One of the biggest delights, at least for us at Batwoman.tv, is that The CW shows give opportunities to see real life actors portray characters we might not normally see in a big budget film. Arrow's Wild Dog, Supergirl's Brainac 5 or The Flash's Jesse Quick come to mind as perfect examples of characters that could be easily passed over in a movie universe, yet we love seeing them on our TV's. Some might argue that Batwoman could be such a character but again thanks to The CW's universe, we get to see Kate Kane in live action! Of course doing a show like Batwoman already comes with a little baggage. Supergirl had the same baggage when it debuted as well. Neither Batwoman nor Supergirl would exist without their title character counterpoints. That's not to say they couldn't but based on comic lore, Supergirl chooses the moniker of "Super" to follow in Clark's footsteps. Kate Kane chooses the "Bat" moniker to follow along in Batman's example. Without Superman or Batman, these characters could certainly be heroes on their own, but they likely wouldn't have had the names they do today.
So with that, Batwoman's existence means Batman exists. He's been mentioned on both Earths in the Arrowverse. We also know from some of the audition language that Batwoman is seeking to find Batman. But much like Supergirl's first season, the more famous counterpart won't show, at least for this first season and there is a very important reason for that. Much like our previous article, it all comes down to licensing. Right now, the Batman intellectual property is split into many different parts. The license for Batman to appear on TV is solely in the custody of Fox's Gotham. For now, the only appearance of Bruce Wayne has to live there. However, Gotham's final season is this season and the license for Batman may become available next year. So again, looking at Supergirl as a model, It is very possible that Batwoman's first season will be Batmanless, but a season 2 (if there is one) might start with a CW Arrowverse Batman. Of course, this is all just speculation.
Not having Batman in season one does offer some advantages though. The first is Batwoman will get to stand on her own. Unlike Supergirl, who operates in a city other than Superman, Batwoman is in Gotham. Batwoman and Batman would likely cross paths if he isn't missing. With Batman absent from Gotham, Batwoman will be able to establish herself in this city for plots and for the audience as a show. Additionally, having no Batman doesn't mean no other characters from the Bat world. Gotham has a hold of many of them, like Commissioner Gordon, Alfred Pennyworth (who is also getting his own show) and Catwoman. The DC Universe, which will launch in mid-September, has Robin/Nightwing in their new show Titans, debuting in October. A way to build the show and enrich the Batwoman world would be to bring in some of the other characters from Gotham that are available. Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Cassandra Cain, or even Stephanie Brown could be great additions to the show that would really elevate team Batwoman. This doesn't preclude the possibility of a completely new character either. The addition of Alex Danvers to Supergirl's story has to be, arguably, the best character addition to any of the comic-based shows.
For now, its almost 100% certain that we won't see a Batman in the first season. Surrounding Kate Kane with other characters from the Batlore, however, could be an incredible way to build a show that will last a very long time and let's be honest, all of these shows have teams anyway.
Let us know who you'd like to see join Kate on her show in the comments below and in our forum!
Comments
I don't know anything about Batwoman or her usual crew, but I'd love to see Stephanie Brown show up anywhere. Especially if they don't kill her, which is all the comics seem to know to do with her. Conversely, I do NOT want to see Jason Todd show up. I voted to kill the little puke and he needs to get back in his grave and stay there.