Cheshire, whose real name is Jade Nguyen, is a prominent supervillain in DC Comics, renowned for her expertise as an assassin and her recurring antagonism toward the Teen Titans. She first appeared in New Teen Titans Annual #2 in 1983, created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez. Born to a French father and Vietnamese mother—or, in later retcons, of solely Vietnamese heritage—Jade endured a traumatic childhood marked by being sold into slavery. She escaped this fate by killing her master and subsequently trained under various mentors, including Chinese guerrilla fighter Weng Chan and the African revolutionary Kruen Musenda, known as the Spitting Cobra, from whom she mastered the art of poisons. By her late teens, she had established herself as a highly sought-after mercenary, adopting the alias Cheshire and building a fearsome reputation for efficiency and ruthlessness.
Cheshire possesses exceptional skills as a martial artist, acrobat, and toxicologist, with immunity to poisons and proficiency in treating her weapons—particularly her signature artificial fingernails—with deadly toxins. Ranked among the world's most dangerous assassins, second only to Lady Shiva in some assessments, she has undertaken contracts for organizations such as the League of Assassins, the Secret Society of Super-Villains, and Tartarus. Her career features notable acts of villainy, including the destruction of the fictional nation of Qurac through nuclear means to demonstrate her capabilities, as well as alliances with figures like Vandal Savage and Deathstroke. These endeavors often positioned her in direct conflict with heroic teams, particularly the Teen Titans, solidifying her status as a long-standing adversary.
A defining aspect of Cheshire's character involves her complex personal relationships, most notably her romantic involvement with Roy Harper, formerly known as Speedy and later Arsenal or Red Arrow. Their affair, initiated during Harper's undercover mission, resulted in the birth of their daughter, Lian Harper, whom Cheshire largely abandoned to pursue her mercenary lifestyle. Lian's presumed death in the destruction of Star City profoundly impacted both parents, leading to periods of grief, collaboration, and betrayal, including Cheshire's temporary alignment with Deathstroke's Titans. In more recent continuities, such as the Infinite Frontier and Dawn of DC eras, developments have included Lian's survival and eventual reunion with Cheshire, prompting explorations of redemption, maternal regret, and tentative reconciliation amid ongoing criminal activities.