In terms of Orphan vs. Batgirl it is vital not only that Orphan is as much a legacy name as Batgirl, but that Orphan is a legacy from her father whereas Batgirl is a legacy from her mother. It's not so much that Batgirl is gendered and Orphan isn't, but that Batgirl represents a time where Cass forges relationships with other women while Orphan is an era where these relationships have been erased. In her New 52 backstory, Cass meets Bruce before she meets Babs, and does not really form a close relationship with Babs at all. Her relationship with Steph has similarly been wiped out, and while she gets close with Harper her backstory now includes that she murdered Harper's mom (whereas in the original story she only murdered 1 person who was a man). Orphan interfering with Cass' feminine relationships is more or less explicit when looking at Cass' ballerina friend Christine Montclair. James Tynion IV (one of the creators of the Orphan name) writes a scene where, after Christine reads Cass a story written by Carolyn, Cass begins to introduce herself as Orphan but cuts herself off and says instead that she is Cassandra. By growing close to Christine - whose character also symbolises feminine legacy, who desires to pass down her love for ballet to another young girl - Cass breaks free from the Orphan name. Orphan is not and was never meant to be a sustainable name; it always symbolised Cass' isolation from other women, and in many ways represents her at her lowest. But Batgirl will always represent the family who took her in, the 'like a mother' who gifted her the suit and taught her how to wear it, the girl she loves who eventually wears the suit alongside her. When Cassandra is Batgirl, she is never alone.



















