Even if you don’t actively follow the current state of the CW Arrowverse, you’re probably aware of the recent news that actress Ruby Rose suddenly quit as the star of the network’s popular new series “Batwoman,” after only one season. This departure was shocking to the fans of the show that were anxiously awaiting Season 2 and the promise of a big crossover with the upcoming re-imagined ‘Superman’ series. But that was just the tip of the controversy iceberg in regards to “Batwoman.”
Since the news of Rose leaving the series, CW released a statement that they would find a new actress to take over the superhero role, one that is a member of the LGBTQ+ community. But then, somewhat shockingly, the network announced that the show wouldn’t continue with Rose’s Kate Kane character and instead, would cast a new actress in a brand-new role as a brand-new Batwoman, leaving the Kate Kane character behind.
As you might imagine, considering there was no sign that the lead character of “Batwoman” would be gone at the end of Season 1, the idea that Season 2 would pick up with a brand-new character under the cowl raised a fair amount of concern from fans. But then, this worry was compounded by reports that the producers and writers of the show might actually kill Rose’s character, paving the way for the new Batwoman to take over.
The rumor, which was reported by The Direct (based on a “scoop”), said that the new character would take over the Batwoman legacy after stealing the suit from Kate Kane’s estate after the character was killed off in Season 2. This led to social media outrage at the idea of yet another LGBTQ+ character being killed off to further a story. The trend is commonly known as the “Bury Your Gays” trope.
However, in a new statement released on Twitter from “Batwoman” showrunner Caroline Dries, she assures fans that the mysterious disappearance of Kate Kane is just part of the story and there aren’t plans to kill the character off.
“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,” Dries tweeted. “My comments about recasting Batwoman have launched a storm of rumors and misinformation and I wanted to clarify something. 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.”
However, there are many fans that just don’t understand why CW and the producers won’t just recast the Kate Kane character and not deal with all this craziness? Is a new character that much more interesting and the new direction for Season 2 that much better? Guess we’ll find out.
