Huntress

Helena Bertinelli was born into Gotham’s powerful Bertinelli crime family, raised as a so-called mafia princess until her life was shattered by betrayal. Her mother Maria fell in love with Santo Cassamento, a rival mobster, and the two planned to murder Helena’s father Frank so they could run off together with the children. Cassamento instead used the opportunity to slaughter the Bertinelli family, attempting to wipe them out entirely. Helena survived only by hiding under a table while her father and brother were executed. She was sent to Sicily to live with her aunt and uncle, where she learned archery, hand-to-hand combat, and the discipline that would define her life. Vowing to uphold her family’s original mission of protecting others rather than exploiting them, she eventually returned to Gotham as the Huntress.

Over the years, Helena established herself as a fierce vigilante and served on the Justice League for a time. After a devastating earthquake left Gotham in ruins, she fought the Joker and Harley Quinn during the chaos and was nearly killed before Batman and Nightwing intervened. For reasons not publicly known, she was later believed dead, and during that period her mantle was temporarily assumed by a displaced Helena Wayne from another world. In reality, Helena was alive and working deep undercover within the clandestine spy organization Spyral, taking on the codename Matron.

While operating with Spyral, Helena rescued Dr. Leslie Thompkins from an attack in Africa and brought her to Spyral headquarters, where Thompkins’ information revealed Batman’s identity. Helena later recruited Dick Grayson into Spyral after observing his global missions, overseeing his training at St. Hadrian’s Finishing School and partnering with him on assignments such as retrieving the Meta-Bomb hidden within the body of Ninel Dubov. Together they tracked down the Paragon Organs, powerful biological components tied to metahuman abilities. When Mister Minos attempted to betray Spyral, Helena anticipated his move, survived his attack, warned the other agents, and ultimately killed him. In the aftermath, she was promoted to Director of Spyral, forced to navigate rising tensions between espionage agencies and identify a traitor threatening to spark open conflict.

Seeking to reclaim her identity after leaving the spy world, Helena returned to Gotham and once again adopted the Huntress mantle, dedicating herself to dismantling the mafia men responsible for her family’s murder. While hunting her first target, she crossed paths with Batgirl and Black Canary, who were pursuing the same lead as part of their effort to track the person stealing Batgirl’s Oracle identity. Realizing their missions aligned, the three women joined forces and re-formed the Birds of Prey. Although Helena frequently clashed with Batgirl over her lethal methods, they worked effectively together and eventually uncovered the mastermind behind the Oracle theft. This revelation led Helena to a shocking discovery: her mother Maria Bertinelli was alive and now a mob boss operating under the name Fenice.

Maria confessed her role in the Bertinelli murders and revealed that she had built a criminal empire of her own to take revenge on the Cassamento family. She allowed Helena the chance to kill Santo Cassamento personally, but Helena chose mercy over vengeance and spared his life. Disgusted by her mother’s selfishness and the years of violence she had orchestrated, Helena cut ties with her completely. She remained with the Birds of Prey, becoming a trusted partner to Barbara and Dinah, and began teaching at a Gotham school as she continued her work as Huntress.

Appearance: Huntress has fair skin. Her hair is long, straight, and dark black, flowing down past her shoulders. She wears a tightly fitted purple domino mask that covers the area around her eyes and the bridge of her nose. Her eyes are light blue. She wears a two-piece outfit consisting of a cropped top and a corset-like bustier. The top section features a white and gray crisscross pattern across the bust and shoulders, with a central white stylized cross symbol. This section is worn over a tightly-fitted black, sleeveless garment that covers her chest and midriff. The outfit exposes a substantial amount of her toned abdomen and lower sides. She wears short, tight black shorts that expose her upper thighs. A thin, dark purple utility belt with a round buckle cinches her waist. She wears long, segmented purple gloves that extend up past her elbows. A purple cowl with small, pointed ears is pulled back, revealing her hair. A flowing purple cape, lined in white, is draped over her shoulders. She wears purple bands around her upper thighs and lower legs, which feature small attached utility pouches.

Personality: Huntress carries herself with sharp focus, dry wit, and an edge that never fully softens, even around allies. She is blunt, observant, and unafraid to voice uncomfortable truths, but her intensity hides a deep loyalty to the people she trusts. Her moral compass is strict, shaped by trauma and loss, and she has little patience for hypocrisy or hesitation. She respects competence above all else and works best with those who act decisively and honor their word. Although she prefers solitude, she forms strong bonds once someone earns her confidence, and her protection of those bonds is fierce and unwavering.

Huntress possesses a lingering psychic link created during her time under the control of Vile’s parasites. Even after being freed, she retained a connection to others who were infected, giving her the ability to see and hear what they experience.

Helena is highly skilled with a crossbow, having trained in archery since she was a child, and she handles the weapon with expert precision. She is also proficient in aviation and has demonstrated the ability to pilot Spyral helicopters with ease. Her years as a Spyral operative made her an exceptionally capable spy, and she personally trained Agent 37 in the techniques of espionage. In combat, Helena is a formidable hand-to-hand fighter, and her multilingual fluency in English and Italian further supports her work in the field. Outside her vigilante life, she works as a teacher, applying strong pedagogical skill and discipline to her civilian identity. She is also adept with a wide range of weaponry.

Her abilities are not without flaws; the psychic link she retains is unstable and can behave unpredictably. In the field, she commonly uses a motorcycle for transportation, and her primary weapons include a collapsible bo staff and her signature crossbow.