Gotham City has a new dark knight.
The Hollywood Reporter has word that The CW's Arrowverse has cast Ruby Rose as Kate Kane, better known to DC Comics fans as the superhero Batwoman. The character will make her debut as part of the annual DC Arrowverse crossover.
According to the article, Kate is described as "armed with a passion for social justice and flair for speaking her mind, soars onto the streets of Gotham as Batwoman, an out lesbian and highly trained street fighter primed to snuff out the failing city's criminal resurgence. But don't call her a hero yet — in a city desperate for a savior, Kate must overcome her own demons before embracing the call to be Gotham's symbol of hope."
The proposed Batwoman series is in development, with Caroline Dries of The Vampire Diaires writing the script. Should Batwoman be picked up as a series, it will likely debut at midseason. Reportedly, the CW isn't planning to use the Arrowverse crossover as a backdoor pilot for Batwoman, but instead film a full-length pilot as it did with The Flash.
Rose, 32, is an Australian model, DJ, recording artist, actress, television presenter, and former MTV VJ. She came out as a lesbian at age 12, and has identified herself as genderfluid. In 2015, she wrote, produced, and starred in the short film Break Free, a tribute to gender fluidity, which became a viral hit, garnering more than 25 million views on YouTube. In addition, she's appeared in the films John Wick: Chapter 2 and John Wick 3: Parabellum as the assassin Ares, xXx: The Return of Xander Cage as Adele Wolff, The Meg, Pitch Perfect 3, and Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. Also, she has appeared on episodes of Orange is the New Black as Stella Carlin, Dark Matter, and Mr & Mrs Murder.
Created in 1956 by Edmond Hamilton and Sheldon Moldoff, Batwoman first appeared in Detective Comics (vol.1) #233 as Kathy Kane, a wealthy heiress who gained great acrobatic skills during her career as a circus trapeze artist and stunt cyclist. Becoming infatuated with the Batman, she fashioned herself a costume and secret hideout and started operating as Batwoman. She upstaged Batman and his sidekick Robin in capturing crooks, but Batman eventually learned her true identity and tracked her to her secret cave hideout. Showing her how easily it was for him to learn her identity, Batman pointed out that criminals could probably do it just as easily and tried to convince her to drop out of crime fighting. Disobeying Batman's advice, she tried to capture mobster Curt Briggs. During this caper, Batman went missing and Briggs, struck with amnesia, left thinking he was Batman. Ultimately the real Batman reappeared, and Biggs was turned over to the police.
Batwoman came out of retirement to aid Batgirl against Killer Moth and the Cavalier, but her return was never intended to be permanent. Kathy Kane was then present at a surprise party for Bruce Wayne at Wayne Manor. When Batwoman was later disintegrated into nothingness on Barbara Gordon's doorstep, Batgirl and Robin teamed-up to find the cure and restore Batwoman to her normal form. Shortly after this, Batwoman met the Huntress from Earth-Two and aided her and Batwoman in capturing Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Madame Zodiac. When the Freedom Fighters of Earth-X searched for a group of criminals known as the Warmakers, their search led them to the carnival owned by Kathy Kane. Kathy, as Batwoman, aided the Freedom Fighters and Batgirl in defeating the Warmakers. In her last recorded adventure, Kathy Kane was murdered by the League of Assassins, who were being manipulated by Ra's al Ghul. Her death was eventually avenged by Batman.
In 2006, the character was reinvented by Greg Rucka, Grant Morrison, Geoff Johns, Mark Waid, and Keith Giffen, making her debut in 52 #7 as Kate Kane. In their early childhood, Katherine Rebecca "Kate" Kane and her sister Elizabeth "Beth" Kane were identical twins and were very close to each other. On their twelfth birthday their military father couldn't come home so Kate and Beth were taken by their mother, Gabrielle "Gabi" Kane, to an expensive restaurant for chocolate and waffles, their favorite dish. On the way to the restaurant, a group of gunmen attacked the family and took them hostage, killing their bodyguard in the process. After learning of her family's kidnapping, Kate's father, Colonel Jacob "Jake" Kane, led a rescue mission to save his captured family, which ended with Kate's mother executed and Beth apparently killed after being caught in the crossfire between the kidnappers and soldiers.
Years later, Kate attended the United States Military Academy, West Point, where she received excellent grades and ranked at the top of her class. However, when it was alleged that she was in a lesbian relationship with another student, Kate's commanding officer asked her to disavow the allegation. Telling the officer that she refused to lie and violate the code of the Academy, Kate admitted to being lesbian and was forced to leave the school. When she confronted her father with the news, he supported her and affirmed that she upheld her honor and integrity. She then moved back to Gotham City, where she attended college and pursued a wild social lifestyle, consisting of parties and tattoos. Kate was eventually pulled over for speeding by a young Renee Montoya, who was just a traffic cop at this point. The two dated for several months but broke up following a fight where Kate berated Renee for keeping her sexuality hidden from her colleagues and family. While attempting to call Renee and apologize for her behavior, Kate was attacked by a mugger who wanted her wallet and cell phone. Using her military training, Kate easily defeated the criminal just as Batman arrived and helped her off the ground. She was fixated by the Bat Signal as Batman departed the scene.
Inspired by her encounter with Batman, Kate began fighting crime using military body armor and weaponry stolen from her father's military base. After being confronted by Jake, Kate accepted his offer for assistance and began an intense two years of training across the globe with her father's military friends. Upon returning to Gotham, Kate discovered that her father has created a Batsuit for her, along with an arsenal of experimental weaponry based on Batman's known gadgetry and a bunker hidden in the Kane home. She soon adopted the identity of Batwoman and was soon accepted as a member of the Batman family.
This will be the first time Batwoman will appear in live action, although the character has appeared in various animated projects including Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman (voiced by Kyra Sedgwick), Batman: The Brave and the Bold (voiced by Vanessa Marshall), and Batman: Bad Blood (voiced by Yvonne Strahovski).
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