14 LGBTQ+ Actors We Want to See on 'Batwoman'

While we’re still waiting to see queer superheroes on the big screen, they’re thriving on television

And with the recent premiere of Batwoman on The CW, we finally have our very first superhero show with a leading lesbian hero, Kate Kane. Even better yet, she’s played by a queer actor, Ruby Rose. 

With queer casting and queer roles in mind, we’ve been brainstorming a list of other LGBTQ+ entertainers we’d love to see take a spin through the world of Batwoman.

Hayley Kiyoko

Lesbian Jesus doesn’t even need a superhero name to join up with Batwoman in keeping the streets of Gotham safe. What she does need is an origin story. Maybe she starts out as a sympathetic pickpocket who steals wallets after stealing hearts before being taken under Batwoman’s wing. She can even have her own spin on Batman villain Joker’s overused catchphras: "I’m just curious, is it serious?"

Dan Levy & Emily Hampshire

While either one of these Schitt’s Creek faves could obviously don their own individual cape, we’d really love to see them jump into the Batverse as a team. Whether as reluctant heroes fighting to save innocent lives while simultaneously critiquing all their life choices or as witty villains bumbling their way through dastardly plans, these two would be sure to make quite the splash in Gotham.

Lilly Singh

If Rachel Maddow can become the Voice of Gotham, surely there’s room for late night’s first bisexual woman of color to make an appearance or two. Whereas Maddow’s gossipy Vesper Fairchild is expected to be an outspoken critic of Batwoman, perhaps she could also use a journalist sympathetic to her cause. Besides, anyone who’s familiar with Singh’s YouTube past knows she already rose to fame as a superhero, originally going by the moniker “IISuperwomanII.”

Kat Barrell

Anyone who’s seen an episode of Wynonna Earp knows this bisexual Canadian actress can kick some serious ass. While we’re hoping Wynonna stays on the air for years to come, should the Purgatory gang hang up their hats, Gotham could certainly use the fiery fighting skills of at least one half of Wayhaught.

Ian Alexander

Ian Alexander may be relatively new to acting, but it didn’t take long for him to turn heads as Buck Vu on Netflix’s wild series The OA. And every superhero needs a smart talking teen to befriend in their day-to-day life before being forced to reveal their superhero alter ego while protecting them from baddies. Would Kate Kane subsequently teach him everything she knows about protecting the innocent, leading to him getting his own spin-off with a bunch of other misfit teen wannabe heroes? Probably.

Jane Lynch

Men over the age of 50 often get to play tech wizards, multi-billionaires, or leaders of secret cults in the world of superheroes, but women of the same age are almost never granted such opportunities. We think it’s time for that to change. Lynch would be a natural at walking the line between being feared and respected, a titan of industry that winds up somehow being a pawn in the fight between good and evil before ultimately taking back control and reminding everyone who calls the shots.

Vincent Rodriguez III

Even though he wouldn’t be melting our hearts through the power of song like he did on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, we could easily see Vincent Rodriguez III sliding over from the world of musicals to the world of crime-fighting. In fact, who better to play a young cop, torn between trusting Gotham’s latest hero and listening to his superiors who insist she must be apprehended because no one is above the law? We can see it already.

Evan Rachel Wood

Sure, Evan Rachel Wood may be kicking around on Westworld as a terrifyingly lifelike robot, but if she ever wanted to make a foray into the world of superheroes, Batwoman should pretty much just hand her any role she wants. But we’re still smarting from the quick demise of her True Blood character, the vampire queen Sophie-Anne Leclerq, so if they wanted to make it a role like, incredibly similar to that, no one would be mad.

Rutina Wesley

Speaking of True Blood...Rutina Wesley definitely needs to join up with a ragtag bunch of superheroes stat. She’s proven her range and her ass-kicking capabilities time and time again and someone should really give her the superpowers to up her game. Wesley has technically already made an appearance in the Arrowverse as a rogue cop who takes justice into her own hands, but quite frankly, she was wasted on the small role and we’d be happy to pretend her Liza Warner never existed if someone over at The CW will give her the part she deserves.

Tyler Blackburn

Tyler Blackburn is best known for his role as “possibly the only non-creepy male in the entirety of Rosewood” on Pretty Little Liars. And while he would undoubtedly be great at joining the good guys over on Batwoman, we’d love to see him flip the script and take on an antagonistic role. Sure, he’d probably eventually come around and make the right choices, but let’s watch him wreak some havoc first. (And if he wants to bring Ashley Benson along, he has our full support.)

Stephanie Beatriz

We all know Detective Rosa Diaz can destroy anyone with nothing more than a look, but we’d love to see Stephanie Beatriz swing by Gotham with a role a little more similar to her actual self, a.k.a. the complete opposite of Diaz. A bubbly bisexual could easily fit into the role of hero or villain, or maybe even pull a double agent and play both sides. Regardless, we’re here for it.

Todrick Hall

Todrick Hall may be busy smashing Hollywood barriers on his own terms, but there is no multi-verse in which he wouldn’t make a stunningly iconic villain. We may be moving away from a world in which so many villains are queer coded, but that doesn’t mean we have to do away with every one of them. And if you aren’t sold yet, please remember like, everything about him in this video.

The entire cast of 'Are You the One?'

Look, reality stars can become actors too, and there’s been no one more brazenly and explicitly queer on TV this year than the cast of MTV’s Are You the One? No matter what anyone says, success on a reality show is like, 60% hotness and 40% the ability to manipulate everyone around you. In other words, everyone in this cast would make an absolutely delectable supervillain. Except maybe Danny, who would totally join the good guys.