The Future of Cassandra Cain

Now that it's been a week since the release of the final issue of Batgirl I figure it's safe to discuss openly, without spoiler warnings. But mainly I want to talk about what's next for her.

It seems pretty obvious she isn't Batgirl anymore. Even if I didn't have the impression she renounced the title, killing somone doesn't seem to be acceptable behavior to Batman. So I kind of doubt he'd take her back, even if she were inclined to ask. So what then? Is she doomed to just fade into the background of the DC Universe, someone ultimately remembered only by the fans? Well, let's ignore that distasteful possibility and try to figure out some others.

I think the destruction of Bludhaven, for no real reason other than Deathstroke was pissed off that Nightwing showed him up, is the true catalyst for Cassandra's changed outlook. She seems to recognize that it's kind of dumb to let these lunatics like Luthor, the Joker, and Slade Wilson run around killing whomever they please, with the only punishment being they get locked up, usually for a limited period of time. I think Cassandra has concluded some people can't change, and the only way to deal with them, is elimination. It doesn't mean she's necessarily happy about it. I don't believe she took any pleasure from killing her mother, and accepting her "legacy", so to speak, but she understands it may be an acceptable response. This isn't to say she becomes the Punisher, just killing all the time. But I think Cassandra could realize when she's dealing with someone who can't be reasoned with, that won't care about jail time, and in those scenarios, she would be prepared to take that final step.

That being said, she shouldn't go the Deadshot route. She shouldn't become a killer-for-hire. I aslo doubt she's going to be joining the Birds of Prey at this point, although Barbara could try to bring into the group, to try and "rehabilitate" Cassandra.

I could see her just being a wandering vigilante, traveling the world, dealing with problems as she comes across them. This wouldn't have to involve killing, or even violence. I think her ability to communicate should continue to improve, and her ability to read people's emotions would prove valuable in trying to settle some disputes through negotiations. She could cut through any posturing bullcrap.

Two other ideas that came to me today:

Cass joins the Outsiders. Supposedly, they're going to deal with the problems the other teams don't want to handle, because it would require getting too dirty. I think at this point, "getting dirty" isn't something Cassandra would have a huge problem with, and the Outsiders could do a lot worse.

Cassandra is the "surprise!" member of the Secret Six, maybe under the name Kasumi (the one she used in Justice League Elite). Think about it. The way Luthor formed the team, it was designed to have enemies that were familiar with pretty much every heroes rouge's gallery, and who hopefully had some sort of rep with them. I'd say "the girl who killed Lady Shiva" would have a rep with some people. Maybe not all the Bat-villains, they're too crazy (or dumb), but there would be some healthy respect/fear for her. Plus, it would make it a little harder for the Bat-family to try to catch the Six, with one of their friends on the squad.

I got to say, I like that idea the best of all. What are your thoughts/predictions?