Kate Kane vs. Barbara Gordon
Batwoman is Kate Kane, Bruce Wayne’s cousin. Batgirl is Barbara Gordon, Commissioner Gordon’s daughter. We caught a glimpse of Kate, played by Ruby Rose, in the Arrowverse crossovers last December when Team Arrow ventured to Gotham with Supergirl. There we saw Arkham Asylum and even hints of Pamela Isley (Poison Ivy), Edward Nygma (The Riddler), and Oswald Cobblepott (The Penguin).
During the crossover we found out Bruce Wayne had left Gotham three years earlier and Kate was acting as guardian of the city and Wayne Enterprises. What we didn’t know is how the series would go this fall. Doing some excellent internet sleuthing a.k.a. Instagram stalking, I’ve found out they’ve mostly wrapped filming the pilot in Vancouver this week. But Deadline interviewed producer Greg Berlanti earlier this month and he was able to spill more about the pilot storyline.
Kate’s Past
Batwoman has been around in several versions for more than 60 years but in 2006 she was rebooted and came out as an open lesbian. This is the version the show is going for, not the initial love interest for Batman. The episode will dive into her father and step-mother, played by Dougray Scott and Elizabeth Anweis. What we know: Jacob Kane did not like Batman. He’s former military and now runs a private security firm working to protect Gotham from the seedy underbelly and vigilantes, like the new caped crusader. Kate’s step-mother Catherine Hamilton-Kane made her fortune in defense contracts and she too, has it out for Batwoman.
Kate’s Antagonist
We only have a hint for those of us not well versed in the comics as to who will be tormenting Batwoman, and that’s Alice and her Wonderland Gang played by Rachel Skarsten. You may recognize her from other CW show Reign, or Lost Girl, where she played a Valkyrie. From what I’ve found via Instagram stories, the training sessions these two have had look less frightening when they upload Christmas music over it. Check out Rachel’s Instagram story for a fun look at their time.
A quick screenshot of the filming gift from DC comics for Rachel shows her Alice character. Source Rachel Skarsten’s Instagram Story
The Rest of the Cast
Three more round out the cast: Meagan Tandy plays Sophie Moore, a military academy graduate who works private security. Camrus Johnson plays Luke Fox, son of Lucius Fox, and works in Wayne Tower in Research and Development. Nicole Kang plays Kate’s step-sister Mary Hamilton, working in Gotham’s underserved communities. Will Meagan’s character be a love interest for Batwoman or will she fall in love with with her nemesis? I want to know!
While we wait for filming to resume in Vancouver, Ruby celebrated her birthday this week and she’s up next in Sam Heughan’s new film Red Notice. So that will be interesting to see her take a turn as those two worlds collide. We also got news that Arrowverse team captain Stephen Amell will be ending Arrow after 10 episodes. Will the DCTV universe of Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and now Batwoman be able to survive without the Green Arrow?
