It seems the reports that Batwoman is ousting Kate Kane from its lead role are true — but the showrunner insists they won’t be killing her off, at least.
News surrounding Batwoman has been a whirlwind since Ruby Rose announced her departure from The CW series, and fans have become increasingly anxious about what season 2 will bring. Not only is the lead actress leaving — a jarring experience for fans of any show — but the creatives behind Batwoman intend to replace Kate Kane with a new main character. And fans have a lot of feelings about it.
For one, without Kate at the center of the series, the show will need to jump through hoops to make sense of its current storylines and lineup of characters going forward — and this is after it finally found its footing toward the end of season 1.
Then there was the bigger issue fans were concerned about: that Batwoman would kill Kate off to explain her away, perpetuating the “Bury Your Gays” trope while doing so. This undoubtedly would have been a disappointing path forward for the series (even more so than replacing the character in general), but it seems Batwoman won’t be taking this route.
Showrunner Caroline Dries took to Twitter on Wednesday to clear up any rumors that this would be the case, emphasizing that, while the show will be moving forward without Kate (sigh), it won’t be killing her character to do so. Labeled “A note from me on behalf of the Bat Team…” Dries wrote:
"“As a lesbian who’s been working as a writer for the past fifteen years, I’m well aware of the ‘Bury Your Gays’ trope and I have no interest in participating in it. That’s why it’s important to me as the showrunner to clarify any misinformation out there about Kate Kane and recasting Batwoman. Like you, I love Kate Kane — she’s the reason I wanted to do the show. We’ll never erase her. In fact, her disappearance will be one of the mysteries of season two. I don’t want to give away any of our surprises, but to all our devoted fans, please know that LGBTQ+ justice is at the very core of what Batwoman is and we have no intention of abandoning that.”"
Dries’ words are a comfort to fans concerned that the LGBTQ+ rep in Batwoman would be derailed by Kate’s disappearance, and they also suggest that the series has a specific plan moving forward … something that is a small relief for those who aren’t thrilled about getting a new lead character.
Dries didn’t dive into specifics, but her words seem to have confirmed that Kate is out of the picture for the time being. The details about the character replacing her are sparse and unconfirmed, but Reddit leaks suggest that our new hero will be called “Ryan Wilder” — and that her personality will be a far cry from Kate’s.
There have also been rumors that Riverdale‘s Vanessa Morgan may take up the role, which cropped up after the actress called out Riverdale for failing to give her character the storylines she deserves. If The CW does intend to cast Morgan as the new Batwoman, it will be proof that they heard her plea for Black actresses to have larger roles in their series — but, sadly, the decision still may be met with criticism from those who have been vocal about not wanting a new lead at all.
Everything’s still up in the air currently, but with production on films and television series planned to start up again soon, more news is likely to follow. If there’s one bright spot in this, it’s that fans won’t need to sit through another disrespectful LGBTQ+ character death.
How do you think Kate’s disappearance will be explained in season 2 of Batwoman? Share your theories in the comments below!