Throughout Absolute Catwoman, we follow Selina Kyle and she works to save her childhood friend Holly from Cassandra Cain and her shadowy team of assassins. We also get glimpses of Selina’s past with the Calicos which also ties back to Cassandra, but the series prefers to drop little hints to how Cassandra is connected to Selina instead of getting straight to the point. Absolute Cassandra Cain: The Shadow’s Hand does a much better job of fleshing out Cassandra’s story and how the explosion shown in Absolute Catwoman #3 impacted her life.
The Fall of the League of Assassins
High up in the quiet Himalayas, a mountain sanctuary called The Crest once served as the headquarters for the League of Assassins. The League followed a simple rule: if you survived the deadly climb up the mountain, you were allowed to join.
Lady Shiva, a legendary martial artist whose single shout of “Jì hé!” (“Fall in!”) could make an entire army obey, ruled the League. One day, a man completed the climb and called Shiva by her original name, Sandra Wu-San. She took him in as her student. Over the years, he became her absolute best fighter.
Then came the betrayal.
When her star student demanded the League be handed over to him, Shiva said “No.” His eyes glowed a terrifying green as he transformed into a horrific monster. He slaughtered nearly the entire League in a gory massacre as Shiva watched in sheer horror. Only seven assassins survived, scattering across the world to hide.
And yes, there’s no doubt that monster was Absolute Joker and what he did to the League was the massacre Alfred Pennyworth mentioned back in Absolute Batman.
A Lost Voice
One of the League survivors and ex-lover of Shiva named David Cain tried to protect their young daughter, Cassandra. He moved her to Gotham City and raised her on stories of her mother’s terrifying reputation. David warned Cassandra that speaking out against powerful people brings swift punishment, so staying quiet was the only way to survive.
Disaster struck when a massive explosion nearly killed Cassandra. She survived, but the blast permanently destroyed her larynx, leaving her unable to speak. To make matters worse, the authorities believed she died in the blast, Selina Kyle was blamed and imprisoned for her murder.
While Cassandra was recovering in the hospital, Shiva showed up. But she didn’t come to comfort her daughter. Shiva scolded David for raising a child with “not an ounce of fight in her.” David gave up and walked away, leaving Cassandra behind.
Shiva had originally planned for Cassandra to lead the new League as its “Head,” but without a voice to command others, Cassandra could only be its “Hand.” Still, Shiva offered to take her in and teach her how to fight. Wanting her mother’s approval more than anything, Cassandra accepted.
Seven Years in the Dark
For seven years, Shiva put Cassandra through brutal training. She taught her deadlier martial arts like silat, dim mak, and blindfolded knife fighting.
Shiva believed compassion was a fatal flaw, so she showed her daughter zero mercy. When Cassandra got hurt, Shiva forced her to burn her own wounds shut. When she broke, Shiva left her in the dark to heal alone. Cassandra felt she had to bottle up any sorrow she felt.
Because she couldn’t speak, touch became Cassandra’s main way of connecting with the world. She pushed through the pain, hoping that proving her physical strength would make her worthy in her mother’s eyes.
Recruiting the Survivors
Once Shiva decided Cassandra was ready, it was time to track down the scattered League survivors.
First, they traveled to the freezing Arctic under the Northern Lights to recruit Michael Sommers. Michael was famous for killing targets in total darkness without using weapons. He knew Shiva would hunt him down and accepted that joining her wasn’t really optional. When he recognized Cassandra as Gotham’s “famous dead girl,” Cassandra felt a wave of shame. She hated when people felt sorry for her because pity made her look weak in her mother’s eyes.
Next, they scaled a steep cliff to find Benjamin Turner, a man who had been saved from a death cult by the League when he was a child. Benjamin just wanted to live a quiet life, but Shiva forced him back into the fold anyway.
Their third stop was a rainy cliffside above a noisy city, where they cornered Scandal Savage. Scandal refused to return to the League. Cold as ever, Shiva told her to jump and see if the fall would finally finish her off. Scandal actually jumped, but Cassandra reacted by grabbing her with a rope to save her life.
Cassandra understood Scandal’s deep pain and guilt. Deep down, saving Scandal was the moment Cassandra started resisting her mother’s cruel mindset. Scandal noticed Cassandra writing in a small notebook later on and made the young girl a promise. Because Cassandra showed her mercy, Scandal would return the favor when the time came.
The Rescue at Ark D
With four recruits found, only one survivor remained: Tatsu Yamashiro.
Benjamin discovered that Tatsu was trapped inside “Ark D,” a giant stone fortress shaped like a hand rising out of the jungle. Ark D was full of dangerous magical weapons, and its prisoners were subjected to constant torture. Tatsu had gone there alone to fight the monster that destroyed the League, but she was captured instead.
Shiva refused to rescue her, saying Tatsu was foolish and not worth the risk. But Cassandra couldn’t stand the thought of leaving someone behind. She snuck away from camp in the middle of the night, paddled across a river, and climbed the giant stone hand alone.
Inside Ark D, Cassandra found Tatsu exhausted and fighting for her life. Tatsu had been trapped for 443 days straight, battling an endless army of glowing undead skeletons. Because the fortress could only be opened from the outside, Cassandra was now trapped in the room with her.
As the undead horde rushed them, Cassandra leaped onto a massive armored statue, grabbed two glowing swords from its hands, and joined the fight side by side with Tatsu.
After clearing the room, Tatsu held up her magical blade, the Soultaker, and told Cassandra to look into the steel. The blade showed her the night of the explosion that stole Cassandra’s voice. For the first time in her life, she felt truly seen and understood. Looking into the blade helped her realize something important: compassion wasn’t weakness at all. It was her greatest source of power.
A New League Is Born
Together, Cassandra and Tatsu used their blades to unlock Ark D’s heavy doors. But as soon as they stepped outside, Shiva was waiting for them with the rest of the recruits. Furious, she accused Cassandra of making the stupidest mistake of her life for a “filthy stray” and barked her command “Jì hé!”
This time, Cassandra did not fall in line. She looked her mother in the eye and glared at her. While she couldn’t speak the word, her response was clear. She was “telling” her mother no for the first time in her life.
Shiva attacked instantly, beating Cassandra to the ground and launching her into the trees. But Cassandra stood right back up. She realized that staying silent like her father wanted had never protected her, and being cruel like her mother wanted had never made her strong. Cassandra pulled her scarf over her eyes as a blindfold. Refusing to be the voiceless daughter or the Demon’s Hand, she embraced her true identity as the Shadow.
Using the blindfolded techniques her mother taught her, Cassandra fought back with incredible grace and power. She defeated Shiva, but instead of finishing her off, Cassandra did the unthinkable. She reached out and offered her mother a helping hand.
By choosing mercy over cruelty, Cassandra changed everything. Her mother provided the unshakable command, but Cassandra’s were strong yet merciful. Standing together under a red sunset, they officially formed a brand-new group: The League of Shadows.
