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Batgirls #2 introduced a deadly new version of the venerable, crime-fighting vigilante who has striking similarities to Gotham City’s Dark Knight.
WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Batgirls #2, on sale now from DC Comics.
After getting blamed for blowing up the Gotham Clocktower, the Batgirls are forced into hiding by a distrustful city. A whole host of new villains have risen up to take over Gotham in their absence, and one in particular is the perfect mirror image of Cassandra Cain, indicating that the deadliest Batgirl may have met her match.
Batgirls #2 (by Becky Cloonan, Michael Conrad, Jorge Corona, and Sarah Stern) introduces a new “evil” Batgirl, and she’s already proven to be a deadly threat. The issue begins with the titular characters mid-fight against the Saints, an extremist offshoot of the Magistrate. Cassandra Cain faces off against Valentine, who serves as the perfect counter to the hero’s abilities. In one swift motion, Valentine manages to immobilize Batgirl using her own grapple. Realizing that they are at a major disadvantage, Stephanie Brown grabs Cassandra and flees, reasoning that they’ll return when they have a better strategy. While they didn’t outright lose the battle, it’s clear that Cassandra has her work cut out for her if she wants to defeat this mirror version of herself.
As Cassandra faced Valentine, Oracle keyed Batgirl into what makes her new opponent such a threat. She revealed that Valentine’s parents were killed in a home invasion in Gotham Heights when she was young. Their brutal murders cemented the idea that strictly imposed military order is the only way for Gotham to redeem itself and find peace. Oracle smartly points out that Valentine’s trauma and solution mirror that of Batman. Although they espouse different ways of accomplishing their goals, both of them believe the key to redeeming the city lies in getting rid of the evil within. While Batman attacks the villains, Valentine’s solution is to control the citizens of Gotham through the power and ideals of the Magistrate. Ultimately, this would end up with the city becoming a police state as seen in the “Future State” event. Introduced as incredibly loyal to the Magistrate’s mission, Valentine’s past makes her even more committed to the cause of universal order.
Oracle notes that Valentine’s abilities in urban combat are unmatched, and her fight with the Batgirls goes a long way toward proving the assessment correct. Cassandra Cain was raised from birth to become the perfect killing machine, to the point that her father never taught her how to speak because it would hinder her combat abilities. Batman himself has said that Cain has the potential to defeat him in hand to hand combat. Still, Valentine showed little difficulty in handling the vicious Batgirl, and is even able to use her own weapons against her. The fight not only cements Valentine as a deadly villain but also shows that the Saints are powerful villains in their own right.
The Magistrate has taken a lot of things from the Batgirls. It destroyed their headquarters and now they’re being hunted by formidable new villains who appear capable of defeating them.
At a time when Gotham needs the Batgirls more than ever before, these new villains have debuted as their twisted counterparts, committed to razing the city and building it anew. Hopefully, the heroes will be able to defeat their new villains without sustaining serious damage in the process.
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