‘Batwoman’ Showrunner Caroline Dries Addresses Kate Kane Death Rumors
by Erik Amaya
This would be so much simpler if they just recast Kate Kane.
After rumors surfaced Tuesday indicating the producers of The CW’s Batwoman intended to kill off Kate Kane (formerly played by Ruby Rose) as part of their plan to introduce a new character under the cowl, showrunner and executive producer Caroline Dries came forward on Wednesday to deny the plot.
“As a lesbian who’s been working as a writer for the past fifteen years, I’m well aware of the ‘Bury Your Gays’ trope and I have no interest in participating in it,” said Dries in a statement, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “That’s why it’s important to me as the showrunner to clarify any misinformation out there about Kate Kane and recasting Batwoman. Like you, I love Kate Kane — she’s the reason I wanted to do the show. We’ll never erase her. In fact, her disappearance will be one of the mysteries of season two. I don’t want to give away any of our surprises, but to all our devoted fans, please know that LGBTQ+ justice is at the very core of what Batwoman is and we have no intention of abandoning that.”
The rumor gained traction, in part, because Dries already confirmed a plan to introduce a new character as Batwoman in the second season. Also, The CW, despite its commitment to inclusivity, has a habit of perpetrating the ‘Bury Your Gays’ trope, in which LGBT characters are killed off to “strengthen” a straight main character’s storyline. That history leaves viewers wary and on alert.
It is a completely reasonable concern.
Other rumors circulating around the Kate Kane death scenario include the arrival of Scarecrow as the Season 2 big bad and his culpability in the death of the new Batwoman’s mother.
Of course, as we said up top, this could all be easily solved if they just recast Kate Kane. Being in the Arrowverse, there are myriad ways to explain why Kate has a new face while acknowledging she looked like Ruby Rose before, during, and immediately after the Crisis. In world of advanced face reconstruction, mind-bending science, time travel, and Barry Allen, there is so much that could be done to deal with the change. Unless, of course, Dries’ plan for Kate’s “mysterious” disappearance leads to a recasting mid-way through the season. We’ll be honest though, we sympathize with the fanbase’s mistrust of this plan and we think the show will have to work very hard to earn viewer’s trust again.
Batwoman returns to The CW in 2021.