characterization cheat sheet - batfamily girls + additional characters / elements
Some of you wanted to see another one of these posts including the girls, so I thought I’d combine them with a few other points I was thinking about after I posted the first one.
You can read about the batboys here.
Appearance: Cassandra is of asian descent, typically has pale skin, shoulder-to-chin length jet-black hair, and a button nose. She has the body of a dancer, with long legs, a lean middle, and strong arms. Cass is typically wearing black and is drawn with dark, strong features to match.
Personality: Comic Cass is almost on the complete opposite of the spectrum as the one portrayed in Birds of Prey. She is disciplined and seems to work well with teams / under the direction of Batman. She has the potential to grow into herself more as a leader. Cass can be impressionable, especially toward the beginning of her journey and with people she likes/admires, like Batman or Stephanie. Cass is similar to Dick in her capacity to love and her dedication to her found family.
Speech: She grew up training to be a master assassin completely reliant on reading body language, and was never taught to read or speak. Her portrayals range from her being completely illiterate to her having a stronger control of language after spending some time with the batfamily. Her desire to learn and express herself is a hallmark of her personality, and she can sometimes become frustrated. Cass can be expressive through her body and facial features, and in some iterations (mostly fanworks) communicates through sign language.
Additional Attributes: Cass is a good listener and often easy to get along with. She is sometimes caught up with proving her strength/her worth, especially to her biological parents and sometimes Batman. Despite her being illiterate, do not write off Cass as unintelligent; she is on par with the rest of the batfamily. Cass likes to travel and sometimes takes long journeys away from Gotham.
Appearance: Barbara has red/orange hair of varying lengths, often pulled out of her face (with some fly-aways). She wears glasses often while working as Oracle, but I’ve never seen a Batgirl interpretation wearing glasses while in uniform. Her wearing contacts could be a little detail to add to your work. Babs shares some features with the Commissioner (who also wears glasses). She is tall and healthily thin. She’s often dressed in comfortable clothes or business casual attire. As Oracle, she is a wheel-chair user.
Personality: Growing up in Gotham as a police officer’s, and later the Commissioner’s, daughter, Barbara is thick-skinned, outspoken, and can advocate for herself. She holds secrets and lies easily, even to her father whom she loves. As Oracle, Barbara suffers from PTSD, which affects her mood and actions, more so in the beginning of her time with the mantle. After some time coming to terms with her injury and trauma, Barbara delves into her work as Oracle, which is a monumental help to the batfamily. She’s smart and quick-witted, and never misses an opportunity for a pun.
Speech: Barbara grew up with Jim, who definitely has a strong Gotham accent. Her speech is assertive and doesn’t typically stutter or trail off at the end of sentences. At work she speaks very differently than at home or with friends. She has a playful canter to her voice when relaxed and surrounded by trusted companions. Her voice as Oracle is smooth and clear like a radio host, as she is to provide information quickly and accurately. Her voice has a calming effect to the vigilantes out in the field.
Additional Attributes: Babs is the best at calling Dick Grayson out on his bullshit, and he typically cares about her opinion the most. She appreciates friendships but is not reliant on romantic relationships. She is one of the world’s best hackers and computer scientists, with a very high IQ.
Appearance: Long blonde hair with bright eyes and pink lips. She has a cute beauty to her and tends to keep herself well-groomed. She often wears purple (her favorite color) and black. Stephanie Brown is one of those characters that artists love to give unrealistic body proportions to. Perhaps because she’s blonde? Whatever the reason, she’s often drawn with like a 10-pack and back-breaking-ly large breasts as a teenager. I implore you not to do this, but I mean, whatever floats your boat. She’s a vigilante but is also a teenager that obeys the laws of human proportions.
Personality: Steph is witty and loud. In fan works she’s often the one to suggest a fast-food run or dare someone to do something wild. Stephanie is a self-starter and dedicated to heroism after growing up with a dad involved in crime who continually abandoned and lied to her. Steph is still young and can get caught up in common teenage angst and gossip. She can make mistakes but stringently takes steps to correct them.
Speech: Stephanie is close to Jason in the degree of her accent, but with a feminine touch and a stronger control of modern slang. Sometimes uses speech fillers as in “um” and “like.” Her voice fluctuates in tone with her emotions. She likes to tease and joke around, and can purposely use incorrect grammar.
Additional Attributes: In her original continuity, Stephanie became pregnant as a young teenager (I want to say around 15 years old). She is mostly firm in her decision to not raise the baby, but some doubts and regrets still appear when she’s emotional. She found a lot of support in Tim during that time, but ultimately the decision was her own and caused her to mature very quickly. Steph’s hero name of “Spoiler” stems from her “spoiling” the plans of villain “Cluemaster,” her father. Stephanie loves waffles.
Additional Elements and Characters:
Kate Kane: I admittedly haven’t read much involving Batwoman, but here’s some basic points.
She is a female foil to Batman as his Bruce’s cousin; she similarly uses her wealth to fight crime in Gotham
She has bright red long hair and very pale skin, with a tall athletic body
Her sexuality is a main theme explored in her narratives
Jim Gordon: One of my favorite reoccurring supporting characters
Jim is of average height with a slightly athletic build due to his position. He wears glasses and often neutral colors like tans and grays.
Jim Gordon without a mustache isn’t Jim Gordon
He has a very accurate moral compass and is adept at following his gut feelings about danger. He is at foremost a detective, which contributes to his relationship to Batman.
Alfred Pennyworth: The man, the myth, the butler
Alfred lived a full and exciting life before working for the Waynes, and is trained in military medical assistance
He can put on a calm and collected appearance to take control of a situation despite his actual feelings
Alfred is loyal to the Wayne family but will not hesitate to reprimand Bruce or the kids
Ace the Batdog or Titus?: The age old question
Titus is directly associated with Damian and his softer side/love for animals
Ace is more so Bruce’s dog, and sometimes even performs clutch actions to help out Batman and co.
Wayne Manor: These walls hold a lot of secrets
The mansion is located just inside the city limits of Gotham, with expansive surrounding land and a long, gated driveway
The manor is secured with the latest security systems to keep both enemies out and sneaky kids in
The layout changes and is up for interpretation, but it’s often described as “stately,” which implies grand and old architecture
The whole mansion is well-kept but Alfred, but some places accumulate dust, especially high bookshelves and little nooks and crannies
Gotham City: Take creative liberties
Gotham varies from a some-what functional city with corruption and violence in the shadows to a complete gothic hell scape where it’s never daytime
These can add realism or an elements of fantasy, respectively
Gotham is a mix of old and new, with modern corporations like Wayne Enterprises mixed with ornate art deco buildings like City Hall
Like real cities, Gotham is a mix of safer, more tourist-y areas and more dangerous areas like the appropriately named “Crime Alley”
Hope this helps! Feel free to add on, and remember to be civil and respect other people’s interpretations :)
