Following in the footsteps of Marvel and their top-tier cinematic universe, a lot of TV superhero stories start with small characters and build up their popularity from there. There are a couple reasons for this. In a lot of cases, the big, well-known crimefighters are so established on the silver screen that having them show up on television would feel odd – series like Gotham and Smallville worked by using younger versions of their overarching heroes that aren’t typically explored on TV. But another is the fact that licensing and production costs to bring them to life would bear too heavily on the budget.
However, it seems that the people behind Batwoman, which is making its premiere on The CW this fall, want to give their fans a big surprise in the villain department.
In a recent interview with EW, showrunner Caroline Dries announced their intentions on introducing a major Batman foe into the series.
“In episode three, we have a pretty serious Batman villain show up thinking, ‘I’m going to f—ing kill Batman,’” Dries revealed.
But while other parts of the Arrowverse usually debut more fantastical villains, Dries noted that Batwoman, at least to start out, will be a more grounded experience.
“Batwoman is the only caped crusader in town. We’ll have bad guys show up wearing their own versions of disguises, but in terms of costumed good guys or bad guys, it’s just Kate in hers,” Dries detailed. “It’s very tempting to jump to what the other shows are doing now because that’s the world we’re living in. But I keep going back to what was Arrow Season One? [We’re aiming for a] back to basics of a girl kind of discovering the awesomeness of this Batsuit, all of this Bat tech that she has access to, and just keeping it simple.”
So, while you prepare to meet Ruby Rose’s Kate Kane this fall, know that there’s going to be a surprise waiting for you come episode 3.
The fact that the show’s going for a more grounded approach makes me think that the villain will be along the lines of the Riddler. You know, someone where egregious make up or CGI isn’t necessary in order to bring them to life. But we want to know, what are your thoughts? Who do you think Batwoman is hiding up its sleeve? Let us know in the usual place.