Shondra Kinsolving
Shondra Kinsolving is a female comic character who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Sandra Asplin was a female human who came to be adopted by the Asplin family when she was 6 years old. Her new father Amos Asplin was abusive while her adoptive mother Minnie did nothing to help her or her brother Benjamin (also adopted). Amos beat his children for being meta-human while Minnie stood idly by. One day, Benjamin and Sandra killed Amos by accident using their powers. While Sandra promised never to use her abilities again, Benjamin experimented further to increase his power. After running away from her home, Sandra changed her name to Shondra Kinsolving and became a physiotherapist living in Gotham City. (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight v1 #59)
During this time, she acted as physiotherapist for Jack Drake who was the father of Tim Drake and a neighbor to Bruce Wayne. Drake had been paralyzed during a kidnapping a few months earlier. (Batman v1 #486) When Batman finds himself dealing with chronic exhaustion as a result of facing the entirety of his rogues gallery in rapid succession, he takes on Kinsolving as his doctor under the recommendation of Tim Drake. She was responsible for treating Bruce Wayne persona. (Batman v1 #488) While treating Wayne, Kinsolving developed deep feelings for him. (Batman v1 #494) A few days later, Kinsolving attended a charity function at Gotham's Civic Center, where she represented her clinic, which was being funded by the Wayne Foundation. However, all the people at the event were drugged and hypnotized by Poison Ivy, including Kinsolving, who recovered after a few hours, when the effects from the drugs receded. (Batman v1 #495) Shortly after, Kinsolving was summoned to Wayne Manor, where she was asked to provide her expertise in medicine for Wayne's recovery. Wayne's butler Alfred Pennyworth told her that Bruce had been in a car crash, but Kinsolving knew it was a lie by examining the x-ray results. However, she decided to play along and tried her best to tend Wayne's wounds as she started to develop feelings for him. (Batman v1 #498) Unfortunately, she was kidnapped along with Jack Drake, an event which Wayne helplessly witnessed. (Detective Comics v1 #665)
She continues to care for him after his back is broken by supervillain Bane. The two develop a romantic attachment over the course of his care, but before Wayne can fully commit to the relationship, Kinsolving is kidnapped by her half-brother Benedict Asp, who forces her to use her abilities for evil.
Kinsolving soon learned that the responsible for her abduction was her brother Benjamin now using the alias Benedict Asp who wanted to use Kinsolving and her healing powers as part of an experiment for a new weapon he was developing. Asp took her and Drake to his residence in England, where he started experimenting with them. (Batman: Shadow of the Bat v1 #21) Unfortunately, Kinsolving was unaware that her powers were being used to create a weapon of mass destruction. (Batman: Shadow of the Bat v1 #22) After a week of testing, Kinsolving was found by a still-injured Bruce Wayne in disguise and she denied knowing him. Asp however, knew that his mission was in peril and knocked Kinsolving unconscious, taking her away from England. (Batman: Shadow of the Bat v1 #23) Once they reached another safe haven, Asp experimented further with Kinsolving and as a test of the psionic weapon he developed, they murdered their adoptive mother from miles away. (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight v1 #59) Asp kept her drugged and the constant exposure to drugs and mental strain caused her to become mentally unbalanced as she would switch from an adult mentality to a child-like mindset. When Bruce Wayne came to rescue her, Asp and Bruce struggled and Asp was injured in the fight. Kinsolving tried to heal her brother, but with her mind confused and in her drugged state, she killed him. Afterwards, she was filled with regret and used her powers to completely heal Bruce from his broken back. Unfortunately, the experience was too much for her mind and her psyche returned to that of a child permanently. Bruce Wayne bought a big residence, where Kinsolving could spend the rest of her days under the best medical care. (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight v1 #61)
Asp reveals Shondra's healing powers and, along with his own psychic powers, uses her to telekinetically massacre an entire village. A newly healed Batman eventually defeats Benedict, but the events leave Shondra traumatized, causing her psyche to regress back into childhood, the last of her sanity being sacrificed to heal Wayne's broken back by reknitting the last of the damaged nerves. Wayne places her in an institution where she can be cared for, and she is later put in the care of a foster family, where she begins to slowly recover from her ordeal.
Kinsolving was looked after by Mrs. McFarland, a nurse. Mrs. McFarland took her to the Gotham Zoo where Kinsolving used her powers to heal a boy in a wheelchair, and a riot ensued. They narrowly escaped, but the riot attracted the attention of Kluber and Nug, who kidnapped Kinsolving. (Azrael v1 #11) They held her at the zoo until Jean-Paul Valley rescued her. (Azrael v1 #12) Bruce subsequently sent Kinsolving and Mrs. McFarland to Europe, and Azrael stayed in her house. (Azrael v1 #13) She later returned to Gotham where Bruce paid for her full-time care, and she began to heal people brought to her by her nurses. (Azrael: Agent of the Bat v1 #98) Leslie Thompkins brought Azrael to see her when his health failed; however, Kinsolving couldn't heal him because there was nothing actually wrong. (Azrael: Agent of the Bat v1 #99)
Barbara Gordon asks Alfred Pennyworth if they should contact Kinsolving to operate on Batman after he fractures his skull. Alfred asserts that she is not well, but Barbara informed him that she had gotten better. Kinsolving eventually recovered her facilities and assisted Thomas Elliot when he operated on Bruce Wayne. (Batman v1 #609)
Overview
Personality and attributes
From a young age, she came to be adopted by the Asplin family where her adoptive father was Amos Asplin and her mother was Minnie Asplin. She had a brother who was similarly adopted the family who was named Benjamin Asplin. (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight v1 #59)
Benjamin Asplin was an orphan adopted by the Asplins along with Sandra Asplin. His childhood was troubled by an abusive father who would always beat his sister. The kids would eventually discover the effects of their combined powers. Benjamin's telekinesis would amplify Sandra's healing powers and they started healing kids at their school and injured animals. One night, when their father was ready to beat them they discovered that their powers could work backwards as they accidentally killed the elder Asplin with their powers turned to hate and damaging instead of healing. (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight v1 #59)
Powers and abilities
Shondra Kinsolving possesses the ability to heal major wounds through physical contact. Her powers can even heal what would otherwise be permanent like spinal damage.
She possessed the ability to kill people with her touch.
Notes
- Shondra Kinsolving was created by Doug Moench and Jim Aparo where she made her first appearance in Batman v1 #481 (July, 1992).
Alternate Versions
- In DC Comics Bombshells v1 #4 (2016), an alternate version of Shondra Kinsolving appeared in the DC Bombshells reality that was designated as Earth-24 in the Multiverse.
Appearances
- Batman v1: (1992)
External Links
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