Cassandra Cain

Trained from birth as the ultimate killing machine, Cassandra Cain found a new life as the fourth Batgirl and, eventually, Orphan, a cherished part of the Batman family.

No one in the Batman Family had an easy childhood, but Cassandra Cain may have had the worst. Raised from infancy under the tyrannical and abusive thumb of her father, the world-class assassin David Cain, Cassandra was taught violence before she was taught anything else—even how to speak.

Cassandra was completely mute and unable to read—her ability to fight was her "first language." Her father considered language and literacy a waste of memory and brain space for someone training to be the perfect weapon.

Yet, despite her father's abuse, Cassandra understood the difference between good and evil. As she grew older, she realized what her father had done to her and escaped him, fleeing to Gotham City where her life would be forever changed for the better. After proving herself to Batman and his allies, she was taken under Bruce Wayne's wing and taught to use her unique skills to be a hero.

For more on Cassandra Cain's history, visit her page on DCUniverse.com.