WARNING: The following contains spoilers for "Batgirls," a story in Future State: The Next Batman #2, by Vita Ayala, Aneke, Trish Mulvihill, and Becca Carey, on sale now.
Stephanie Brown and Cassandra Cain were two former Batgirls that were erased from continuity when DC streamlined and relaunched its continuity with 2011's The New 52. However, over time, both characters were eventually reintroduced in this timeline. It took some time, but eventually Stephanie and Cassandra both become extended members of the Bat-family again as Spoiler and Orphan, respectively. Then, to the delight of fans, during 2020's Joker War event, the two of them both added the Bat-emblem to their costumes, effectively becoming Batgirls.
Following this new start, DC has taken a break from the main DC Universe to introduce readers to Future State, a two-month long event taking place in a dark, alternate timeline. In this new future, the members of the Bat-family are hunted by the Magistrate. And in this dystopian setting, Cassandra Cain has a new Batgirl costume -- one that absolutely needs to become the character's suit in the main continuity.
Cassandra and Stephanie decided to become Batgirls during the Joker War event when they failed to find a replacement Bat-Signal. Without a Bat-symbol to shine in the night sky over Gotham City, the two crime-fighters did the next best thing by wearing the Bat-emblem on their chests, bringing hope to everyone who would see them. But while Stephanie Brown added the emblem to her Spoiler costume, Cassandra did something different: she ditched her Orphan costume completely and started wearing her classic, all-black Batgirl costume. This came as a bit of surprise, given that it was more than bringing a tweak to the costume -- it was creating an entirely new one in-between two panels.
Cassandra Cain's Future State costume was first revealed prior to the launch of the event. The concept art for the Batgirls series showed Stephanie and Cassandra's new costumes in the alternate future reality. Now, with the release of Future State: Batgirls, Cassandra's new costume officially debuts, and it essentially is what the character should have been wearing at the end of Joker War.
This new costume carries over elements and the colors of her Orphan outfit, from the hood to the shoulder pads and the black and gold patterns, with the added touches that make her a Batgirl: the cape and the signature Bat-logo. This costume better represents Cassandra's evolution from Orphan to Batgirl, just like Stephanie's suit reflects her roots as Spoiler. The return of Cassandra Cain's Batgirl costume may have been a crowd-pleasing moment in Joker War, but it might have felt like an unearned return to a classic. It came out of left field, especially considering Stephanie didn't return to her own classic Batgirl suit. Instead of a return to the old, the Future State costume reflects proper character growth, and it shows that Cassandra has earned her spot as a Batgirl.
The costume is right at home in the Future State timeline, but it should carry over to the main DC Universe when the two-month event comes to a close. It would fit right in alongside Stephanie's Batgirl, and it would serve as a proper new beginning for the next phase of their superhero careers under the leadership of Barbara Gordon.