The CW has finally decided to dip their toes into the nefarious, bleak world of Gotham City by introducing Kate Kane, a.k.a. Batwoman, into their roster of DC heroes. I wrote an article a while back detailing why it could be a great idea to add Batman to the gallery of supers that are currently bouncing around the CW -- especially now that we know he’s already part of that universe --  and while Kate may seem to some like a consolation prize, she is in fact a much better addition than her wealthy orphaned cousin. Despite the costume, the “Bat” moniker, a lack of superpowers, and living in Gotham City, there are actually a ton of differences between Kane from Bruce Wayne. For one thing, Kate’s father is alive! (That’s a low blow, I know). But there’s more! Below, we’ll dive into how Kate Kane first donned the mantle of the Bat, her background, and why she will make a great addition to the DCTV lineup of heroes.

Comic History

Kate originally appeared as a drastically different character, back in 1956 in Detective Comics #233, from one of the original creators of Batman, Bob Kane, along with Eldon Hamilton and Sheldon Moldoff. It wasn’t until she was introduced in the modern DC Universe through both her own series, and the series titled “52,” that Batwoman really came into her own. Kate was originally an army brat, with parents Jacob and Gabrielle Kane traveling around the world with Kate and her twin sister, Beth. In what seemed like an innocuous setup, Gabrielle took her daughters out on the town for their twelfth birthdays … only for Gabrielle to be killed by a secret crime cult and the daughters taken captive. Jacob, a highly trained military expert, managed to eventually save Kate, but Beth was thought lost and/or dead. Kate then dedicated herself to the military, attending West Point, but she was subsequently expelled for coming out as a lesbian. Moving back to her hometown of Gotham City, Kate then decided to fall into the life of a socialite, losing herself in wild parties and debauchery. It’s only when she witnesses a crime—along with a conveniently placed Bat Signal—that she decides to dedicate her life to being a vigilante, both for the betterment of the world and simply for the thrill of it.

Her father, Jacob Kane, throwing himself entirely into his work, learns of Kate’s ambitions and -- rather than dissuade her -- decides to help her by supplying her with a “three year crash course” on everything she would need in terms of training to be a martial artist/vigilante/cowl wearing Bat-Person. Donning the name Batwoman, Kate runs into Batman here and there, with Bruce mostly approving of her participation in the war against crime. Kate, meanwhile, pursues a sect called “Intergang,” who worship the “Crime Bible.” You may be asking yourself, “Is a ‘Crime Bible’ exactly what I think it is?” YES! The Crime Bible tells stories and prophecies that the “Religion of Crime” followed in order to rule the world and weave their way through the underworld of Gotham City. As Kate tries to bring down this crazy cult, she encounters Red Alice, a villain who speaks in rhymes from Lewis Carroll’s timeless tale, leads the Religion of Crime, and is in fact her long lost sister Beth! From there, Batwoman’s run in Detective Comics went on to explore Kate’s relationship with Renee Montoya, and subsequently Maggie Sawyer (a Superman supporting character), as well as her attempts at snapping her sister out of that murderous brainwashing cult — all with amazingly gorgeous art to boot!

Batwoman continued her vigilante career in DC Comics by mostly sticking to her own stories, but she did partner with Batman on a few cases here and there. When Batman put together an underground network of “Batmen” titled “Batman Incorporated,” Kate joined the team and provided the military expertise that they were otherwise lacking. Meanwhile, Kate had unfortunately split with Renee Montoya (the two became incompatible once Renee became the superhero “The Question,” at the end of the “52” series). Finding a new companion in Maggie Sawyer, a police detective who once worked in Metropolis, the two were set to be married — but unfortunately, DC was a little hesitant to pull the trigger. Superhero marriages are always something of an issue, with many characters such as Spider-Man and Superman having theirs “retconned” in order to make their lives more “interesting,” and not seem too old to a young readership. Unfortunately, this sparked a whirlwind of controversy, as the idea of Kate and Maggie tying the knot was abandoned. (Editor's Note: Interestingly the same thing happened with the character of Maggie Sawyer in her relationship with Alex Danvers on Supergirl ...)

Eventually, Batwoman rebounded, leading a team of younger heroes that acted as the next generation of Gotham’s finest. Red Robin, Spoiler, Orphan, Azrael, Batwing, and Clayface (somehow) all were brought together to train under Kate’s guidance, as she tried to save Gotham with Bruce’s help. Plus, she had to ultimately fight her father, who had created his own military organization that mimicked Batman’s methods, though with deadly consequences. Kate eventually split from Batman and returned to her solo crime fighting ways, still attempting to find her place among the superheroes of the DC Universe.

Fitting into the Arrowverse

So with all that being said, and with Batwoman’s introduction to the CW confirmed with both an appearance in their annual crossover event and her own series, what makes her a better addition to the Arrowverse than Bruce Wayne? Kate Kane brings a lot of the same things to the table that Bruce Wayne does, but in all honesty, we already have a pretty good example of Bruce Wayne in the Arrowverse in the form of Oliver Queen. Green Arrow’s career has made him closer to the Dark Knight than any other character on the CW, even going so far as to making Ra’s Al Ghul—one of Batman’s biggest villains—his own. What Batwoman offers, though, is a military background as well as a crime fighting career that focuses a tad more on the “supernatural” rather than the street-level fights that we’ve seen so much of on the CW. Batwoman fights werewolves, vampires, and other kooky supernatural threats on the regular, spawning from the “Religion of Crime” and all the strange, darker sides of Gotham. With her military training, and her father still watching her back and mentoring her, there’s a lot there to explore in a new series.

Batwoman also would act as a nice juxtaposition to Supergirl’s bright and cheery world, perhaps even taking place in Supergirl's alternate dimension rather than the one where Arrow and The Flash exist. But at the end of the day, in the comic book world, there’s just no place like Gotham City. Star City and Central City may have their own unique personalities, but being able to introduce the home of the likes of the Joker, Penguin, Two-Face, and Poison Ivy would open up an entirely new storylines for the CW to explore. Each DCTV series on The CW offers something unique to viewers: Legends of Tomorrow leans hard into bonkers time-traveling adventures, Arrow gives a streetwise view of crime fighting, Supergirl explores the extraterrestrial, Black Lightning focuses on family dynamics, and The Flash is filled with meta-powered humans. Batwoman could give us a mix of a ground-level detective world alongside the “out there” world of the supernatural with the “Crime Bible,” werewolves, and so on. Ultimately, Kate would be a great addition to the DCTV world on the CW, especially as the first "out" superhero to lead her own live-action show.