Helena Kyle (Birds of Prey)

Helena Kyle was born and raised in the city of New Gotham. Her mother was the metahuman Selina Kyle, the legendary "queen of the criminal underworld" who went by the pseudonym Catwoman. Years ago, Catwoman had an affair with her greatest adversary, New Gotham's guardian, the Batman. Selina (presumably retired from crime), raised Helena on her own, and Batman was unaware that he had sired a child with her. Growing up, Helena became close friends with one of the Batman's protégés, Barbara Gordon. Helena never knew that Barbara was also the costumed crime-fighter known as Batgirl.

When Helena was a teenager one of her father's archrivals decided to avenge himself against the Batman by mudering those he loved. He escaped the custody of the police to shoot Barbara Gordon himself while he hired Clayface to kill Selina Kyle, Helena's mother. Disguised, Clayface stabbed Selina right in front of Helena then ran off with Helena begging someone to stop him. Months later, Barbara Gordon, now paralyzed from her own attack, petitioned the courts and became Helena's legal guardian. It was at this time that she learned that her father was not only the Batman, but also Bruce Wayne, one of the wealthiest men in the world.

Helena never truly recovered from her mother's death, and the revelation of her father's identity did not serve to bring the two closer together. Batman, still mourning the death of Selina, left New Gotham leaving behind instructions for his butler Alfred to watch over his daughter.

Over the course of the next seven years, Helena began to develop her own unique metahuman abilities. She possessed enhanced strength, agility and reflexes which she inherited from her mother. She could leap from rooftop to rooftop with catlike grace, and even possessed a mysterious "sixth sense" that warned her of potential attacks. Like her parents, Helena decided to prowl the nights. She took her father's place as New Gotham's protector under the tutelage of Barbara who had now become the Oracle. Helena was now the Huntress.

The Oracle and the Huntress were known as the Birds of Prey. Alfred Pennyworth, the man who helped raise Helena's father, now split his time between upkeep at Wayne Manor and supporting Oracle and Huntress at their base of operations – the Gotham Clock Tower.

Although she gained some satisfaction prowling the streets as the Huntress, Helena still had deep-rooted psychological issues. She began taking anger management therapy from a local psychiatrist named Doctor Harleen Quinzel. At first the sessions were court mandated after she knocked out a security guard and destroyed a fire hydrant. Later she decided a little help wouldn't be all bad. Little did she know Harleen Quinzel was once the lover of the Joker and desired for nothing less than the complete destruction of New Gotham which she held responsible for her 'Mister J' being put away in prison. It wasn't until the end of the season did she realize that the mysterious female heroine who kept thwarting her was actually Helena. It was through her next session that she learned about the Birds of Prey and their real lives.

As the Huntress, Helena remained mostly in the shadows, taking down small-time criminals and anonymously leaving them on the front steps of the New Gotham police precinct. Around New Gotham she was developing her own reputation as some kind of "urban legend." Although there was a healthy metahuman population in New Gotham, most officers of the New Gotham PD placed little stock in this so-called urban legend. One detective however, Jesse Reese, believed the stories that he had heard and was determined to solve the mystery of this strange new hero. While investigating a string of high-profile suicides, he finally came face to face with the Huntress. The Huntress attempted to explain to him that they were both on the same side, serving the cause of justice, but Reese was reluctant to believe her. He tried to bring her in, but the Huntress always evaded capture. The two crossed paths on several cases, and over time, Reese began to trust her and value her commitment to fighting metahuman crime in New Gotham. He was one of the first people outside of the 'life' that she trusted with her secret identity. The duo had a romantic relationship only budding at the end of the series.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

Animal Mimicry: Helena can manifest physical attributes similar to that of a jungle cat. When ready to enter battle, the pupils of her eyes narrow into vertical ellipses like a feline. Occasionally, the sound of a cougar's roar also accompanies her actions. Whether Helena produces this sound herself, or whether it is another reflection of her powers remains unknown. Her animalistic metahuman qualities also bestows upon her certain physical enhancements. She is several times stronger than one would expect from a woman her size, and she can leap vast distances with minimal effort. Helena can dive from the window of a skyscraper and land on her feet without suffering injury from the impact.
Enhanced Senses: Helena has been shown to have extraordinary night vision. She can also sense when there is danger in her vicinity.
Superhuman Reflexes: Helena Kyle's reflexes allow her to move faster than a normal person to avoid bullets or dive out of the window of a skyscraper without injuring herself.
Accelerated Healing
Precognition

Abilities

Escapology: Helena is a master of detecting and avoiding traps, as well as picking locks. She has demonstrated the ability to pick the lock on a pair of New Gotham issue handcuffs without even looking at her hands.^[3]
Hand-to-Hand Combat (Advanced)

Paraphernalia

Equipment

Helena wears a pair of bat-shaped earrings which are actually micro-transceivers that enables her to keep in contact with Barbara. Helena also wears a signal device fastened to a collar that she wears around her neck.

Weapons

Helena does not employ any conventional weaponry. In her own words, "I am the weapon."

Notes

This version of the character is exclusive to the continuity of the television series Birds of Prey and is an adaptation of Helena Wayne/Huntress. The original character was created by Paul Levitz and Joe Staton and first appeared in DC Super-Stars #17.
Helena Kyle was portrayed by Ashley Scott.

Helena Kyle (Birds of Prey)

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