Lady Shiva

Lady Shiva
Lady Shiva, as she appears on the cover of Birds of Prey vol. 2 #6 (Nov. 2010). Art by Alina Urusov.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter #5 (December 1975)
Created by	Dennis O'Neil Ric Estrada
In-story information
Alter ego	Sandra Woosan
Team affiliations	The Brotherhood of the Fist League of Assassins Birds of Prey Society
Notable aliases	Jade Canary, The Paper Monkey, Tengu Mask, Master Woman, Agent Silver, Sandra Wu-San
Abilities	Martial arts Grandmaster Able to read body language and anticipate an opponent's actions

Lady Shiva (real name Sandra Woosan, or more recently Sandra Wu-San) is a fictional supervillainess appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was co-created by Dennis O'Neil and Ric Estrada, and first appeared in Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter. Over time, she has become more closely associated with Batman and related characters, both as an enemy and an ally. She is a martial arts grandmaster and one of the most skilled combatants in the DC Universe. She is an assassin-for-hire, who specializes in killing her targets with her bare hands.

Shiva's first introduced as an antagonist to martial artist, Richard Dragon believing to be a spy responsible for the murder of her sister, Carolyn. In reality, Carolyn's murder was orchestrated by Guano Cravat, a corrupt businessman whose criminal ambitions had been foiled by Dragon. Cravat convinced Woosan that Dragon killed Carolyn, deliberately pitting her against Dragon in an act of revenge.

In order to avenge her sister, Woosan becomes a master combatant. During the course of her training, she discovers that she is a , rapidly mastering several martial arts and eventually dubbing herself "Lady" Shiva.

When Shiva tracks Dragon down and lures him to Cravat's hideout, Dragon reveals Cravat's deception. The Swiss, Carolyn's real murderer and Cravat's underling, had already died in battle with Dragon, rendering Shiva's vendetta moot.

Afterward, she briefly takes up crimefighting with Dragon and fellow martial artist Ben Turner, to allay her feelings of purposelessness, saying "I tolerate Dragon because danger seems to cling to him like fly to honey... and without danger my life is empty!" Dragon, in hopes that she might follow his example and use her skills for good, coaxes her to explore the spiritual side of martial arts, to no apparent success. When the three eventually part ways, Shiva begins a wandering existence, training herself further, and eventually parlaying her skills into a career as a master assassin.

Shiva was born in a shanty town, in an unknown country, and raised to be a warrior and protector of the village. Eventually, Shiva fled the village with her sister. Years later, when the heroine Black Canary visits the village to experience Shiva's training, a village child named Sin is held hostage by the villagers, with the promise that if Canary fails to become the warrior-protector of the village, Sin is to take her place, suggesting that Shiva's sister was once used in a similar manner. Speaking about her childhood, Sin says that Ra's al Ghul's League of Assassins ran the village where she and Shiva were born and raised.