There’s a lot of interest going into Batwoman season 2 from Arrowverse fans, given that it’ll essentially have to start again now that Ruby Rose has exited the show and Javicia Leslie has been brought in as its new lead. For a while there, we thought Kate Kane was going to be killed off, but we now know that this won’t be the case. Instead, the mystery of what exactly did happen to the heroine will be a major plot point in the run.
So says showrunner Caroline Dries, at least. Speaking at the Batwoman DC FanDome panel today, the EP promised that the audience’s questions about what’s happened to Kate will be reflected on screen, with Team Batwoman investigating her disappearance and each one having their own perspective on it. So, fans needn’t worry that the switchover will be quickly swept under the rug.
“We have two major stories, as we come into season two,” Dries revealed. “The first one is ‘Where’s Kate?’ What happened to Kate? Is she alive? Did she die? Is she missing? Is she on the run? Is she held captive? Is she lost? These are all huge mysteries that push us in deep into the season, and all of our characters are going to have different perspectives on that. Different conspiracy theories, different points of view, and it will create a lot of drama, tension, mystery, and intrigue. It will be shocking and awesome and amazing.”
The second major story of season 2 is, of course, the introduction of Leslie’s Ryan Wilder – how she comes to be Batwoman and then how she puts her own stamp on the Bat legacy, given that she hails from a very different background to either Bruce Wayne or his cousin.
“And, then we are obviously just diving into Javicia,” Dries continued. “We have a new hero rising into Gotham. Javicia can tell you about her, but she’s a new character to the world in DC, and she has a lot going against her. She was a girl who was a statistic of injustice the moment she was born, and the system was not built for this person, and she will constantly battle against the system. All throughout, she’s battled through it her whole life, and she will continue to battle against it as Batwoman.”
It’s encouraging that the mystery of Kate’s disappearance will be properly dealt with, as it raises our hopes that Rose will return for a guest or recurring spot later in the season to resolve the mystery. There’s also the possibility that Kate’s vanishing act is connected to Bruce’s own disappearance and part of a greater conspiracy.
Batwoman season 2 will air on The CW along with the rest of the next Arrowverse seasons in January 2021. As always, watch this space for further updates in the lead-up to its much-anticipated premiere.