[Editor's note: The following contains spoilers for Season 2 of Batwoman.]
Last night’s episode of Batwoman brought Kate Kane back to the series after the heroine mysteriously vanished following a plane crash at the beginning of the second season. Not only Kate is alive, but the role now belongs to Wallis Day, confirming that even if the character wasn’t killed offscreen, there’s no chance of Ruby Rose returning to the show.
Before taking on the role of Kate Kane, Day was known to DC fans as Nyssa-Vex, one of the leads in the short-lived superhero TV show Krypton. The actress is also set to star in Antoine Fuqua’s next movie, Infinite, which is currently in post-production. However, the return of Kate doesn’t mean Javicia Leslie’s new Batwoman is being kicked out of the series, as both characters will coexist during the next episodes.
Season 1 of Batwoman starred Rose as Bruce Wayne’s cousin Kate Kane, who takes on the mantle of Gotham’s protector three years after Wayne/Batman disappears. Rose decided to leave the role after just one season due to a back injury suffered on the set of Batwoman, in addition to the pressure of being the main lead on a superhero show. Instead of recasting the part, showrunner Caroline Dries changed the plans for the second season, which now deals with the vanishing of Kate Kane and the rise of a new Batwoman, Ryan Wilder (Leslie) created especially for the show. Kate’s return means Dries kept her word and does not intend to kill the character offscreen, a move that would follow the unfortunate thread of killing off LGBTQ+ characters, which The CW has been criticized for in the past.
In the next episodes, Batwoman will follow both Leslie’s Ryan Wilder and Day’s Kate Kane, as the show explores what exactly happened with the former Batwoman. Kane is now being held in captivity by unknown villains, following an accident that disfigured her face and forced her to get surgery, which helps justifies the recast. The presence of both characters simultaneously on the show also raises the question about who will keep the mantle of Batwoman after Kate recovers. The third season of Batwoman has also been ordered, which means the story revolving around Kate and Ryan is far from over.
The second season of Batwoman premiered on January 17, with new episodes airing every Sunday on CW.