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CassBasil is the friendship between Cassandra Cain and Basil Karlo from the DC Comics fandom.
Canon[]
Cass and Basil are both recruited to join the Gotham Knights together [1]
Cass and Basil are tasked with training together in the Mud Room, with Basil in a human form. When they finish Basil asks Cass if he did good, and Cass says yes. Basil asks for a high five, which Cass gives very aggressively, Basil tells her she’s learning and that she didn’t break any bones that time. Basil asks the computer to generate the biggest, baddest, ugliest bad guy, which turns into a giant Clayface monster. Cass immediately tells the computer to stop. Basil drops to his knees and says that’s all he’ll ever be, and Cass puts a hand on his shoulder and says “not anymore.” Later, Cass invites Basil to join her, Harper, and Steph at the police gala.[2]
Cass notes that she feels like she is moving through the Belfry unseen after Tim dies and Steph leaves. She says the exception is Basil, who fears himself more than she does. She wishes she could tell him that she understands the pain he’s going through, and that she knows what it means to be made into a thing you don’t want to be. [3]
Basil asks Cass if she’s scared during a Joker attack, and nervously insists that he isn’t scared.[4]
Basil approaches Cass as she cries, and says he wanted to see if she was okay. Cass glares at him and asks if that’s really why he’s here, and Basil admits that he was put on “babysitting duty.” Basil admits that he wishes he had something clever to say, but he isn’t clever or eloquent. Cass says “no” and Basil says that just because he can speak doesn’t mean he’s good at it. Basil tells her he used to bottle all of his emotions up as a kid, and he only opened up after his uncle gave him a copy of Shakespeare, which he said helped him find a voice that was not his own. Basil gives Cass the book, and tells her if she wants to go out, he won’t stop her, but tells her she has to be safe. He jokes that if she isn’t there won’t be anyone left in the city who likes him. Cass hugs him and thanks him before leaving.[5]
Cass and Basil practice Shakespeare
At the Belfry Basil uses his clayface powers to shift into Shakespearean characters, and recites The Tempest with Cass. Cass recites it perfectly, and Basil lifts her in his arms and tells her she did so good and didn’t even need the audio. Basil tells her she could be a hell of an actor. Basil asks if she understood what it was saying, and Cass asks if it was about wanting to be free. Basil says that’s right and begins to further explain, but they get interrupted by the rest of the team.[6]
Basil goes through tests to see how long he can last in his Clayface form, a hologram of Cass shows up on his placebo bracelet to tell him to be brave and that she believes in him. However, Basil snaps and begins to attack the doctor, demanding to be Basil again, before saying she wanted him to be Clayface. Cass interrupts them by attacking Basil and telling him to stop. Cass puts the real bracelet back on him and he returns to Basil, and tells Cass he saved him. Basil believes the cure will never work and leaves sadly. Later Cass meets him at the Belfry, Basil tells her to go away and that she’s not safe. He says she doesn’t understand what he is, but Cass says he’s the same as her, and they hug.[7]
Cass draws blood from a sick Basil
An illness spreads to every male in Gotham, Cass joins up with the Birds of Prey to create a cure. They collect blood samples. Cass collects from Basil, and apologizes as she does so, Basil just says he’s glad she and Kate are okay. Basil tells her to hurry, as he doesn’t know how long he will keep his form. Cass says she’ll fix him, and Basil says he knows she will.[8] Later Cass personally gives Basil the antidote[9] The Gotham Knights plan to confront the Outlaws, Basil asks if Cass is “reading lines with me or what” Cass replies “or what.” When they confront the Outlaws, Artemis punches Cass in the face, and Basil immediately slams Artemis to the ground, knocking her out.[10] Cass and Basil train together, and Basil admits that after he’s cured he won’t be able to be a hero anymore, and that he’ll be on his own again. Cass tells him to stop and that everything will be okay. Cass continues and tells him their life isn’t normal, that she can’t be put back, so she fights. But Basil will get a life. Basil continues to catastrophize, and Cass says she’ll hit him. Basil thanks her, and says she’s the only one who understands. He asks Cass if they can still run Shakespeare lines together and Cass says yes.[11]
Basil gets kidnapped and beaten by the Victim Syndicate and thrown in Arkham, as the Gotham Knights all argue, Cass tells them to stop and points to the video feed of Basil, saying that he needs help.[12]
The combined torture and anguish causes Basil to snap and go on a rampage as Clayface. Cass begs the doctor to make him better, and she confirms that they have a final cure ready in an hour. Basil breaks into the Belfry and tells Bruce he never cared about any of them. Cass tells him that’s not true, and Basil hesitates, and tells her to get out of the way. Cass refuses. Basil throws a hit and says its a warning, Cass tells him she doesn’t care if he hurts her. Basil retreats out of his Clayface form and back into his human form and collapses on his knees, he asks why he’s hurting them and says he doesn’t know what he’s doing, and asks what’s wrong with himself. However, Basil broke all the excess clay in the mudroom on his rampage, and it begins to fall on him, turning him back into a monster. Basil tells Cass to run, and then breaks out into a large Clayface monster.[13]
Cass watches Basil on his rampage and notes that he is so scared, she says he needs help and begins to cry. The Doctor gives Cass the cure and tasks her with delivering it to Basil, she asserts that she can talk to him and make sure he’s okay. Cass gives Basil the cure and he turns human again, Cass tells him he’s okay and confirms that the destruction was his doing. Basil asks if it’s over, and Cass says he’ll turn back due to the excess clay. Basil sarcastically says that it would be too easy, and he would get to be good. Cass begins to cry, and tells Basil that he is good, and she sees him and knows him and is like him. Basil insists that Cass is good, better than him, and not like him. Basil says he hurt all these people, and thought he could get a happy ending. Cass says he can, but Basil says bad guys don’t get happy endings. Cass quotes The Tempest at him again, but Basil begins to change back to Clayface. Cass tells him he’s stronger than that, but Basil says he isn’t. Kate tells Cass to close her eyes through the comm, and then shoots Basil in the head.[14]
Cass wails and clutches Basil’s body as he dissolves into mud. Dr. October approaches and Cass begs her to make him okay again, but October says he’s dead and the weapon destroyed him on a molecular level. Cass confronts Kate and demands to know why she killed Basil, she slams her against the wall and says he could be good and could be saved. Kate says she won’t fight her, and Cass tells that she took ‘it’ away, and demands to know why. Kate says she was saving her life, and Cass tells her she was hurting it.[15]
Cass gets therapy appointments with Leslie, where she describes a memory of her and Basil being heroes as her last time she felt happy. Leslie asks Cass if she thinks she’s good, and Cass says she knows she’s not. Leslie asks if Basil was good, and Cass said he tried, but they killed him, and maybe one day they’ll kill her too.[16] (976)
Babs offers to tutor Cass in language, both spoken and written, and says in a few months they can work up to Shakespeare, but Cass begins to quote The Tempest at her. Cass asks if she did good, and Babs says that she’s amazing and thinks they can skip a few lessons. From outside the door, Basil watches, crying, and says “Yeah, kid, you really were.” He pins a note to Cass on the door. He walks back to Victoria who is waiting for him in a car, and asks if he saw her. Basil says he did, and that she’ll be just fine without him.[17]
Behind the Scenes[]
During an AMA with current author of Batgirl (2024), Tate Brombal, a fan asked which of Cass's relationships from previous runs are his favorites, and if we can expect any of them back again. Brombal said he had a soft spot for Cass's friendship with Clayface, but has no plans to bring him or other relationships back quite yet.[18]
Fanon[]
CassBasil was one of Cass's central and most significant friendships during her early days post-flashpoint. Many of Cass's original relationships were not allowed to be developed back due to editorial mandate, or simply were not given time to thrive due to the nature of the story. Therefore, Cass and Basil had the strongest and most beloved relationships during the rebirth era. Many fans loved their shared struggles with being percieved as "good" and their struggles with redemption, and found Basil helping Cass with her language to be heartwarming.
Many fans are upset that this friendship has overall been forgotten and that Clayface has largely returned to his original role as a villain despite his redemption.
Cassandra Cain and Basil Karlo have 4 works written for them on AO3.
Fandom[]
- FAN FICTION
- Cassandra & Basil tag on AO3
[]
- ↑ Detective Comics #934
- ↑ Detective Comics #943
- ↑ Detective Comics #950
- ↑ Detective Comics #951
- ↑ Detective Comics #953
- ↑ Detective Comics #958
- ↑ Detective Comics #964
- ↑ Batgirl and the Birds of Prey #16
- ↑ Batgirl and the Birds of Prey #17
- ↑ Red Hood and the Outlaws #15
- ↑ Detective Comics #970
- ↑ Detective Comics #971
- ↑ Detective Comics #972
- ↑ Detective Comics #973
- ↑ Detective Comics #974
- ↑ Detective Comics #976
- ↑ Detective Comics #981
- ↑ [1]