Newsarama uploaded a preview of Robin #151 recently, and it doesn’t look all that good for fans of Cassandra Cain …

Despite hopes to the contrary, it appears DC is intent on putting the one-time Batgirl through monumental changes.

The Keeper’s suspicions were somewhat confirmed by an apparently recent post from the fabulous Gail Simone on the CBR forums (a link discovered, by the by, through When Fangirls Attack).

The post concerns Simone’s pitch for Batgirl, one that would have taken Cassandra down a much different road.

Here’s a (long) excerpt:

“I was asked to come up with a direction for Batgirl, something new that would give her a fresh platform. I gave it a ton of thought, and the direction I came up with was this (obviously this is the abridged version):Batgirl saves this minister, a guy who preaches to the homeless of Gotham City, a real get-down-into-it guy, from a vicious robbery. He’s beaten badly, and Batgirl lashes out at the gang viciously, until he begs her to stop. He’s forgiven them, let the police handle it, he says.

Batgirl is utterly baffled. She doesn’t get it. Forgiveness for those who kill and injure innocents isn’t part of the batcode. She starts visiting the minister in the hospital. He talks to her, not to convert her, but the belief he has in God is so moving and unshakable, that she comes to think of him as incredibly strong. Everything about him is the opposite of Batman–he’s at peace, he doesn’t believe in violence, and above all, he’s got the joy of God in him, in every part of him. He tells her he used to be a bad, violent man, and the book changed him. The idea appeals to and terrifies her.

So, even though she can barely, barely read, she buys a bible, and at first, she’s afraid to even open it. It must be a dangerous and powerful book to change men’s hearts so. Each sentence is a struggle at first, and she has to call Oracle and Robin and Alfred to have words explained to her. But one day, bam, she gets it.

From then on, she is truly devout, truly converted. She wears a white bat outfit and starts looking out for the most vulnerable of Gotham’s residents, runaways, immigrants, homeless people, mentally ill people, etc, because that’s what she understands the minister would do. She still issues righteous beatings because she’s a little bit old testament, but she talks scripture with both the minister and the gang members. She believes.

And after a while, she gets a new nickname…many people don’t call her Batgirl anymore, she becomes to them, the Angel of the Bat.

Although an admitted atheist, Simone thought (correctly) that Christians are too often demonized in mainstream comics and wanted to create a character who broke that stereotype. It also would have been an interesting choice for Cassandra, who wished to atone for her past.

Unfortunately, the pitch was considered too controversial. Many fans out there, at least the ones who post to message boards, apparently agree. Issues of faith are apparently less appealing than seeing The Ultimate Hulk eat - and regurgitate - people.

Such gruesome facts aside, one thing is clear: For whatever reason, DC wanted to completely overhaul Cassandra’s character. So, rather than becoming the Angel of the Bat, she is apparently the new Daughter of the Demon.

Cassandra may well make an interesting antagonist for Tim, especially if DC tones down her recently acquired lunatic tendencies. But, as is often the case, the Keeper will instead ponder what could have been …