With season one of Batwoman officially done, Nicole Kang talks navigating Mary’s journey, and what the future holds for her and the Bat Team.
Gotham is a dark place.
In related news: Grass is green. It’s nothing unexpected; darkness has defined Gotham City since we were first introduced to it back in 1940.
If you’re looking for light in Gotham, it’s typically on top of Wayne Enterprises, projecting the bat signal into the sky. But in the Arrowverse’s Gotham, there’s an even brighter spot.
It comes in the form of Mary Hamilton.
It could be because Mary operates a secret clinic, providing medical care to the most overlooked Gotham residents. It could be because she’s always willing to do whatever she can to make sure Batwoman succeeds. It could be because Mary has a brilliant dry humor, and knows exactly when it’s time to suggest day drinking.
Really, it’s all of these things that have made Mary Hamilton a joy to watch in Batwoman‘s premiere season. Brought to life by Nicole Kang, Mary has brought fans into Gotham in a way that feels almost tangible.
“I love that Mary takes the seat of the audience for the most part, as like a normal citizen of Gotham, but a fangirl of Batwoman, and we get to see through her eyes,” Kang tells Culturess over a Zoom call.
“It’s almost like I went through this whole journey along with the audience,” she continues. “For the first season, I’m just as nervous, I’m just as doubtful, I’m just as triumphant, like all those moments happened week to week for me.”
And she’s not wrong. Throughout Batwoman‘s first season, Mary’s journey from just being Kate’s social media influencer stepsister with a secretly large heart and larger brain, to actually joining the Bat Team, has put her through the emotional gauntlet.
And yet, she — like the audience — has had an absolute blast. (Sometimes literally. But even when hit by an actual bomb blast, Mary Hamilton stayed in her clinic, because she’s a queen.)
Now, with a full season of Batwoman behind her, Nicole Kang has been taking the time to process the importance of her character.
“At the culmination of this whole season, Caroline sort of told me, like, the heart, you know? She’s like the heartbeat of this show,” Kang recalls. “And, I don’t know, being given that sort of crown or being given that responsibility has been — the payoff has been incredibly worth it. It’s been really special.”
In particular, Kang recalls her amazement at being chosen as the character to give Batwoman a pep talk.
“I keep on thinking, wow, it could’ve been the head of Crows security, it could’ve been her ex-girlfriend, it could’ve been her twin sister, it could’ve been anybody else,” Kang marvels. “But to have it come from the voice of the people almost, was … I thought, so beautiful.”
Once again, she’s not wrong. And as a result, our Batwoman is still going strong in Gotham.
That said, for every bit of light that Mary has injected into this show, she’s still a resident of Gotham. She has her dark side too. And it jumps out in the Batwoman season one finale.
In an effort to get Commander Kane to speak to and work with Batwoman, Mary serves as the middleman (or rather, woman). Seeing that her stepfather is so buried in his hatred for the bat, Mary finally tells him exactly what she thinks.
It’s one of Mary’s most powerful, assertive moments thus far — but it certainly wasn’t expected to be.
“It surprised me. In preparing for that scene, I did not think that was the direction it would go. I thought maybe it would be really heartfelt, because I did a similar thing to Batwoman,” Kang admits. “The fact that it turned into what it turned into … it just kept on growing and developing as we were shooting.”
With such a definitive blow-up leaving Mary and her stepfather almost officially on opposing sides, what does that mean for them next season?
“I’m really excited to see her and Commander Kane’s relationship develop in season two, from here, because it ends at such a height in season one,” Kang says.
“But, I remember the pilot of this show. Kate asks ‘Where’s my dad?’ and she goes ‘I have no idea. He terrifies me.’ And she sort of is like ‘Let’s drink,’ you know? To then — saying that a man terrifies her — to being able to find the strength, to have her mother die, to have him insist that he still loves her, to try and negotiate that relationship without her mother, and finding the strength to stand up to him, to believe in herself so much so that she’s willing to put all of that on the line, is really telling.”
Odds are, things will get even harder for Jacob Kane thanks to the return of a different bat to town. While it’s not technically Bruce Wayne — it’s just Tommy Elliot sporting Bruce’s face, thanks to Alice — his arrival won’t go unnoticed in Gotham.
As a Batman superfan herself, this reveal was extra exciting for Nicole Kang.
“My mind is blown because I have no idea where season two is going. And this just completely, I feel like, busted down the door for anything that could happen,” Kang says, awestruck. “The possibilities are endless. I thought it was going in this way, but now I have no idea.”
For what it’s worth, not many people do. Showrunner Caroline Dries tells us she knows “loosely what’s going to happen,” but nothing concrete has been figured out just yet.
Fans have some idea of what they want, though, at least when it comes to Mary. Many are hoping that she follows the path of Mary Elizabeth Kane of the comics, eventually suiting up as Flamebird.
Obviously, suiting up would be a dream come true for Nicole Kang. But maybe not just yet.
“For right now, Mary believes that Batwoman is enough,” Kang affirms. “Batwoman is the superhero in her life and to Gotham.”
Personally, I wouldn’t mind seeing Mary follow the villain’s path. Operating her clinic, she’s seen the worst that can happen to people in Gotham. She’s had more than her fair share of familial struggles. And though she may technically be on the Bat Team, Kate has still been reluctant to fully embrace Mary and her ideas. All that can make for a dangerous cocktail.
When asked if she’d ever be interested in taking the villainous route Kang acknowledged the potential in it.
“I don’t know what the circumstances will be. But certainly, thinking that it could be a hero or a villain is definitely a smart position to take,” Kang notes. “Because that’s the truth. There’s so much inside of her.”
For now, Mary remains “the ultimate ally” in Nicole Kang’s eyes.
She’ll never out Batwoman herself, and she’ll be there for Kate as they figure out this new hurdle with their father.
“She’s like ‘I know. I hear you. And I’m sorry. That sucks,” Kang says.
With the announcement that Batwoman season two won’t hit our screens until January 2021, she reiterates a similar sentiment to the fans of the show.
“You’re not alone,” Kang reassures fans. “We’re chomping at the bit. We’re ready to get back. We’re ready to take all safety precautions. We’re ready to do what we need to do, and adjust.”
Batwoman season one is available to stream for free now in the CW app.