DC TV doesn't get more widespread and all-encompassing than The CW's Arrow-verse, but in all these years on all these shows, Batman's corner of the comic world has only come up in mere hints and teases. That'll change this year, as Batwoman will officially enter the metahuman-filled fray as part of the next mega-crossover event between The Flash, Arrow, Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow. (Black Lightning will presumably still be on the outskirts.)
Here's how Green Arrow himself Stephen Amell made the announcement at The CW's upfronts presentation (via EW).
We're incredibly excited to announce that we'll be doing another crossover event this fall on The CW, and we'll be introducing a new character. For the very first time appearing, we'll be fighting alongside Batwoman, which is terrific. The crossover is going to make it to air in December. I need to leave right now and start filming it.
The Arrow-verse's crossover events are generally some of the best episodes of the respective series, and last year's "Crisis on Earth-X" was as engaging as a TV mash-up can get. And while that set introduced the Mystery Girl and the Earth-X heroes and villains, we're going to meet the current-era Kate Kane version of Batwoman for this year's episodes. Considering how open the shows' producers have been to introducing LGBTQ characters, Kate's lesbianism will certainly be welcomed. Below, you'll see the first piece of key art for the crossover, which teases Batwoman's arrival in spotlight form.
The CW's equivalent of Bruce Wayne, Mark Pedowitz, confirmed that not only is Batwoman a confirmed Arrow-verse character, but the shows are officially putting Gotham City on its map of comic locations, which producers weren't allowed to do a few years ago. In his words:
We are adding the city of Gotham into the Arrow-verse. This will be another full-throttled, action-packed event.
Stephen Amell has long championed Batman joining the Arrow-verse in some way, and as Oliver Queen, as many others also have, he even got to make a direct reference to Bruce Wayne in Season 6. And one could entertain the assumption that he may have had some kind of influence on the decision to bring Batwoman in, although it's hard to imagine that anyone on these dramas' creative teams would have been against embracing one of the many branches within Batman's long history.
First introduced in 1956 as a love interest and vigilante inspired by Batman's crimefighting efforts, Kathy Kane's Batwoman was pushed out of the narratives a decade later. The heroine didn't return until 2006, as Jewish lesbian Kate Kane, who has become a major part of the comic world in the years since, earning her own solo series and a lead run in Batman's birthplace, Detective Comics, and her importance has been retained through the Rebirth launch. She has also had a notable role on the animated side of things, serving as the subject of the 2003 feature Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman and appearing in two of the current DC Animated Universe films, as well as Batman: The Brave and the Bold. This will be her first major live-action appearance, though, and we couldn't be more pumped.
All we want for Christmas is Batwoman now, though we would gladly also take a few more Batman-specific characters as stocking stuffers. As well as a Gotham crossover.) We'll be waiting until October to see the new seasons from The Flash, Arrow, Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow, but the wait just got a little more exciting to think about. In the meantime, head to our summer premiere schedule to see all the new shows on the way.
