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Any brute can kill. The skills needed to employ a club or gun are easily obtained. I am a true master of the lethal arts! 
- — Lady Shiva src
Wu Ming-Yue, later Sandra Wu-San and better known as the master assassin Lady Shiva, was already one of the most dangerous killers in the world before she was an adult.
History
Origin
Early Years
Wu Ming-Yue — the girl who would become Lady Shiva — was born in a small Chinese village which was previously a "place of assassins".[6] [1] During her early years, her family moved constantly to avoid pursuers led by their uncle Wu Feng — the Bloodmaster, leader of the Blood mob. Wu Ming-Yue spent part of her childhood in Duoyishu village, China [7].
When Ming-Yue was young, Feng caught up with her family.[1] Her parents instructed their daughters to run while they fought their attackers. As the sisters fled, Ming-Yue saw Feng kill her father.
The girls found safe haven in a small village hidden in the Himalayas. A Buddhist temple in the village took them in; in time, the monk Akhu became a surrogate father to the girls. Under the instruction of the monks, the sisters learned martial arts and the teachings of Mahākāla.[1]
After ten years in the village, the sisters drew the attention of their uncle by fighting two Blood mobsters who were extorting an old woman.[1] Feng retaliated by burning the village and killing villagers; he threatened total annihilation unless the sisters were given to him.[1] The sisters recognized Feng and Ming-Yue attacked him in a rage. After easily overpowering Ming-Yue, Feng revealed he was their uncle and offered to train the sisters. He recognized Ming-Yue's potential and was delighted by her inner rage. Akhu intervened to prevent Feng from capturing the sisters and ordered them to flee and leave the village behind.
Becoming Rage
Mei-Xing and Ming-Yue spent the next several years traveling the world and honing their skills under myriad martial arts masters.[8] Upon reaching America, Ming-Yue and Mei-Xing became, respectively, Sandra and Carolyn Woosan (sometimes spelled "Wu-San"). In Detroit, the sisters encountered Richard Dragon and Bronze Tiger who explained they were traveling the world and using their martial arts skills to help people. The kind-hearted Carolyn was excited by the men's adventures and despite Sandra's initial reluctance, the sisters joined the men on their travels.
Sandra had struggled to control her rage and cruelty since she was a child.[1] After abandoning her quest for revenge, the shadow in her soul grew ever larger. Recurring nightmares tormented her, Mahākāla — who called himself her fate and her wrath — looming over her sister's corpse.[8]
After several years of stalking her, David Cain revealed himself to Sandra and declared his intent for her to bear him a child to be the ultimate assassin. Furthermore, he claimed she could only reach her full potential as a warrior by embracing the ruthlessness she was hiding from her sister. When Sandra rebuffed Cain's advances, he revealed he had murdered Carolyn before they spoke.
Enraged by Carolyn's death, Sandra Woosan decided to fully embrace the wrath that had been growing inside her since her parents were murdered.
New 52
Perpetual Motion
Sandra, now going by Lady Shiva, came to Gotham City one night and ambushed Batman. After she had poisoned the Bat with special shurikens, Dick Grayson, who was acting as Batman's computer operator in the Batcave at the time, donned his own red and green costume that he pieced together himself and went to help Batman in his fight against Shiva.
Calling himself "Robin", Grayson was able to fend off Shiva long enough for Batman to regain his strength. Ultimately, though, Shiva escaped into the night, proving too much for Robin to capture.[9]
League of Assassins
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Gods of War
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DC Rebirth
League of Shadows
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Mother
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Powers and Abilities
Powers
Abilities
- Acrobatics: Shiva is an expert acrobat. She is able to race across roof-tops faster then most people can run and perform feats of parkour most people could only dream of.[11]
- Deception
- Leadership[12]
- Martial Arts: Shiva is one of the deadliest martial artists in the world. Her lethal style of combat has allowed her to easily subdue Batman himself.[13]
- Capoeira[8]
- Dhritishastra[14]
- Dim Mak: Shiva is skilled in this ancient form of martial arts where you strike vital points of the opponent's body causing paralysis, intense and prolonged pain or death. She taught a specific nerve strike technique to Jason Todd, that causes instant paralysis.[15]
- Jujitsu[14]
- Muay Thai[14]
- Swordsmanship
- Tactical Analysis: Sandra can analyze an opponent's body condition and fighting styles. She was able to tell Nightwing had a damaged rib because he was subconsciously protecting it.[11]
- Throwing
- Weaponry: Sandra is an expert with many different types of weapon, whether ranged or melee. She has used flails, axes and scythes with expert proficiency.[11]
- Multilingualism: Ming-Yue is fluent in her native Mandarin[8] and English.
Notes
- Lady Shiva (Sandra Wu-San) was created by Dennis O'Neil and Ric Estrada, first appearing in Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter #5. However, in the rebooted Prime Earth continuity her first appearance as part of the DC Universe is in Kyle Higgins and Eddy Barrows' New 52 Nightwing series.
- Based on the village's location in the Himalayas and the temple's use of a six-armed depiction of Mahākāla in worship, the sisters were likely raised by monks following a Tibetan Kagyu tradition.
Related
- 76 Appearances of Sandra Wu-San (Prime Earth)
- 45 Images featuring Sandra Wu-San (Prime Earth)
- 9 Quotations by or about Sandra Wu-San (Prime Earth)
- Character Gallery: Sandra Wu-San (Prime Earth)
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Batgirl (Volume 6) #7
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 New History of the DC Universe #2
- ↑ DC Festival of Heroes: The Asian Superhero Celebration #1
- ↑ Batgirl (Volume 6) #2
- ↑ Batgirl (Volume 6) #9
- ↑ Batman and the Outsiders (Volume 3) #12
- ↑ Batman: Urban Legends #3
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Batgirl (Volume 6) #8
- ↑ Nightwing (Volume 3) #0
- ↑ Batman: Urban Legends #16
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Nightwing (Volume 4) #14
- ↑ Detective Comics #951
- ↑ Detective Comics #952
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Detective Comics #1084
- ↑ Red Hood and the Outlaws #26
  Birds of Prey member |
 League of Assassins member |
 This character is or was a member of one or more of the teams known as the Outsiders. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Outsiders members" category. |
 Batman Villain(s) |
  This character is or was primarily an enemy of Nightwing. This template will categorize articles that include it into the category "Nightwing Villains." |
 Robin Villain(s) |