Cassandra Cain is a beloved comic book character who made her big screen debut in the 2020 film Birds of Prey. However, fans noticed some key differences between the comic book version of Cassandra and the one portrayed in the movie. Cassandra has a very unique backstory and personality in the comics that help explain why she acts and communicates differently than most people. The film changed many aspects of her character, leading to an essentially original character who just shares the same name. Understanding the original Cassandra from the comics helps highlight why fans found her portrayal in Birds of Prey to be so different.
Cassandra’s Backstory in the Comics
In the comics, Cassandra Cain is the daughter of assassins David Cain and Lady Shiva. She was deprived of speech and human contact during her childhood as part of her father’s cruel training to make her the perfect bodyguard. As a result, Cassandra struggles to speak or understand language, but has gained an uncanny ability to read people’s body language and predict their actions. This makes her an extremely skilled fighter and essentially a human lie detector. Batman takes her under his wing after she runs away from her father, and she ultimately becomes the new Batgirl.
Raised Without Language
Cassandra spent her early childhood isolated from other humans, forced to focus solely on physical training. Her father deliberately prevented her from learning to read, write, or speak. This deprivation was intended to make her learn movement and body language instead of verbal communication.
Highly Skilled Fighter
Due to her intense training since birth, Cassandra is one of the top martial artists and hand-to-hand combatants in the DC universe. She can read opponents’ movements and predict their attacks. Her reflexes and fighting skills allow her to take on numerous armed opponents simultaneously.
Struggles With Language
Having never learned to read, write, or speak growing up, Cassandra is essentially illiterate and mute. She has great difficulty understanding speech or expressing herself verbally. Simple language like “hello” or “thank you” confuses her.
Cassandra’s Personality in the Comics
In addition to her unique backstory, Cassandra has a distinct personality shaped by her bizarre upbringing. Socially awkward and initially fearful of human contact, she gradually opens up but retains some unusual traits.
Socially Awkward
Having been deprived of normal human interaction as a child, Cassandra initially struggles to relate to people. Social cues like laughing at jokes or recognizing sarcasm are foreign to her. She comes across as odd and off-putting until others get to know her.
Reading Emotions
Due to her hyper-sensitivity to body language, Cassandra has a preternatural ability to read people’s emotions and intentions. She can sense if someone is lying, happy, sad, guilty, etc. just from subtle cues in their posture, facial expressions, and movements.
Morally Idealistic
Once exposed to the outside world, Cassandra develops a strong moral compass and desire to do good. She clings to an idealistic belief that people are inherently good and seeks to avoid violence or killing if at all possible. This often puts her at odds with Batman’s more cynical and punitive worldview.
Cassandra Cain in Birds of Prey
The version of Cassandra Cain portrayed in the Birds of Prey film diverges sharply from her comic book counterpart. She has a very different background and personality with few similarities to the Cassandra from the comics.
Normal Childhood
In the movie, Cassandra has a seemingly normal childhood with no indication she was deprived of language or human contact. She attends school like other kids her age and is not shown undergoing any kind of extreme martial arts training.
Does Not Fight
This version of Cassandra does not demonstrate any combat skills or training. In action scenes, she is depicted primarily running and hiding from threats rather than fighting. In the comics, she is considered one of the top hand-to-hand fighters in the world.
No Language Issues
The film’s Cassandra communicates verbally like anyone her age would. She converses, reads, and writes with no apparent difficulties. This contrasts sharply with the comics Cassandra who is practically mute and struggles to comprehend spoken or written language.
Streetwise Orphan
In the movie, Cassandra is a streetwise orphan using her street smarts to survive and pickpocket. She has no connections to Batman or the assassin world. The only real similarity to her comic book self is her young age.
Key Differences
To summarize, here are some of the most significant differences between Cassandra Cain in the original comics compared to the Birds of Prey film:
| Cassandra in Comics | Cassandra in Birds of Prey |
|---|---|
| Deprived of language as a child | Normal verbal development |
| Top martial artist | Does not fight at all |
| Mute and illiterate | Fluent speech and literacy |
| Daughter of assassins | Street orphan |
| Becomes Batgirl | No connection to Batman |
Conclusion
The Cassandra Cain in Birds of Prey bears little resemblance to the complex and distinctive comic book character beyond sharing a name. By not featuring her unique backstory, language deficiencies, combat skills, or idealistic personality, the film’s portrayal removes most of what makes Cassandra compelling and groundbreaking in the comics. While creative liberties are expected in adaptations, the degree of changes to Cassandra Cain fundamentally altered the essence of the character for fans familiar with the source material. The Cassandra from the comics is a neurodiverse, disabled heroine with innovative characterization. Stripping away the elements that made her stand out reduced Cassandra to a generic supporting character in the movie. The discrepancy highlights why many viewers did not feel the film’s take reflected the true Cassandra Cain.
