The Batwoman Origin Story will kick things off for the newest addition to the Arrowverse, which is scheduled to premiere this fall on the CW on October 6th. At Comic Con, the show’s executive producers revealed that the first episodes of the new season will focus on how Katherine Kane came to don the cape and cowl.
Batwoman Origin Begins
Audiences have already had the opportunity to see actress Ruby Rose don the cowl of Batwoman during the Arrowverse crossover earlier this year. In that crossover, Kane is already well established as Batwoman, as she teams up with Green Arrow and Supergirl to solve a mystery at Arkham Asylum. Shortly thereafter, a pilot was filmed, screened, and approved for a full season that will begin this fall.
According to the shows producers, Caroline Dries and Sarah Schechter (who were covering for the absent Rose) the show will begin by focusing on a time before that crossover, with Kane slowly becoming Batwoman. The producers want to dedicate screen time to really exploring Kane’s backstory, which deals with the struggles of being a lesbian in the military.
“I think representation is everything, and diversity is our strength,” said Schechter, who executive produces all five shows involved in “Crisis.” “So we love this character and we love her sexuality, and we love her beyond her sexuality. She’s an epic hero, and her story deserved to be told, but we’re really proud to have an out lesbian woman be front and center in one of these shows.”
The show’s other producer, Dries, said,”This character is getting a lot of attention for being the first gay superhero [with a] title show. But really, the [Greg] Berlanti shows have been laying the groundwork for a show like this to exist.”
G.I. Kane
For those unfamiliar with Batwoman’s back story, Katherine Kane’s father is a high ranking member of the US military. Katherine was raised in a military family and would grow up to join the military herself. Unfortunately, Katherine joined the military during the now defunct policy of “don’t ask, don’t tell’. As such, Kane was discharged for violating that policy despite her impeccable record.
The Batwoman origin resonates with a lot of people, especially with members of the LGBTQ community for it’s portrayal of an individual who, despite their work and contributions, becomes marginalized based on who they are. Dries had this to add regarding that notion:
“Because that was such a milestone moment in her life, we knew we had to hint at that in the pilot. Moving forward in the series, we will return to Point Rock Academy because that decision is such a big deal that [Katherine] made.”
That moment in the life of Kane is as important to her as the death of Bruce’s parents is to his. Fans can only hope that a lot of love, care, and affection is being put to this story line as the show is getting set to premiere.
