| Batwoman | |
|---|---|
 An image of theKate Kane incarnation of Batwoman fromGotham City Monsters #3. Art by Philip Tan and Jay David Ramos. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Kathy Kane: Detective Comics #233 (1956) Kate Kane: 52 #11 (September 2006) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Katrina Luka Netz Katherine Rebecca Kane |
| Place of origin | Gotham City |
| Team affiliations | The Outsiders Justice League Queer Batman Family |
| Partnerships | Bette Kane |
| Supporting character of | Batman |
| Abilities | Both versions of Batwoman possess no metahuman powers but are skilled combatants with access to high-tech equipment. |
| Altered in-story information for adaptations to other media | |
| Alter ego | The CW /Arrowverse: Ryan Wilder DC Animated Universe Dr. Roxanne Ballentine Sonia Alcana Kathleen Duquesne |
Batwoman is a name of severalsuperheroes appearing inAmerican comic books published byDC Comics, depicted as female counterparts and allies of Batman similarly toBatgirl. The original version of the character,Kathy Kane (eventually given the birth name Katrina "Luka" Netz to differentiate the character from the newer version), was created by writerEdmond Hamilton and artistSheldon Moldoff under the direction of editor Jack Schiff as a love interest in an attempt to combat allegations of Batman'shomosexuality arising from the controversial book,Seduction of the Innocent.[1]
Eventually, the character would be replaced in 2006 byKate Kane, the most iconic version of the character. This version of the character is depicted as alesbian, and isJewish, possessing a military background, and is a wealthy heiress who becomes inspired towards vigilantism byBatman, later revealed to be her paternal cousin (Kathy being the niece of Martha Wayne). Since the character's re-introduction in 2006, the character is notably DC Comics' most highly profiled gay superhero whose sexual orientation has been subjected to attention from the general public, both positive and negative. The character's chief love interests includeMaggie Sawyer andRenee Montoya. The character has also been featured inseveral solo ongoing series,Detective Comics, andOutsiders (2023).
Within media, the Batwoman character has been adapted several times with some being original incarnations, such asRyan Wilder fromThe CWBatwoman television series, portrayed byJavicia Leslie. This version is the daughter of Jada Jet (based onJezebel Jet). In theDC Animated Universe, Batwoman is depicted as three different characters sharing the codename:GCPD detectiveSonia Alcana (voiced byElisa Gabrielli), Wayne Tech employee Dr. Roxanne "Rocky" Ballantine (voiced byKelly Ripa), and socialite Kathleen "Kathy" Duquesne (voiced byKimberly Brooks).
The original Batwoman character, Kathy Kane, was created in 1956 during theSilver Age of Comics. After the comic book industry was attacked in the early 1950s following the publication and controversy originating fromFredric Wertham'sSeduction of the Innocent in which accused the Batman and Robin characters to be homosexual, the character was created to help offset the accusations and would first appear inDetective Comics #233 (July 1956). Characterized as a female rival to Batman who instead used gadgets often disguised as stereotypical feminine accoutrements and is assisted by her sidekick,Bat-Girl,[1] she made regular appearances inDetective Comics andBatman.[2]
While a popular character in her own right with readers, editor Julius Schwartz considered the Batwoman character inappropriate for his new direction for the fictional Batman universe and following the revamp toDetective Comics in 1964, Batwoman was removed from the series and three years later, was replaced by theBarbara Gordon version ofBatgirl, whose approach and being a more direct female counterpart to Batman (using gadgets similar to Batman, being a highly skilled martial artist, and having a doctorate in her civilian identity) made her a more popular character.[3] Although the character was several times requested by fans to revive the Batwoman character, DC's editorial of the time rejected the notion, believing the character only existed as Batman's love interest and her role was fulfilled with the Barbara Gordon character.[2] The character eventually made several guest appearance starting in 1977[4][2] but was killed off inDetective Comics #485 (August–September 1979).[2] EditorDennis O'Neil later stated in an interview, "we already had Batgirl, we didn't need Batwoman."[2] While the issue marked the final appearance of Earth-1 Kathy Kane, an Earth-2 version appearedThe Brave and The Bold #182 (January 1982) although it would be the final appearance of the Kathy Kane character for decades.[5]
A new version of the character was eventually revealed in the spring of 2006. Sometime prior, DC editors called for a redesign of Batwoman, with comic book artistAlex Ross drawing inspiration from the modifiedBatgirl costume he designed forBarbara Gordon, seven years before Kate Kane's planned debut in the limited comic book series52. While Ross and comic book authorPaul Dini initially planned to revive the former Batgirl Barbara Gordon using an updated version of the character's original costume, the decision was rebuffed due to Gordon serving as one of a very small number of disabled superheroes of DC Comics as Oracle.[6] This version differed from the Silver Age version of the character, being depicted aslesbian[7] and was announced in the same time she was revealed.[8]
Stories appeared on television news outlets such asCNN,[9] general news magazines such asUSA Today, and gay culture magazines such asOut regarding the new version of the character.[8] In her debut issue, Kane is revealed to have been romantically involved withRenee Montoya, a former Gotham City Police detective (who would later be slated as the second incarnation of the superhero, the Question).[10] WhenWizard Entertainment inquired about editorial's decision to making Batwoman a gay character in an interview, DC Comics Senior Vice President and Executive EditorDan DiDio responded "It was from conversations we've had for expanding the DC Universe, for looking at levels of diversity. We wanted to have a cast that is much more reflective of today's society and even today's fanbase. One of the reasons we made her gay is that, again when you have the Batman Family—a series of characters that aren't super-powered and inhabit the same circle and the same city—you really want to have a point of difference. It was really important to me to make sure every character felt unique."[11] Batwoman's sexual orientation initially gathered mixed reviews, ranging from praise to outrage.[12] A reviewer atOut asserts "Batwoman will be the highest profile gay superhero to ever grace the pages of DC Comics."[8] Although several LGBT organizations such asGLAAD have praised DC Comics for attempting to diversify their characters, some have observed that Batwoman is not the first gay or lesbian character to appear in comic books, nor is she the only lesbian to be associated with the Batman series.[13]
In 2008 duringNew York Comic Con, it was announced that Batwoman would be among the characters appearing in a newJustice League comic book written byJames Robinson. That same year, Batwoman briefly took over as the lead character inDetective Comics, starting with #854.[14] with DC saying at the 2009 New York Comic Con that she would be DC Comics' highest-profile gay superhero.[15] Two years later, DC announced the character would star in an ongoing solo series art byJ. H. Williams III, who would also co-write the series with writerW. Haden Blackman. ArtistAmy Reeder Hadley would also contribute art, alternating story arcs with Williams.[16][17] The series' introductory "zero issue" was released on November 24, 2010. The launch ofBatwoman #1 was originally scheduled for February 2011, then delayed until spring; in early March it was announced thatBatwoman #1 would be released sometime in Fall 2011, as part of theNew 52 rebooted DC Universe.[18][19] That same year, Grant Morrison would also restore the original Kathy Kane into modern continuity in flashbacks, most prominently inBatman Incorporated #4 (August 2011).
A later issue in 2013 issue reveals the origin of the original Batwoman in currentDC Universe continuity, depicting her as Bruce's aunt by marriage who is widowed and later becomes both a crime fighter and lover alongside Bruce for a time until she was seemingly killed. The issue also revealed her being a spy sent to deduce Batman's secret identity and true parentage to Nazi scientist and spymaster, Otto Netz (also known as Agent Zero).[20] That same year, co-authors J.H. Williams and W. Haden Blackman announced that they would leaveBatwoman after the December issue because of conflicts with DC over creative differences, remarking that they were not allowed to expand Killer Croc's back story, keep their original ending to their current story arc, or depict Kate and Maggie getting married.[21][22][23] This announcement followed a February 2013 announcement thatBatwoman #17 would feature the proposal between Kate and Maggie.[24]DC Comics responded that Batwoman could not get married because "heroes shouldn't have happy personal lives".[25]
The Kathy Kane character would make some appearances throughout theGrayson series (2014 - 2016) as an antagonist, revealing a new birthname of Katrina Luka Netz and being with both the codename "Agent Zero" and acting as the secret head of the espionage organization, Spyral. In the same year the series began, it was announced that the Batwoman series would be canceled in March 2015 at issue forty, along with twelve other New 52 series.[26] The Kate Kane version would later appear as a leading character in theDC Comics Rebirth revamp ofDetective Comics, which returned to its original numbering with issue #934.[27]
In July 2023, DC announced that Batwoman, along with Batwing, would lead a newOutsiders series after the conclusion of the "Gotham War" crossover event.[28]
In October 2025, DC announced a new Batwoman series, written by Greg Rucka with art by Dani and colors by Matt Hollingsworth, as part of their upcomingNext Level publishing initiative.[29]
The first incarnation of Batwoman has been presented with several different origins over the course of her publication history. Her earliest known origin depicts her as Katherine "Kathy" Kane, a circus stuntwoman who received a large inheritance upon her father's death and become a socialite in Gotham City. Frequently associated with Bruce Wayne, she would often team up with his alter-ego, Batman, and was a prominent ally and was assisted by her sidekick, Bat-Girl (aka Bette Kane, her niece). As Batwoman, she used her wealth and resources to fight crime much like Batman.[30]
Her origin was later revised by Grant Morrison, instead casting birth name as Katherine Webb, aspiring independent film director and later wife of Nathan Kane (the brother of Martha Kane) and thus, Batman's aunt via affinity. Tying to her old origins, Nathan would purchase a circus for her as a gift but after his untimely death, she was recruited by a young man known as Agent 33 (the future El Gaucho of theBatmen of All Nations) into the organization, Spyral, and trained as a spy. She was given the assignment of learning of Batman's identity and donned the Batwoman codename and costume to get closer to him. Falling in love with him, the pair became lovers despite her of being legally his aunt. As such, she refused to disclose his identity. Spyral's leader and Nazi villain, Doctor Dedalus (known as Otto Netz) revealed himself as her biological father and threatened to expose her to Batman unless she continued her mission. She would subsequentially break off her relationship with Bruce in order to save him from Dedalus' plan.[31]
In the 2014Grayson series, her origin is once more revised by Tim Seeley and Tom King. Although most elements of her previous origin from Morrison remained the same, her birthname is instead Katrina "Luka" Netz, with the latter two names as aliases. Unlike her last portrayal, she is raised by Otto Netz as a potential successor but has an antagonistic relationship with her sister, Elisabeth Netz (Frau Netz), throughout their childhood, a machinations fostered by Otto's abuse of the children. As adults, the pair compete for control of Spyral and Leviathan, organizations created by Otto Netz as opposing forces. While Elisabeth adopted Otto's incredible intelligence, Kathy instead adopted her father's spymaster prowess.[32]
Although each origin of the character differs in reasoning and approach, all versions of the character became Batwoman and were once involved with Batman romantically at some point and later seemingly killed by Bronze Tiger.[33] Bronze Tiger's connection to her death was revealed to be false and later attributed to villainess Scorpiana by El Gaucho, previous Agent 33 whom recruited her during his time as an agent of Spyral.[31] Ultimately, it was revealed to be a ruse by Kathy, who later killsTalia al Ghul and revealed as the headmistress of St. Hadrian, an all-girls boarding school that is a training ground for future female spies for Spyral and served as a high-ranking member.[20] She later adopts the codename "Agent Zero" and acts as the secret leader of Spyral behind even the associated directors.[32]
Katherine Rebecca Kane is depicted as a Jewishmilitary brat, one of the twin daughters of Jacob Kane (brother of Martha Kane) who grew up with a close relationship with her parents and twin, Beth. She is also the maternal cousin ofBatman. On their twelfth birthday, the twins alongside their mother were abducted and although her father assembled a team to rescue them, Kate's mother and seemingly Beth was killed. Now raised by Jacob, a single father, he inspired her to join the United States Army but she was later kicked out of theUnited States Military Academy despite exceeding standards as a cadet due to her being gay. The experience caused her to spiral into depression and she began excessively partying and frequently havingone-night stands.[34][35] She would also become briefly romantically involved with the young traffic cop,Renee Montoya, but later break up after Kate denounces her for beingcloseted.[35] When later she tries reconciling with Renee, she is nearly mugged and saved by Batman. Kate then becomes inspired to become a vigilante and would later be extensively trained by her father, eventually becoming Batwoman.[34]
An original incarnation of Batwoman appears inBatman: Mystery of the Batwoman, voiced byKyra Sedgwick.[40] This version is an identity used by three people:GCPD DetectiveSonia Alcana (voiced byElisa Gabrielli), Wayne Tech employee Dr. Roxanne "Rocky" Ballantine (voiced byKelly Ripa), and Kathleen "Kathy" Duquesne (voiced byKimberly Brooks), who all hold grudges against thePenguin andRupert Thorne as well as Carlton Duquesne, a gangster in the crime bosses' employ and Kathy's father. Alcana, Ballantine, and Kathy pooled their resources and skills together to seek revenge while taking turns operating as Batwoman to draw suspicion away from each other, with all three using lethal force to achieve their goals. In the DVD and Blu-ray special features, the producers explained that DC did not want the filmmakers to use Kate Kane in a family-friendly film due to the violence associated with her character.
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