Sandra Wu-San (New Earth)

Not much is known about Sandra Wu-san before the murder of her sister, Carolyn. After her sister was murdered, a rich and powerful criminal named Cravat convinced Sandra that a 'spy' named Richard Dragon had killed her. There was a spark of what Sandra would become in her even then. Cravat saw that spark in Sandra and took advantage of her, sending her after Dragon for reasons of his own. Dragon was a world class martial artist. Knowing that she would have to be well-trained to avenge her sister, Sandra trained herself in martial arts. As she trained, she found that she had a natural inborn skill for the movements and the techniques. Her skills increased at an unheard of speed until she felt as though she was ready to find and challenge Dragon.

The battle she craved was not to be. After tracking Richard Dragon down, he managed to explain that Cravat had lied about the identity of Carolyn's killer. Cravat had used her for his own purposes in an attempt to kill Dragon. With this revelation and no knowledge available to her as to who actually had killed her sister, Sandra's purpose vanished. There was no need for her extensive martial knowledge and all of the training she had done. Seeing the potential for great things in her, Dragon continued to teach Sandra, the training giving her purpose again. He also coaxed her to explore the spiritual side of martial arts. During that exploration of herself and the mystic world, Sandra discovered what she saw as important truths. These discoveries helped her decide to let go of her past and to embark upon a new life, a new future - from then on she was Sandra no more, renaming herself Shiva.

After her reinvention, she fought crime with Richard Dragon and Ben Turner. Her time as a crime fighter lasted for a short time. This time, in its brevity, prepared her for the wandering existence her life would become. Richard Dragon decided to retire into the mountains, becoming reclusive. Ben Turner was brainwashed and eventually transformed into the Bronze Tiger. Shiva sought a path closer to her perception of her true self.

Shiva decided to go with her skills and natural talents, continuing to perfect her martial arts. During her time with Richard Dragon she had become addicted to combat and life-or-death situations. Already a very accomplished martial artist, Shiva hired herself out as a mercenary in order to finance her activities and training. While doing right had been a factor in her life previously, it was becoming less and less of a consideration as she followed the path she set for herself. Her considerable skills allowed her to ask a high price for her services, and there were plenty of takers.

Shiva was once hired to kill Victor Sage, The Question. She defeated him with ease. After his defeat, he was shot in the head and dumped into the river. Having seen something in him, maybe having been impressed by his potential skill, she saved him, fishing him out of the river. Shiva took him into the mountains to meet her former sensei, Richard Dragon, so he could have the same chances to refine and improve upon his skill. They have encountered each other from time to time since then, and almost every time Shiva tests his skills against her own. Sage has become a measuring stick for Shiva and she has been heard to comment that his skills are among the best in the world.

Shiva continued to sell her services as a mercenary for the money and the challenge it brought her. Eventually, she crossed paths with the League of Assassins, and its leader, Ra's al Ghul. Ra's handed most of the operations over to Shiva, which would bring about a struggle for control between the two of them later on. Though Shiva’s primary concern is the perfection of her skills, she has kept close ties with the League over the years.

Shiva was also hired to train prospective assassins, mercenaries or terrorists. She was in the Middle East training a small group of would be terrorists when it came to light that she had something to do with the father of Jason Todd, the second Robin. This connection caused Jason and his mentor Batman to seek her out, thinking that she might perhaps be his mother. Shiva fought with Batman, impressing him quickly with her skill, speed and power. If not for the intervention of Robin, Shiva would have defeated the Dark Knight. When asked, under the effect of sodium pentothal if she was Jason’s mother, she laughed, finding the idea amusing. Shiva began to track down those who referred to themselves as Shihan, "Master", or any other title proclaiming mastery of a martial arts form. She would learn what she could from them and, depending on their skill, kill them when they were of no further use to her. Shiva’s decision whether or not to kill a particular opponent seem to be based on whimsy. During this time, while seeking out Green Arrow with Sensei for a mission, she encountered and fought with Black Canary.

Fighting Black Canary

Later, Shiva developed a specific interest in Koroshi, master of the art of empty-handed fighting, after hearing that he had been defeated. Any time a true martial arts master is defeated, Shiva does her best to verify the fact and discover how it was accomplished. After gaining no information from Koroshi himself, she started to look for the man rumored to have defeated him, King Snake, to get the information from him instead. During her search, she met Tim Drake, who was undergoing training to become the new Robin. Tim was fighting King Snake's criminal organization, the Ghost Dragons, with the help of a DEA agent, Clyde Rawlins. Shiva trained Tim in martial arts generally and specifically in one weapon - he chose the bo staff. Shiva mentioned, somewhat derisively, that it was not a lethal weapon and replied that was the reason he had chosen it. At the end of his training he defeated Shiva once with the bo, and she gifted him with a collapsible bo staff.

King Snake was creating a virulent plague. The three attempted to stop them from releasing it but the Ghost Dragons escaped with a few of the canisters. After tracking them to Hong Kong, they eventually defeated King Snake, though Rawlins died in the attempt and Shiva mostly watched the proceedings. Shiva ordered Robin to kill King Snake while he hung from a building, though he refused to do so. Shiva kicked him off the cliff to his death, though later it would be revealed that he did actually not die.

After Bane broke the Batman's back, he sought out Shiva to help him regain what the skills and fighting spirit which he had lost. She deemed him unworthy of her efforts. Out of respect for what and who he was before his back was broken, she devised a training regimen for him. As part of this training, Shiva killed an armless sensei in Gotham while wearing a tengu mask, making sure that his best student witnessed the death. There were plenty who sought revenge or to challenge Shiva. Shiva then made Batman wear the tengu mask while performing training missions. He was taken by surprise when he was attacked by the master's students, who mistook him for Shiva. He defeated all of them in turn. Shiva was attempting to "complete" Batman's training by manipulating him into killing an opponent. Batman fooled Shiva into believing he had done so, using a false imitation of the Leopard Blow technique she had taught him. Shiva later discovered the truth, but did not seek vengeance.

After the earthquake in Gotham, the Brotherhood of the Monkey Fist held a martial arts tournament in the ruined city, attempting to prove their worthiness and skill after having been dishonored. Under the alias "Paper Monkey", she fought and defeated many other competitors. Her final opponent was Green Arrow (Connor Hawke). Though it was a very close and taxing contest, Shiva was the winner. Robin had saved Shiva's life previously and asked her not to kill Connor, trading a life for a life. After warning Robin

The Jade Canary

that using the favor now meant she would challenge and kill him when he was older, she refrained from killing Connor. Over the years, Shiva amassed groups of followers who seem to worship her as an incarnation of Shiva, the Hindu goddess of death. Shiva pays them little attention, other than occasionally using them as lackeys or killing them when it suits her whims. Some of her followers have even created temples to honor her victories. There was one such temple in Gotham, which she destroyed, and there are likely others around the world. Her followers are nearly as obsessed as she is, though they do not come close to matching her skills.

Shiva later sought out Cassandra Cain, the new Batgirl, in order to test her skill. Having heard that she was a fighter with legendary talent, Shiva was disappointed to find her barely able to defend herself. Batgirl had been raised in isolation by her father, the assassin David Cain, who never taught her how to speak, read, or write any language. Instead, she developed a phenomenal ability to analyze the body language of others, which, coupled with the martial arts training she received, made her an incomparable fighter. After being gifted with an understanding of language by a psychic whom she had rescued, she lost her talent for understanding body language.

Shiva and Batgirl struck a deal. Shiva would re-teach the girl the skills she had lost, and in return, Batgirl would face her in a battle to the death one year later. Shiva appeared to fight Batgirl at the Forum of The Twelve Caesars. Initially, Shiva defeated Batgirl, rendering her clinically dead. Realizing that Batgirl had not given her all, Shiva revived her. Batgirl admitted to Shiva that she had been fighting suicidally, harboring a death wish due to the fact that Cain had forced her to kill a man with her bare hands when she was only a child. Her ability to perfectly understand the agony of her victim traumatized Batgirl. Having now overcome her death wish, Batgirl fought Shiva again, shattering the sword she wielded. In the midst of battle, Batgirl accused Shiva of having a death wish herself, and that she was really only traveling the world and fighting other martial artists in search of her own death. Batgirl defeated Shiva by breaking her jaw, but refused to kill her.

Shiva has recently claimed that she is Cassandra's real mother. She engaged Cassie in one last battle to satisfy her 'death wish'. Cassandra left Shiva apparently dead, although near a Lazarus pit.

One Year Later

Having switched places with Black Canary in order to allow them both to experience each other's life experiences, Shiva joins Oracle's covert team of female operatives known as the Birds of Prey (with Canary hoping that spending time with them would soften Shiva), using the name "Jade Canary". However, she retains her hard and cold personality. Oracle semiseriously refers to Shiva as being possibly sociopathic, and refuses to call Shiva by the Jade Canary title, even though Shiva (as part of the deal with Canary) has taken to wearing Black Canary's boots and trademark fishnet stockings (though she hates wearing them).

Shiva continues to perform solo-work however, and visits Robin to assist him (much to Robin's chagrin) in discovering the truth behind Batgirl's recent disappearance and recent upheaval within the League of Assassins. She refuses to allow herself or Oracle's team to be involved, and instead trusts her former pupil to handle the situation. It appears that she holds no ill-will towards Cassandra as she informs Tim that she hopes that her daughter is well.

During a recent mission, Oracle's team confronted the villain Prometheus, whose helmet allows him to copy the skills of 30 of the world's greatest martial artists, including Shiva herself. This had allowed him a victory against Batman in the past. Shiva believed that his files on her would be out of date, and that she would be able to defeat her "old self". She seemed unconcerned about the skills of the other 29 fighters, and apparently decided to attack Prometheus head-on. Prometheus, however, had more up-to-date files than Shiva suspected, and in three seconds had knocked her to the ground. After this defeat, Shiva vanished, leaving a message for Black Canary: "Tell the Canary, I release her."

Stripped of her chance to mold Black Canary in her own image, and stripped of Sin, the young girl who was next in line as her successor, Shiva was last seen talking to Bethany Thorne, daughter of the late Crime Doctor. It appears that she is yet again hoping to train a new heir in the art of her lethal form of martial arts.

Still, although Shiva is no longer an active member of the Birds of Prey, she continues to be protective on her former teammates. Such is the case when the Birds of Prey were being threatened by Spy Smasher who attempts to steal control away from Oracle. After a mission in Russia, Oracle and Spy Smasher fight against one another for control of the team. Although Oracle is unable to use her legs, she is victorious, though Spy Smasher attempts to go back on their deal. Unfortunately, she is confronted outside by every single Birds of Prey Agent Oracle has ever recruited, who warn her against ever going after Oracle ever again. Amongst them, Lady Shiva. Later, when Barbara asks the others who called Shiva, no one responded.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

None.

Abilities

Master Martial Artist: Lady Shiva is a deadly assassin and one of the preminent martial artists on the planet. She has combined many moves and elements from numerous martial arts including a few forgotten ones to create a combat form that matches her own strengths. Among the identified forms are Leopard Kung Fu, Judo, Capoeira, Kokusho, Savate, Karate, Dragon Kung Fu and Stick Fighting. She is very effective in battle agianst single to multiple opponents and rivals many others fighters such as Batman and even her own daughter whom she has defeated on at least one occasion.

Body Language Literacy: Shiva is very literate in body language. She can often predict what an opponent will do before they do it.

Strength level

Unknown. Possibly peak athletic or peak human.

Weaknesses

None Known.

Paraphernalia

Equipment: None known.
Transportation: None known.
Weapons: None known.

Notes

For many years, there has been ongoing debate among comics fans on whether or not Shiva is the greatest martial artist in the DC Universe. The primary other candidates are:

Batman defeated her in Batman #427 (December 1988), but not alone, and only with the help of Robin II (Jason Todd). Batman has stated on other occasions that he considers her to be better than him. In Batman #509 (July 1994), Batman thinks to himself that Lady Shiva "may well be the best fighter alive." In Batgirl #27 (June 2002), Batman states, "Even I've never beaten Shiva hand-to-hand." However, in the Superman/Batman: Public Enemies" storyline, Batman finally manages to incapacitate Shiva in combat, as revenge for "the beating she gave Catwoman." At the time, Batman and Superman were being attacked by a group of super-villains under the influence of mind-control, so it is unclear whether or not Shiva was performing at her full capacity. In the comic, Batman speculates that she may be fighting of her own volition, since she is a mercenary, though whether or not this is the case is unknown. Nonetheless, this defeat is questionable.

Of course, the major problem with trying to rank Batman and Lady Shiva is that Batman refuses to use lethal maneuvers, whereas Shiva sometimes will battle almost exclusively with deadly blows. Batman has to exercise great restraint in order not to cause death or serious injury when putting down foes that are sometimes stronger or faster than he is, so he is always fighting with a handicap.

In the Brotherhood of the Fist storyline, which concluded in Green Arrow (2nd series) (August 1998), Lady Shiva sought out the second Green Arrow, Connor Hawke, because she had heard about his fighting ability. She defeated him in single combat. Robin (Tim Drake) once defeated her, but at the time he was under the effect of a narcotic that granted him superspeed. He was so desperate to put her down quickly that he actually stopped her heart in the beatdown, prompting him to give her CPR to prevent her death at his hands.

The only person other than Batman (whose defeat is questionable, considering Shiva may have been mind-controlled at the time) who has ever defeated Lady Shiva in single combat was the fourth Batgirl, Cassandra Cain, in Batgirl #25 (April 2002). Most recently, Prometheus appeared in Birds of Prey #94 defeating Lady Shiva, because his helmet allows him to copy the skills of 30 of the world's greatest martial artists, which would include Shiva (rated among the top seven in the DC Universe). Prometheus, however had more up-to-date files than Shiva suspected, and in a mere three seconds knocked her out.

In the 2004/05 Richard Dragon miniseries, Richard Dragon managed to maneuver Shiva in position so that he could kill her with the Leopard Blow, but was blindsided by Shiva's henchmen before he could strike. Shiva was enraged, and demanded that they not interfere further. The fight began again, and this time, Shiva managed to kill Dragon using the Leopard Blow. After this, Dragon was resurrected by the demon Neron, who Dragon had previously made a deal with to kill Shiva for her soul. Since he had failed, Neron wanted to make Dragon another deal, but since losing to Shiva wasn't one of the options given to him earlier, he was free from the demon.

The Leopard Blow is Shiva's trademark finishing technique, which she uses to kill her strongest opponents. What it is exactly is not entirely clear, having changed as it has appeared in comics by different writers. In Batman #509, Shiva demonstrates the Leopard Blow as a move in which one folds the foreknuckles inward and strikes with the heel of the palm. Later, in Legends of The Dark Knight #62, Bruce Wayne identifies the Leopard Blow more specifically as a move in which one uses the heel of the palm to drive the "nasal bones" into the brain. (This ability is a common urban legend in the martial arts.) In the Richard Dragon miniseries, however, the Leopard Blow is clearly depicted, both in the art and narration, as a maneuver wherein one first draws the hand back and above the head, and then thrusts it forward with the fingers straightened, driving them through the skull and brain.

Trivia

Lady Shiva is portrayed by Sung Hi Lee in the Birds of Prey television series. Here, she is about equally skilled as Barbara Gordon and the Huntress.

Links and References

Lady Shiva at Wikipedia.org

Footnotes

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