirl team—Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown, and Barbara Gordon—is a force to be reckoned with. In Task Force Z #8, Cassandra is even working with a team of her siblings. As Batgirl, Cassandra Cain might be the scariest Gotham hero, but she’s at her best when she works on a team of allies.
Even across different books and situations, Nightwing and Red Hood agree that there’s only one scariest Gotham hero, and it’s certainly not them. Cassandra Cain has been trained to be a deadly assassin, and that certainly adds to her mystique. But as a hero with a strong no-kill rule who often works with other vigilantes, Nightwing and Red Hood included, Batgirl is absolutely unbeatable.
