We made you a warrior. You made yourself a hero.
Cassandra Cain is the daughter of assassins David Cain and Lady Shiva, and was raised by Cain. Her childhood training made her an expert martial artist and gave her the ability to read body language to the point she can interpret complex thoughts, but also left her nonverbal, illiterate, and with limited social skills. Cassandra experienced her first kill when she was eight, and seeing the pain and fear the man felt as he died made her realize what she did was wrong and run away from her father. Years later, Cassandra came to Gotham, and during the events of No Man's Land became Batgirl with Bruce Wayne and Barbara Gordon's approval.
Basic Reading
Batgirl (2000)
Batman: Gates of Gotham (2011)
Detective Comics (2016) #934-987
Batman and the Outsiders (2019)
Batgirls (2021)
Cassandra's major appearances are listed in chronological order (mostly) under the cut. My favorites are bolded.
No Man's Land
All issues collected in Batman: No Man's Land (2011) vol. 2-4.
Batman (1940) #567 [first appearance]
Detective Comics (1937) #734
Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #120 [Cassandra takes up Batgirl mantle]
Azrael: Agent of the Bat #56-57
Batman (1940) #569
The Batman Chronicles #18
Batman: No Man's Land #0 [explains Batgirl costume design. Cassandra doesn't appear in this issue]
Azrael: Agent of the Bat #60-61
Robin (1993) #73
As Batgirl
Batman: Gotham Knights #2, 5
Batman: Gotham City Secret Files and Origins [first story]
Batgirl (2000) #1-2
Young Justice (1998) #21
Batgirl (2000) #3-11, 12 [Officer Down start]
Birds of Prey (1999) #27
Catwoman (1993) #90 [Officer Down end]
Batgirl (2000) Annual #1, #13-19
Harley Quinn (2000) #10
Robin (1993) #88 [first meeting with Stephanie Brown]
Batgirl (2000) #20, 21 [Joker: Last Laugh start]
Joker: Last Laugh #3
Supergirl (1996) #63 [transphobia cw, Joker: Last Laugh end]
DC First: Batgirl/Joker
Batgirl (2000) #22-23, 24 [Bruce Wayne: Murderer? / Fugitive start]
Robin (1993) #98
Batgirl (2000) #25-29
Batman (1940) #605 [Bruce Wayne: Murderer? / Fugitive end]
Batgirl: Secret Files and Origins
Batgirl (2000) #30-32
Batman: Gotham Knights #33, 35
Batgirl (2000) #33-38
Batman: Family #7
Detective Comics (1937) #782 [backup], 790
Nightwing (1996) #81
Superboy (1994) #85 [first meeting with Kon-El/Conner Kent]
Batgirl (2000) #39-44
Batman: Gotham Knights #42, 45-46, 48-49
Robin (1993) #119
Batgirl (2000) #45-47
Superman/Batman #5
Batgirl (2000) #48-50
Birds of Prey (1999) #61, 63
Batgirl (2000) #51-53
Solo #10 [third story]
Detective Comics (1937) #796 [backup]
Robin (1993) #127-128
Batgirl (2000) #54
War Games
All issues collected in Batman: War Games (2015).
Detective Comics (1937) #797
Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #182
Nightwing (1996) #96
Batgirl (2000) #55
Batman (1940) #631
Batgirl (2000) #56
Nightwing (1996) #98
Batgirl (2000) #57
Batgirl in Bludhaven
Robin (1993) #132 [Fresh Blood start]
Batgirl (2000) #58
Robin (1993) #133
Batgirl (2000) #59 [Fresh Blood end]
Batman Allies: Secret Files and Origins 2005 [third story]
Batgirl (2000) #60-73
With the League of Assassins and Deathstroke
I don't recommend reading anything in this section.
Robin (1993) #148-151, 161-162
Supergirl (2005) #14
World War III #2
Teen Titans (2003) #43-46
Batman and the Outsiders (2007)
Batgirl (2008) [recap of this era. Bruce adopts Cassandra]
As Black Bat
Battle for the Cowl: The Network
Batgirl (2009) #1 [Cassandra gives Batgirl mantle to Stephanie]
Red Robin #17
Batman Incorporated (2011) #6
Red Robin #25
Batman: Gates of Gotham
As Orphan
The New 52 reboot changed Cassandra’s origins, personality, and relationships with other characters. Rebirth was a soft reboot that kept New 52 canon but brought back elements from the previous continuity.
Batman and Robin Eternal #1-9, 11-14, 17-26 [New 52]
Detective Comics (2016) #934-940 [Rebirth]
Batman (2016) #7 [Night of the Monster Men start]
Nightwing (2016) #5
Detective Comics (2016) #941
Batman (2016) #8
Nightwing (2016) #6
Detective Comics (2016) #942 [Night of the Monster Men end], 943-962
Red Hood and the Outlaws (2016) #15
Detective Comics (2016) #963-964
Batgirl and the Birds of Prey #15-17
Detective Comics (2016) #965-981, 983-987
Batman and the Outsiders (2019)
DC: The Doomed and the Damned [seventh story]
Batman: The Joker War Zone [second story]
Batman (2016) #104
Return of Batgirl
The Infinite Frontier reboot considers all past continuities canon.
Infinite Frontier #0
Batman Secret Files: The Signal
Batman: Urban Legends #3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 14
The Joker (2021) #3-4, 7, 11-12, 15
Detective Comics (2016) #1038 [backup], 1049, 1052, 1057
Batman (2016) #112 [main], 115-116 [backups]
Nightwing (2016) #85-86
Batman (2016) #117 [backup]
Batgirls [ongoing]
Task Force Z #8
DC Pride: Tim Drake Special
Robin (2021) #15
Detective Comics (2016) #1061
Catwoman (2018) #45
SECTION TO BE UPDATED
Other Appearances
Ghost/Batgirl [Dark Horse Comics crossover]
Batman: Outlaws #2
Batman: City of Light [not recommended]
Justice League Elite [as Kasumi]
Wonder Woman (2006) #600 [second story]
Batgirl (2016) #50 [third story]
DC Festival of Heroes [first story]
Truth & Justice #6 [#16-18 digital first]
Alternate Universes
Tiny Titans #33, 39, 43, 45
Batgirl: Futures End
Convergence: Batgirl
Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey (2020)
DCeased: Unkillables / Dead Planet #5 / War of the Undead Gods
Shadow of the Batgirl [YA graphic novel]
Dark Knights: Death Metal Robin King [backup]
Future State: The Next Batman #2, 4 [second stories]
Batman: Wayne Family Adventures [webtoon]
DC vs. Vampires
Other Media
Batman: No Man’s Land: A Novel
DC Universe Online [video game, npc]
Injustice: Gods Among Us [video game, playable]
DC Legends [video game, playable]
Birds of Prey [movie]
Young Justice season 3-4
Batwheels [children's cartoon]
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