Phoenix | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Vital Statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||
Real Name | Catherine (Cat-Uyen) Phuong Phan | ||||||||||||||||||||
Alias | Black Bat [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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“ | "If people looked like their personalities,
we would have a lot of ugly people in this world." |
” |
–Phoenix |
Catherine (Cat) Phan is a young teenage girl who currently holds the 4th Phoenix[12] title. This title has been passed down from generations ever since her great-great grandmother (Phuong Hoang Nguyen) started her vigilante career in Vietnam, 1889,[13] before travelling to America.
During the 5 year interval, Catherine moved back to Australia for 2 years, then to Asia to train and look for her father (at first Black Bat then Lynx working for the League of Assassins) for 3 years before returning to The Team and faking her death with Artemis. From there, she acted as Lynx once more, deadly assassin, operative of the League of Assassins, Tigress's sister and Kaldur's right-hand man.
Cat has also trained many members of the Batfamily such as Batgirl (Barbara and Cassandra ) and Robin (Jason and Tim ) due to her high-level experience of the martial arts despite her age.
Personality[]
Young Phoenix (2010)[]
In her early days as Phoenix, despite being only 13, she was more experienced than her fellow sidekicks. By then she had been training under Batman 's wing for five years, Lady Shiva for two, and Black Canary for one.
As a young girl, she was quiet and hardworking when she wanted to be, and was quite unsociable as she did not have many friends. However, she was extremely intelligent and almost excelled in everything she did. Due to this, she was indirectly bullied, excluded etc.
Once she entered her teenage years, she relied mainly on sarcasm and witty comebacks (even sassy and times/ passive aggressiveness) as her defense against insults. Most of the times her mood swings would get the better of her and she would change from being ecstatic to psycho.
Many people described her as boyish, unfeminine due to her dislike of dresses, make-up etc. and the way she would dress, act, talk etc. However, she was a huge fangirl and made many references to her favorite fandoms in and out of uniform.
In The Team, she played the mature younger sister role. She was there to break up the petty fights, correct Robin of his childish behavior and guide couples to a happily ever after.
2016[]
Catherine had matured greatly as she got older, more driven and focused as well as the grown confidence in herself as she does not doubt herself anymore. However, she still makes sarcastic and witty remarks with a wide smirk at times.
She played a role-model for many female members of The Team
Physical Appearance[]
2010[]
Catherine is Vietnamese and therefore has olive toned skin and brown almond shaped eyes. She has long hair that reaches the end of her spine and when tied up in uniform, reaches the middle. Small scars dotted her arms and legs from a skin condition as well as from crime-fighting (e.g dodging bullets.)
At 13 years old, Cat was quite short for her age as she had inherited the height from her parents. However she was around Robin's height, just below his eyes. She wasn't exactly slender compared to girls her age, however she had a toned, muscular, athletic build since she was a gymnast and a professional martial artist.
2016[]
At 18 years old, Cat has grown considerably taller with a more slender figure, now around the same height as her cousin Artemis . Nightwing has commented on her growth of curves, which resulted in a scowl. Just like when she was younger, her black hair still reaches the end of her spine, mid-back when tied up.
Clothing[]
Casual[]
She typically wore either a mask or sunglasses to cover her eyes, depending on her current attire. As she despised dresses and skirts, she normally wore chino knee-length shorts and a t-shirt for the warmer days, and a pair of jeans, a jumper/sweater (navy, green, burgundy, grey, black and sometimes a puffer vest) with black/grey sneakers for cooler days.
2010[]
Her original Phoenix uniform was comprised of a grey vest, black leggings, boots and gloves, all of which seemed to be made of a sort of protective body armor, that still allowed her great mobility. On her chest, a stylized blue winged bird symbol was visible, and around her waist she wore a blue colored utility belt with various pouches for her equipment. She donned a cape that was black on the outer lining but pale blue on the inside. To protect her identity, Phoenix wore either a black stylized domino mask or sunglasses at all times.
2016
Phoenix wears a dark gray form fitting costume with a blue bird symbol (however slightly different to her original one), and black padding at the abdomen, thighs and lower back. She also has in-built boots, gloves and a black cape and mask.
As Lynx, she wears a red and blue costume, with a hard white mask that covers her forehead, nose and cheeks resembling a stylized lynx's face. Her abdomen and wrists are wrapped in white bandages. Cat wears red boots with matching knee pads. She also wears a golden sheath behind her back which stores her sword and also wears golden straps on her arms and her thigh to hold further weapons and throwing darts.
Also wearing Zatanna's glamour charm to go undercover with her cousin, Catherine's hair appears dark brown/chocolate, her skin caucasian/pale and almond shaped eyes so that Lynx and Tigress looked like sisters.
History[]
Early Life[]
Catherine was born and lived in Melbourne, Australia's suburbs with her family until she was 8 since it was a peaceful city. Already during this time, she had taken extra tutoring, gymnastics and karate lessons with her father due to his desire to have "successful" children. However, only her brother took tutoring and her sister took gymnastics and ballet. Having spent too much time on her lessons, she did not have time to interact with other children her age and many branded her as 'weirdo' or 'teacher's pet' etc. She moved to Gotham since the crime rates in Australia started to rapidly increase.
Discovering that she had the natural ability to learn quickly and adapt, and she loved learning the different styles of martial arts, she continued her training with her godfather and extremely close friend to her father, Bruce Wayne , after she used her high intelligence to discover his superhero job. Not only did she train with Bruce, she had also experienced Lady Shiva 's intense training as well as many other professional martial artists from around the world due to her parents close friendships with each of them from their own learning.
Young Phoenix[]
Both her and Dick Grayson [14] begun their vigilante careers at roughly the same time with Batman since he first insisted that Catherine was yet too young to begin.
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
Phoenix possesses no known superhuman powers, but instead relies on her physical conditioning, exceptional martial arts skills and knowledge, gymnastic ability, and keen detective skills taught to her by the Dark Knight himself. Even when she was young, Cat was considered the Team's strategist, intellect, and most importantly, their infiltrator thanks to her small size and figure. Due to these skills, Phoenix is considered one of the most highly trained and experienced members of the Team , and has also been fighting crime the longest along with Dick Grayson.
Abilities[]
- Conditioning: Having undergone an evidently vigorous and intensive training regimen under Batman, Phoenix has exercised physical form to near-perfection for someone of her age for the purposes of fighting crime.
- Speed: Phoenix is shown to be able to run at above average speed for a human of her age.
- Endurance: Phoenix's endurance is at the peak of a young woman of his age and size.
- Agility: Phoenix has proven to be at the peak of human agility.
- Strength: Phoenix's physical strength is above most young women her age, as she is able to strike out full grown adults with a single blow and hold up people who are considerably heavier than her. She is capable of pressing her entire body weight. She can also do front flips holding all her weight on one arm. She has the strength of someone who engages in intensive exercise.
Movement:
- Master martial artist: Phoenix can take out her enemies with ease possessing her exceptional knowledge in martial arts and agility.
- Master acrobat/gymnast: Phoenix has proven to be able to perform complex aerial maneuvers.
- Master of stealth: Phoenix is a master at stealth, capable of disappearing and reappearing without anyone noticing.
- Escape artistry: Phoenix is capable of escaping from various traps and locks in impressive time.
- Marksmanship: Phoenix is an amazing marksman, almost comparable to Artemis and Red Arrow . She uses her batarangs and rarely misses her target. As she grew older, she had also mastered the longbow, the shortbow, the crossbow and a myriad of trick arrows. She can also shoot 2-3 arrows at a time and have them all hit their mark simultaneously. Her skills are such that she is able to hit targets inches in size meters away.
Mental:
- Detective skills: Phoenix has shown astute deductive reasoning.
- Hacker and computer technician: Phoenix has shown that she is more than capable of easily gaining access to almost any computer or program he wants in a matter of seconds. Even at thirteen she was easily able to hack into both Justice League and Cadmus files with little to no effort on her part. However, Nightwing has proven to be more natural at this than her.
- Strategic planning: Phoenix is a natural leader (although when she was younger it took more urging) and tactician, able to analyze most situations and develop complex and effective plans during combative situations in quick instances.
- Multilingualism: In addition to English, Phoenix has displayed the ability to understand at least French, Russian, Latin, Spanish, Italian, Hindi, Japanese and many other Asian related languages. . Phoenix has proven to be fluent in Vietnamese, Mandarin Chinese, German.
- High Intellect: Cat has been awarded many academic awards, indicating her intelligence is advanced for her age. She was also given a full scholarship to Gotham Academy .
Other:
- Musical: Cat has shown an advanced understanding of musical terms, musical pieces and history. It was mentioned that at just 13 years old, she was at a year 7 grade for piano.
- Artistic: Cat is a talented artist, able to correctly sketch profiles etc.
Equipment[]
Like Batman , Nightwing and Robin , Phoenix carries a variety of weapons on her person that substitutes for superpowers and allows flexibility in attack type.
As Phoenix[]
- Binoculars
- Metal Bo staff: Phoenix used this constantly when she was younger due to her small size, power and figure. It has a taser option and can also be broken into Eskrima sticks.
- Handcuffs: Phoenix carries at least two pairs of handcuffs, allowing her to restrain the hands and feet of captives.
- Holographic computer: A piece of Batman 's technology, later used by all young heroes under Batman's tutelage. As Phoenix her gloves featured a built-in computer system with holographic interface. Although capable of scanning and wireless connectivity where appropriate, USB and TRS connector cables and a USB port are included.
- Wrist watch computer: A holographic interface computer mounted in a wrist watch for use while in civilian clothing.
- Batarangs: Shuriken-like objects, acting like boomerangs, that are used as long range attack weapons. Several variants are used, such as batarangs that explode, emit electric shocks, or release knock-out gas. She also uses blue batarangs similar in design to those of Batman and Robin. Some batarangs are able to act as a radio or play a pre-recorded message.
- Bolas: Thrown devices consisting of a rope weighted at each end, used to snare and restrain opponents.[4]
- Chalk: Used to mark floors when executing complicated battle plans.
- Flash grenades: A device which generates a bright flash of light to dazzle or distract enemies.
- Gas pellets: Tiny-marble like devices that give off a thick gray smoke ideal for obscuring vision. The smoke can also render someone unconscious when used in close spaces. The pellets can be set for delayed detonation.
- Grappling gun: A hand-held device that fires a grappling hook across far distances giving Phoenix the ability to make hasty escapes and climb high objects and buildings. The grapple lines can be lengthened and pulled back utilizing the buttons on the gun.
- Lockpick: A small device to open locks, stored in her glove.
- Knife
- Periscope: A small device allowing the user to see around corners.
- Rebreather: A small device used to breathe underwater.
- Taser: A hand-held taser, that could be used both short range and long range. The exact voltage of the electrical blast is unknown, but it was enough to momentarily slow down Superboy.
As Lynx[]
- Shurikens: Catherine carries various throwing stars that can explode on impact, release a gas etc. She stores them in her utility belt.
- Blowpipe: A blowpipe with sedative darts.
- Bolas: Weighted balls connected by a rope, meant to entangle people.
- Darts: Coated with a drug invented by Artemis's father, Sportsmaster, which causes catatonia for weeks.
- Explosive Pellets: Explodes on impact.
- Glamour Charm: Originally created by Zatanna, Nightwing gave Catherine the charm so she could use it to alter her appearance in order to go undercover.
- Smoke bomb: A bomb filled with smoke that enables her to get away, quickly and stealthily.
- Sword: Stored in the sheath, which Phoenix carries on her back.
- Sais: Stored in a sheath in her thigh.
- Nunchuks: Stored in a holster at her waist.
Vehicles []
- Phoenix's motorcycle: Even at a young age, Cat had her own personal mode of transportation, a customized sports coupe motorcycle. When its battle mode was activated, the motorcycle split in half. The back half turns into a flying laser cannon that protected him from attack. It can also split into a pocket bike if the main body is heavily damaged and is activated through her glove computer.
Weaknesses[]
Despite being extremely physically talented, Catherine is still a human without any superhero abilities and she is still limited by her body and is vulnerable to any sicknesses, diseases, injuries etc.
When younger, Cat's small frame and lack of power was a weakness. Despite her intense training with Batman , Lady Shiva and Black Canary , she has usually had to resort to dodging attacks from superhuman foes, rather than taking them head-on like other sturdier heroes might.
Phoenix's doubt in herself and hesitation at times made her vulnerable to her opponents when she was younger. She eventually outgrew that when she became Lynx for a short time to train with the League of Assassins .
Relationships[]
Batman (Bruce Wayne)[]
As well as being her mentor, Bruce Wayne was also a loving and caring Godfather to Catherine. He began training her when she was just 8 and was impressed by her logical reasoning (detective skills) when she managed to slowly uncover the fact that he was Batman.
Batman trained her in an attempt to build up her confidence, distract her from her depression as he did not want her going down that path. She was only 10 when she was introduced to the field. His general opinion of Cat, although rarely stated directly, is high. When they worked in the field together, they behaved as a well-oiled machine, able to anticipate each other's moves, actions and plans, without the need to vocally communicate with each other.
Despite being her mentor, Batman seemed to treat Phoenix as a partner, rather than as a sidekick.
Artemis[]
Artemis is her older cousin from her Mother's side and acted as a caring older sister figure to Catherine, always hearing her out and guiding her through the tangles of teen life. They had many inside jokes throughout spending time with The Team, and managed to correctly anticipate each others emotions without speaking.
They shared the sarcasm and passive-aggressiveness as a trait, and so The Team viewed them as extremely close friends, not knowing their relation.
Robin/Nightwing[]
Nightwing is a long childhood friend of Phoenix, and their first encounter ended in a brawl as Cat thought Dick was trying to take Bruce away from her. However, they bonded over the years, pushing each others buttons, as Dick did more than her. As Robin, Dick acted jovial and playful towards her. Phoenix responded with either a sarcastic or passive-aggressive manner, always telling him to stop being an idiot etc to correct his immature ways. Catherine did admit once that the reason why she was so interested in Dick was because he was one of the first people to ever beat her at something, the first person to best her in a long time.
Without showing it, Dick and Catherine care greatly for each other as this was revealed in Failsafe when they died together holding hands, as well as in the confrontation with Black Canary.
The Team would often question why they were not dating, considering they have known each other for years. they responded (in private. Robin with Wally and Phoenix with Artemis) with the fact that the other would only see each other as a friend, and that Batman would not allow it. However, Phoenix did not seem jealous and was okay with Robin socializing with other girls as she knew it was his nature.
As they trained together, Phoenix and Robin worked well together on the field, hardly ever questioning each other's motives.
Kid Flash[]
Aqualad[]
Cheshire[]
Miss Martian[]
Zatanna[]
Trivia[]
- Catherine appears to be left handed when handling her weapons and writing