Ever since the unexpected news of actress Ruby Rose's departure from The CW's latest Arrowverse series Batwoman, the fate of the show—including what will be happening to lesbian main character Kate Kane—has been up in the air. Just last week, PRIDE learned that the series would probably be creating a brand new character to take up the Batwoman mantle from Kate, and yesterday, reports started to make the rounds online that said the show was going to write off Kate by having her die, leading fans to rightfully be angry that yet another queer TV character would be succumbing to the "Bury Your Gays" trope.
To clear things up, and to help loyal Batwoman fans breathe just a little bit easier, out TV writer and Batwoman showrunner Caroline Dries is opening up about what's going on with Kate Kane—and how she will not be letting such an iconic queer character be just another tired, TV cliché.
"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 said in a public statement on Twitter. "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."
\u201cA note from me on behalf of The Bat Team...\u201d— Caroline Dries (@Caroline Dries) 1591804810
While it's good to hear that Kate probably won't be dying off, fans still are unsure of the decision to have a new original character take over as Batwoman. In the responses to Dries' statement, many of the fans expressed how they would rather have another actress recast as Kane in Ruby Rose's place, especially considering how groundbreaking it is for an openly lesbian character to lear her own superhero series.
\u201c@carolinedries You could avoid all of this by just recasting her. If you throw away Kate Kane, a Jewish lesbian who means so much to me and so many others, I won't be watching season two. We fought like crazy to support this show and you're treating Kate like garbage. It's so disrespectful.\u201d— Caroline Dries (@Caroline Dries) 1591804810
\u201c@carolinedries We do not want a new Batwoman. We want Kate Kane. We are not angry with you or Ruby Rose. We understand that these sort of things happen. But we want a simple RECAST because we love the show and love the character. Kate Kane is the core of batwoman.\u201d— Caroline Dries (@Caroline Dries) 1591804810
\u201c@carolinedries I\u2019m relieved to know about it. I\u2019m still not crazy about replacing her with this random character. Many of us want everything you set up in season 1 to continue with Kate as the lead in season 2, even if you have to recast her. #KateKaneIsBatwoman\u201d— Caroline Dries (@Caroline Dries) 1591804810
\u201c@carolinedries And if you all truly feel that this is the best direction, who are we to judge? I\u2019m just saying maybe taking the fandom\u2019s thoughts & feelings into consideration would prove better for viewership & ratings in the long haul. Making up a character for a comic based show is... risky.\u201d— Caroline Dries (@Caroline Dries) 1591804810
According to Entertainment Weekly, instead of just recasting the Kate character, the series is looking to introduce a whole, brand new character to the Arrowverse to take up the Batwoman mantle. In a now-deleted Reddit post of a casting announcement, the original character's name is Ryan Wilder, and her description reads:
"She's likable, messy, a little goofy, and untamed. With no one in her life to keep her on track, Ryan spent years as a drug-runner, dodging the GCPD and masking her pain with bad habits. Today, reformed and sober, Ryan lives in a van with her plant. A girl who would steal milk from an alley cat and could also kill you with her bare hands, Ryan is the most dangerous type of fighter: highly skilled and wildly disciplined. An out lesbian. Athletic. Raw. Passionate. Fallible. And very much not your stereotypical All-American hero."
I guess we'll just have to wait and see how the rest of the Batwoman/Kate Kane casting saga turns out.... Batwoman was renewed for a second season back in January.
