Line #242 ComicBook/Batwoman


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/batwoman_tvtropes.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:300:[[TheReveal That's not a Batgirl.]] That's a Bat'''''woman'''''.]]
3
4	->''"It's a '''good''' hit. I feel the blood filling my mouth. Somewhere along the line, someone taught her to '''throw''' a '''punch'''."''
5	-->-- '''Renee Montoya''', ''ComicBook/FiftyTwo'', "Week 7"
6
7	Proves that being a badass [[AnimalThemedSuperbeing Bat-themed]] AntiHero is not just a man's job.
8
9	The original Batwoman, Katherine "Kathy" Kane, was a character introduced to the DCU in 1956 to serve as a love interest for Bruce Wayne, [[GayPanic who was being accused by some people of being gay]]. The character first appeared in ''Detective Comics'' #233 (July, 1956). She was created by writer Creator/EdmondHamilton, and artist Sheldon Moldoff. She lasted for about a decade, but was dropped (along with the first [[ComicBook/{{Batgirl}} Bat-Girl]], her niece Betty Kane) in 1964 in an attempt to prune down the Bat-Family, which was overly crowded with characters. There was a half-hearted attempt to revive the character during MediaNotes/{{the Bronze Age\|OfComicBooks}}, but this came to an abrupt end when Kathy Kane was KilledOffForReal by Ra's Al Ghul's League of Assassins in ''Detective Comics'' #485 (August, 1979). ComicBook/PostCrisis continuity initially decided that there had never been a Kathy Kane Batwoman. However, the original Kathy Kane, Batwoman tenure intact, was eventually featured in [[ComicBook/BatmanGrantMorrison Grant Morrison's Batman]].
10
11	The second Batwoman, Katherine "Kate" Kane debuted ComicBook/PostCrisis, in the 2006 series ''ComicBook/FiftyTwo'' as a love interest and past girlfriend of Renee Montoya, one of the main characters of the series. [[HollywoodHypeMachine Touted as the highest-profile gay superhero in the DCU]], she drifted from comic to comic after her original appearance until 2009, when, in the wake of Bruce Wayne's "death," she headlined ''Detective Comics'' for 10 issues. Batwoman then received a self-titled solo series to continue her story, with an issue #0 released in November 2010. However, her series suffered more than one delay and eventually launched as part of the Franchise/DCUniverse's ComicBook/{{New 52}} in September 2011; though this was ''another'' ContinuityReboot, Kate's story was almost entirely unnaffected. Around this time, she also played a minor supporting role in ''Batman, Inc.''. For [[ComicBook/DCRebirth DC's Rebirth]], Kate co-headlined ''[[ComicBook/DetectiveComicsRebirth Detective Comics]]'' alongside Batman, Tim Drake, Cassandra Cain and Clayface. Later, Kate also starred in a new ''[[ComicBook/BatwomanRebirth Batwoman]]'' ongoing title, her first since the New 52.
12
13	For comics outside of the main DCU, Kate Kane appears as a protagonist in the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII WWII]]-set ''ComicBook/DCComicsBombshells'' {{elseworld}} series, and as a supporting character in the ''ComicBook/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'' prequel comic as a member of Batman's Insurgency.
14
15	A future version of Batwoman, dubbed "Batwoman Beyond", was also introduced into the ''ComicBook/BatmanBeyondRebirth'' comic. Despite some visual similarities (thanks to Kate's Batwoman outfit being very similar to the ''Batman Beyond'' suit), this character doesn't have anything to do with either of the previous incarnations of Batwoman, and is instead the daughter of Dick Grayson, Elainna Grayson.
16
17	As with Batman himself, her portrayal has varied over the years, reaching varying points on the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism depending on the time of her writing (the campy [[MediaNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] vs. the darker [[MediaNotes/TheModernAgeOfComicBooks Modern Age]]) and the medium of the story (The Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse film, though pushing the boundaries of what was acceptable, remained [[AnimationAgeGhetto restricted in what it could show]]).
18
19	And of course, the irony of having a character introduced out of a fear of homosexuality becoming gay herself has been lost on no one.
20
21	An InNameOnly version of Batwoman was the focus of the ''[[WesternAnimation/BatmanMysteryOfTheBatwoman Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman]]'' movie. Creator/RubyRose portrayed the Kate Kane incarnation of the character in the Series/{{Arrowverse}}, beginning in the ''Series/{{Elseworlds}}'' crossover before going on to star in the self-titled ''Series/Batwoman2019'' series. Rose departed the show after its first season, with new character Ryan Wilder, played by Creator/JaviciaLeslie, taking over the Batwoman identity in the show's second season. Creator/WallisDay was then recast as Kate for several episodes before officially handing the show off to the Ryan Wilder character at end of season two. The character of Ryan Wilder was also introduced into the comics, making a cameo debut in issue #50 of Comicbook/{{Batgirl}}’s fifth volume, though with no indication she will become Batwoman there as well.
22
23	----
24	!!The various series starring Batwoman
25
26	[[foldercontrol]]
27
28	[[folder:Batwoman Volume 1]]
29	-> See ''ComicBook/BatwomanNew52''
30	[[/folder]]
31
32	[[folder:Batwoman Volume 2]]
33	-> See ''ComicBook/BatwomanRebirth''
34	[[/folder]]

Context ComicBook / Batwoman