Wonder Girl (Cassie Sandsmark)
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Cassandra Sandsmark is the current Wonder Girl, a superheroine from DC Comics. She is a daughter of Zeus, and she is a former member of Young Justice, and the Teen Titans.
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[edit] Character history
Cassie is the third character to be called Wonder Girl; the second in post-Crisis continuity. She is the daughter of Dr. Helena Sandsmark, a noted archeologist, with whom Wonder Woman was working. She created a costume and used magical acoutrements (the sandals of Hermes and the gauntlet of Atlas) to help Wonder Woman, much to her mother's horror. Cassie later had the opportunity to ask Zeus for a boon, and requested real superpowers. Zeus granted her request, but gave Dr. Sandsmark the ability to deactivate them. Dr. Sandsmark, however, reluctantly accepted her daughter's wish to be a superheroine and rarely if ever uses this ability.
[edit] Early days
Cassie heavily idolized Donna Troy, the original Wonder Girl, and to that effect wore a black wig over her natural blonde hair (it also helped to conceal her identity). Donna gave Cassie the second costume she wore as Wonder Girl, but Cassie was afraid to wear it lest it were ruined (she did don the outfit during the "Sins of Youth" crossover when she was temporarily aged to adulthood). She has been trained by Artemis, the former "stand-in" Wonder Woman. As Wonder Girl, Cassie joined Young Justice due to her crush on Superboy. She became close friends with Arrowette, Secret, and Empress. During her time with that group the dark god Oblivion caused Wonder Woman's Wonder Dome palace to destroy Gateway City. Artemis ordered Cassie to help with crowd control instead of wasting time putting on her Wonder Girl disguise. Agreeing with her, Cassie revealed her secret identity before news cameras for the first time in her superhero career. Towards the end of the Young Justice series, Cassie became the leader of Young Justice. Her secret identity was again publicly revealed when the second Silver Swan attacked her at her high school.
Young Justice was disbanded after the events of Graduation Day, a crossover with Titans. During these events, Optitron offered to fund both the Titans and Young Justice. Donna Troy was killed by a rogue Superman android, leaving Cassie shaken and causing both teams to disband.
[edit] Teen Titans
Cassie later joined some former members of Young Justice in the newest incarnation of the Teen Titans. Early on, she was gifted with a lasso by Ares, the Greek god of war and frequent enemy of Wonder Woman and the Amazons. Despite appearing similar to Wonder Woman's lasso, Cassie's expels Zeus's lightning when used in anger. Over the course of the series, Ares has often appeared to Wonder Girl, usually to warn her about "the coming war." During her time with the Titans, Cassie also developed a relationship with Superboy, whom she had harbored feelings through before and throughout Young Justice.
In Teen Titans (3rd series) #17–19, the Titans were thrown ten years into their future, where they encountered the Titans Tomorrow. In this future, Cassie inherited the mantle of Wonder Woman after Diana was killed during "the Crisis." During this time, she is also referred to as "Ares' champion," and is married to Conner Kent (Superman).
It was also during her Titans membership that she was revealed to be Zeus' daugther, a fact that Wonder Woman knew, but chose to hide from Cassie. In Teen Titans (3rd series) #24–25, she was beaten by Superboy as a result of his possession by Lex Luthor; though she recovered, Superboy secluded himself at the Kent farm in Smallville, and there had seemed to be a strain on their relationship until the events of Infinite Crisis.
[edit] Infinite Crisis
In Teen Titans (3rd series) #30–31, during a battle against Brother Blood and a handful of zombie Titans, she acknowledged that her powers were fluctuating and sometimes disappearing altogether. Despite this, Cassie attempted to help Superboy after he was beaten to near-death by Superboy-Prime in Infinite Crisis #4 and Teen Titans (3rd series) #32. Later, in Robin #146–47, she and the Titans infiltrated a Lexcorp laboratory to find a way to cure Superboy. In Teen Titans Annual #1, while the other Titans flew to Blüdhaven following an attack from the Society, Cassie remained at Titans Tower to watch over Superboy. When he awoke, the pair of them reconnected and remembered their past in Young Justice, which seemed so much happier and easier. Conner then took Cassie to Smallville, and, afraid that it would be their last night together, made love with her, the two of them losing their virginity together.
In Teen Titans (3rd series) #33, Ares again appeared to her and informed that the reason behind her weakening power was Zeus taking back the powers he had granted to her as he left the mortal plane. Ares then offered Cassie some of his power in exchange for becoming his champion and acknowledging him as her brother. In Infinite Crisis #6, she joins Superboy and Nightwing up north, with powers returned, to assist in the assault on Alexander Luthor's tower. Superboy sacrificed his life to defeat Superboy-Prime and destroy the tower, and died in Cassie's arms.
[edit] 52
Directly after Infinite Crisis, the Teens Titans fall apart. Cassandra leaves the Titans during the year in which 52 takes place, following Robin's departure. She feels abandoned by her best friends.
Cassie becomes involved in an online cult heavily influenced by Kryptonian culture. She sets up an altar in Titans Tower with Kryptonian crystals and a gold figure with the Superman-insignia, which means "hope" in Kryptonian. Soon, Ralph Dibny approaches her because someone defaced the grave of his wife Sue with an upside down 'S' Shield, which in Kryptonian means "resurrection."
About five days later, Cassie and her follow cult members meet with Ralph. Cassie mentions that it was another member, Devem, who led her to join. Cassie explains that the goal of the cult is to resurrect Superboy. As a test of their process, they intend to resurrect Sue Dibny. Cassie and Ralph attend a ceremony designed to resurrect Sue, but Ralph grows suspicious and with the help of other superheroes, disrupts the ceremony, destroying the Kryptonite which was essential to the process. Cassie leaves with Devem, blaming Ralph for destroying her chances to resurrect Superboy. After stopping Weather Wizard in Metropolis, Cassie meets Supernova and refers to him as Kon-El. The story is still ongoing.
[edit] One Year Later
In Teen Titans (3rd series) #34, Wonder Girl is seen attempting to stop Gemini of the Brotherhood of Evil from escaping S.T.A.R. Labs with valuable technology, revealing that she had been following the Brotherhood for some time. She also sports a new costume influenced by that of the late Superboy, wearing a Golden Age Wonder Woman-themed t-shirt and denim jeans.
She 'temporarily' rejoins the team in Teen Titans (3rd series) #35, under the suggestion of Cyborg so that they may combine their forces to defeat the Brotherhood of Evil. Both Robin and Cyborg hope, however, that she will agree to return permanently. When Kid Devil was mortally injured during a battle with the Brotherhood, the Doom Patrol arrived on the scene, offering to help. Yet there appears to be a large rift between the two teams, and Wonder Girl seems particularly upset that Beast Boy left the team to rejoin the Doom Patrol. After the combined efforts of the Teen Titans and Doom Patrol defeat the Brotherhood of Evil, she decides to rejoin the team permanently. When she goes to tell Robin of her decision, she discovers his secret and failed attempts to bring back Superboy. In their shared grief, the pair kissed one another, but upon realizing what they had done, Wonder Girl flew away from Robin. The pair have yet to talk about the incident beyond coming to the agreement that it was a mistake.
With her life in disarray, Cassandra has been having difficulty with her personal life, often having major confrontations with her mother. Cassie has gained a new friendship with the recently returned Supergirl, Kara Zor-El, who has shared with her in mourning the loss of Superboy and Paradise Island.
[edit] Powers and abilities
Cassie originally received her powers from a number of mystical artifacts employed by Artemis during her time as Wonder Woman. These included the Gauntlet of Atlas and the Sandals of Hermes, which provided her with the powers of strength and flight/speed.
[edit] God-Given Powers
She was eventually granted similar abilities by Zeus who granted "her fondest wish." This gift message proves to be rather vague though, and Cassie could arguably have access to more powers than what is already displayed (although it remains unclear whether she already had these abilities as a benefit of her divine heritage) and her powers still seem to be growing. Discouraged by previously shown arrogance in his children (Ares and Heracles), Zeus also blessed Cassie's mother with the ability to take away her powers for a short time via a simple touch.
When the Greek gods left the mortal plane as a result of Infinite Crisis, Cassie's powers slowly faded until disappearing altogether. Ares stepped up and offered her some of his power, saying only that she would be "more powerful than [she's] ever been." What this entails is not made entirely clear, though in Infinite Crisis #6 and Teen Titans (3rd series) #34, she appears to have retained all of her former abilities. In Teen Titans (third series) #40, she is shown catching a falling jet. Afterwards she remarks that she didn't know she was that strong. This seems to indicate that at least her physical strength is augmented.
[edit] Trivia
In the Justice League episode 'Paradise Lost', Wonder Woman rescues a young blonde girl named Cassie whom she referes to as "little sister".
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Titans Tower biography
- Mythic - official fanlisting
