Warning! Spoilers ahead for the Batman: The World story "Batman and Panda Girl"
DC Comics has just introduced a new female Robin to fight alongside Batman, and her ultimate villain is none other than Wayne Enterprises. While the Dark Knight has had a number of sidekicks take up the mantle of Robin, the international anthology Batman: The World introduces readers to Panda Girl, a Chinese crimefighter who needs little guidance from Batman to take on Bruce Wayne’s multinational corporation when it threatens her home.
The globe-spanning hardcover anthology Batman: The World features stories set in 14 different countries, each written and illustrated by creators from those countries. Many of the stories explore how Batman is viewed by different cultures around the world, and often pit the Caped Crusader against threats unique to each international locale.
The collection’s story from China, “Batman and Panda Girl,” is written by Xu Xiaodong and Lu Xiaotong with art and cover by Qiu Kun, colors by Yi Nan and letters by Li Xiaobing. The story opens with Bruce Wayne in a hot pot restaurant in China recommended to him by Alfred. When his server, Kiki, slips on the floor, she displays why she is the city’s martial arts champion by flipping around and catching her tray without spilling a drop. Bruce is impressed with the young woman, whose grandfather owns the restaurant. Kiki reveals herself to be a huge Batman fan. He is shocked the next day to learn that his company Wayne Enterprises has bought the street and plans to demolish the restaurant and surrounding businesses to make room for its own developments.
Bruce is unaware of this business deal until hearing about it from Alfred. Executives from Wayne Enterprises show how disconnected they are with Bruce’s vision by showing up to the restaurant and trashing the place. Unwilling to let her grandfather’s restaurant be demolished without a fight, Kiki suits up as a new vigilante Panda Girl. Wearing a classic Robin outfit with a pair of panda ears atop her head, she infiltrates the Wayne Enterprises headquarters to steal the real estate deeds and save the businesses on the street. As she sneaks in and encounters guards, she is shocked to encounter Batman himself, wearing a new suit inspired by Chinese armor. Panda Girl makes short work of some employees trying to stop her and displays how confident she is in her skills when she tells Batman, “Stand behind me! I will protect you!”
Together they fight through Wayne Enterprise thugs before reaching the head executive. When Batman threatens to call Bruce Wayne, the executive backs off and the restaurant is allowed to stay open. When Bruce visits the restaurant the next day, Kiki indicates that she knows that he and Batman are one and the same. With her fighting ability, confidence and apparent skills of detection, Kiki shows herself to be a strong and capable hero, and one worthy of fighting alongside Batman. While the story is not canon, Batman is always in the market for a new Robin, and it would be a lot of fun to see Panda Girl make her way to Gotham in the future and become part of a new Dynamic Duo.