Lady Shiva


Lady Shiva

(pop culture)When Sandra Woosan falsely believed that martial artist and spy Richard Dragon had killed her sister, Woosan embarked on a dark and dangerous journey lit by revenge. Becoming a master of many forms of combat, Woosan turned her lust for revenge into a desire for enlightenment and became Lady Shiva, a deadly mercenary with lightning reflexes and a take-no-prisoners attitude. Her single-minded passion for martial arts is the trait responsible for turning her skills into an art form. Introduced in Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter #5 (1975–1976) in a story penned by Dennis O'Neil and rendered by Ric Estrada, Lady Shiva is one of the premiere martial artists in the DC Universe. For a time, Lady Shiva fought crime alongside Dragon and martial artist Ben Turner until Dragon temporarily quit the business and Turner was transformed into the hero the Bronze Tiger. She has also shown great respect for Hub City hero Vic Sage (the Question), who has instructed her on the nuances of martial artistry. Although she has battled Batman, she found her true match in the new Batgirl, Cassandra Cain, who beat her in hand-to-hand combat. Sensing she was holding something back, Shiva agreed to train Batgirl to reach her untapped potential, under the condition that the newly conditioned Batgirl face off with her in a future fight. That she did, and Batgirl triumphed (Batgirl: A Knight Alone, 2001). Well versed in both the healing and combative arts, the coolly intellectual and spiritually calm Shiva continually roams the world seeking perfection as a master of martial arts. Those attributes were put to the test in a 2005 Batgirl story arc when she became embroiled in a fracas at Ra's al Ghul's Balkan palace involving the League of Assassins, Mr. Freeze, al Ghul's daughter Nyssa, and an army of the living dead. Who she will run up against next is anybody's guess. Korean actress Sung Hi Lee portrayed Sandra Wu-San (note change in spelling of last name) and Lady Shiva in a 2002 episode of the live-action television series Birds of Prey.