Continuing on with our coverage of the upcoming Birds of Prey film, we’re going to be covering the Helena Bertinelli version of Huntress.
She’s the daughter of a mob boss and in Arrow, she’s been romantically involved with Oliver Queen. Outside of all this, Helena Bertinelli is a kickass hero who knows how to wield a crossbow. What’s more, she’s even been Batgirl at one point. We’re super surprised at that fact. Also, be sure not to confuse her with Helena Kyle from the series, Birds of Prey.
Note: The information about Helena Bertinelli will be coming from the Cry for Blood storyline in regards to her family. We mention her early origin’s father at the bottom of the biography.
FULL NAME: Helena Rosa Bertinelli
NICKNAME(S): None that we know of
ALIAS(ES):
- Huntress
- Batgirl
- Matron
COMIC BOOK FRANCHISE: DC Comics
CREATOR(S): Joey Cavalieri and Joe Staton
FIRST APPEARANCE(S): The Huntress #1 (April 1989 as Huntress) and Batman: Shadow of the Bat #83 (March 1999 as Batgirl)
ALLIES:
- Justice League
- Birds of Prey
- Bat Family
- Outsiders
- Checkmate
- Spyral
- Team Arrow (Arrow only)
POWERS/ABILITIES:
- Highly skilled gymnast
- Highly skilled hand-to-hand combatant
- Expert markswoman
FAMILY:
- Franco Bertinelli (adoptive father/stepfather in Cry for Blood storyline)
- Santo Cassamento (biological father in Cry for Blood storyline)
- Maria Bertinelli (mother)
- Frank Bertinelli (father in Arrow only)
- Jerry Bertinelli (cousin in Arrow only)
FRIEND(S):
- Richard Dragon
- Vic Sage/The Question
TEAM(S):
- Justice League
- Spyral
- Bat family
- Birds of Prey
- Checkmate
- Outsiders
- Justice League International
BIOGRAPHY
According to the Cry for Blood storyline, Helena Bertinelli was born as Helena Rosa Bertinelli to crime boss Franco Bertinelli and his wife, Maria. However, it was later revealed that Franco wasn’t her father at all and that rival mafia don, Santo Cassamento was biologically her dad after it is discovered he had an ongoing affair with Maria.
At the age of 8, Helena witnesses her family get murdered. This puts her in the sights of Batman and Nightwing (Dick Grayson) which causes conflict between the three of them. After retreating from Gotham with Richard Dragon and Vic Sage, Helena returns with a new outlook on life which gives her the strength to confront her biological father and to discover the real reason her family died. Here, she is faced with the choice of acting on her new instincts or wanting vengeance for the murders of her family.
It should be noted that her father in her earliest original was Guido Bertinelli.
PAST MEDIA APPEARANCES
In recent years, Helena Bertinelli has appeared in a number of media including animated film and television as well as video games while these appearances trump most of her recent appearances.
HELENA BERTINELLI’S MOST RECENT MEDIA APPEARANCE
Helena Bertinelli’s recent appearance was during the first two seasons of The CW series, Arrow where she was the daughter of Frank Bertinelli and a vengeance against him due to his role in the death of her fiancée, Michael. She plots to destroy her father’s criminal organisation and begins to date Oliver.
During the time they had together, Oliver gives her a crossbow while Quentin Lance gives her the code name, Huntress. However, since her appearances early in the series’s run, Helena almost appeared again but has not.
In Season 7, Bertinelli’s mask is among the Chimera’s collection, leaving her fate up in the air.
Helen is referenced indirectly by Oliver’s wife, Felicity as a joke about her husband’s love life prior to their marriage.
Finally, Helena Bertinelli’s name appeared on a map during the second season of Gotham.
PORTRAYALS – LIVE ACTION
During her two season stint on Arrow, Australian actress Jessica De Gouw played Helena Bertinelli.
The character is due to make her live-action feature debut in Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) and is played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead.
PORTRAYALS – ANIMATION
Helena Bertinelli has more animated appearances than what she does live-action. For instance, some of these appearances include:
Also, an alternate version of Helena makes a cameo appearance as Huntress in the animated film Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, though she has no speaking lines.
Famed voice actress Tara Strong voices Helena in Batman: The Brave and the Bold. The costume she wears shares a striking similarity to her Earth-2 counterpart. Therefore, she joins forces with Batman and Blue Beetle while developing a fierce rivalry with Catwoman.
Before that, Helena also appears in Justice League Unlimited and was voiced by Amy Acker.
In conclusion, our coverage of Birds of Prey will continue. We cannot wait to see the movie and see the live-action feature version of Helena in action. It’s going to be awesome! Tune in next week for a new super!
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