10 Stupid Attempts At Rebranding Famous Comic Characters

2. Cassandra Cain 's Villainous Reboot

For a guy who hangs out with so many martial artists, one would assume Batman would have more East Asian friends. This was rectified by Cassandra Cain, a Chinese girl raised by an assassin. She's considered the best combatant in the Bat-Family, and rather than being anti-heroic, her past actually made her want to be a superhero to atone for her life of violence. The character was so compelling that she got her own series, the first Batgirl to do so. Then one day, she became head of the League of Assassins. If that lack of transition bothered you, now you know how most fans felt. DC Editor in Chief Dan Didio mandated that Cassandra should become a villain, with no reason or method given as to why. She gave up being Batgirl before the mandate, but there's a big gap between that and becoming an assassin. The character also began dressing up as a stereotypical Asian Dragon Lady, further ruining her status as a non-racist portrayal. She could have at least retained her stereotypical fighting talent, but even that was subverted. Robin beat her ass the minute he realized she was a villain €“ just to clarify how bad this was, Cassandra Cain has defeated goddamned BATMAN in combat. As if to confirm the cries of racial preference, Cain's replacement as Batgirl was super-Aryan Stephanie Brown. No unfortunate implications there.