15 Reasons to Watch Batwoman

There are changes coming up for Gotham!

As you may have seen, the Batwoman of Season 1 is getting a makeover, including a new actress taking up the mantle. Despite the changes coming up in Season 2, Season 1 is still television worth watching. You’ll meet some fantastic characters and fall in love with them and the relationships they forge.

The relationships set up during Season 1 were heartbreakingly real and definitely a crowd-pleaser for fans, and we have faith that while the dynamic may change, the heart that runs through Batwoman definitely will not. We also believe that the history and relationships established in Season 1 will carry over into Season 2.

In case you need some extra convincing, here are 15 reasons to watch:

1. Exposing the truth to sibling relationships

There are a lot of different kinds of sibling relationships, from the step-siblings of Kate and Mary, to the siblings of circumstance with Alice and Mouse.

Each of these relationships have their own ups and downs, showing the difficulty in maintaining balance in sibling relationships.

Kate and Mary are step-siblings at first, seeming forced into the relationship, but by the end of season one, you can see that they’ve grown to love each other as people as well as rely on each other as sisters.

Alice and Mouse are siblings of circumstance, during flashbacks we see exactly how they came to be part of each other’s lives through shared trauma, but in moments of tension, you see how deeply they care for each other and how hurt they are when they feel betrayed by the other.

It will be interesting to see how they continue to develop these kind of sibling relationships in the second season with a new Batwoman taking up the mantle.

2. Realistic friendships inside a comic book universe 

Historically, comic books and superheroes have been purposefully marketed towards men, including fandom policing of female fans. However, in Batwoman, the men take a back seat as support roles to a full cast of independent women.

The two main men in Kate’s life consist of her father, whose relationship has been strained with Kate since her departure from military school, and Luke Fox, Batwoman’s combination Alfred and Lucias.

The roles of both of these men in Kate’s life can sometimes be adversarial as she learns to balance life as a superhero, but for the most part, they are there to support her throughout her journey into her role as Batwoman.

3. A Superhero Coming Out

As much as the story of Batwoman does not revolve around Kate Kane’s queer identity, it certainly opened doors for difficult conversations surrounding it.

From hiding her relationship to opening up for everyone to see, Kate Kane shook up Gotham, as well as the entirety of the remaining DC Universe, and allowed an entire generation of queer viewers to see themselves in her.

4. Rachel Scarsten as Alice

Alice’s ability to switch seamlessly between a psychopathic murderer and a loving sister is an experience in itself, and she steals every scene she is in. Rachel Skarsten does a masterful job bringing Alice to life.

Alice is the tortured villain we all secretly yearn for. In a series of flashbacks, we see exactly how she became the woman she is today, and we also see what her life could have been like had she not gone down this road. Not to mention, her ability to spin a butterfly knife is dangerously delicious.

You’ll fall in love with Alice throughout the course of Season 1; we guarantee it.

5. The Batsuit

The batsuit in any reincarnation of any Batman/woman is always a big point of interest with fans, and this was no exception.

Kate’s suit is one of the best, in my opinion, but what really stands out about the suit — aside from the bullet-resistant fabric that is somehow flexible enough for hand to hand combat and the hidden gadgets like night vision and an ability to stay connected to Luke for up to date mission information — is the red wig.

Part of protecting a superhero identity is masking who you are, and this homage to the billowing curls of our favorite comic book heroine’s in bright red stands out against the gritty background we’ve come to expect from incarnations of Gotham.

6. Dedication to the Bit

Alice and her fiercely protective sidekick Mouse grew their villainous world around Alice in Wonderland, the one book they bonded over in their shared captivity.

This dedication goes so deeply that even the henchmen in The Wonderland Gang have their own wonderland identities. Each one is given a mask of a forest animal, and they are referred to by the animal’s name throughout their time with Alice, or at least until they are bested by Batwoman.

You can also expect to hear Alice quoting various quotes from Alice in Wonderland and even staging a tea party or two.

7. Connections to Beloved Characters

As we have seen in other DC Universe shows, the show knows how to pay homage to the universe of the comics, while also keeping storylines fresh.

In Batwoman’s case, we see this slightly with the few villains outside of Alice and The Wonderland Gang, such as Magpie and Nocturna. The Batsignal is even recommissioned once Kate fully steps into her role as Batwoman.

Batwoman also introduces a lost love of Kate’s who has her own connection to the Bat-verse, as Alfred’s daughter. The show is dedicated to providing a true reincarnation of Batwoman with enough callbacks to please original fans, as well as new blood to bring in fresh eyes.

8. Women in STEM

Mary Hamilton, Kate’s socialite stepsister, is revealed early on to also be a medical student. She uses her medical knowledge for good by running an underground clinic for Gotham’s impoverished citizens.

This gives her the perfect training to heal all of Batwoman’s battle wounds and even help a few of Alice’s henchmen. No matter if you are a good or bad guy, Mary will patch you up.

This representation of women in STEM is so important, and Batwoman shows that a badass doctor-in-training can also be a socialite who enjoys a night out.

9. Truly Psychotic Villains

Batwoman excels at delivering absolutely psychotic villains.

We’ve already mentioned Alice, but she’s not the only deranged villain roaming around Gotham in Season 1. There’s also her nemesis, Cartwright, an evil doctor who excels at giving people a new face. We’re not talking botox or routine plastic surgery either.

Cartwright can turn you into anyone you want. All he has to do is sew some skin flaps together, which is as awful as it sounds.

10. Challenging Early Oliver Queen

It’s helpful for newbie vigilantes to follow some sort of code. Kate tries to adhere to Bruce’s code of not killing villains and leaving the real punishment to the judicial system of Gotham, or as we usually see with truly manic villains, Arkham Asylum.

This dedication to morality is almost in direct conflict from the gritty killer we got to see on Arrow Season 1 with Oliver Queen. It’s nice to mix things up in the Arrowverse, and Batwoman Season 1 does a fantastic job showing Kate’s journey as Batwoman.

11. Javicia Leslie

Javicia Leslie has been cast as the new Batwoman, due to Ruby Rose’s departure, and she will make her debut in Batwoman Season 2.

This shatters barriers of previous superhero shows by making Leslie the first-ever incarnation of Batwoman played by a woman of color. Leslie is also openly bisexual, and it will be written into her portrayal of the superhero.

We can’t wait to see what Leslie’s version of Batwoman will be.

12. How to Say Goodbye

While we’re excited to see Leslie take on the mantle, we’re also sad to have to say goodbye to Ruby Rose’s Kate Kane. There’s been a lot of controversy surrounding how Kate would be written out of the series.

Batwoman‘s showrunner Caroline Dries made it very clear on Twitter that she is aware of the tired Hollywood trope “bury your gays,” in which LGBTQ+ characters often meet tragic and bloody fates. Dries stated that this is not the direction that will be taken in the upcoming season, and Kate’s disappearance will be a throughline for Season 2.

13. Integration into the Arrowverse

One of the best parts of the Arrowverse are the epic crossovers. They allow our favorite characters a chance to meet and form some amazing friendships, and even if you don’t watch all the Arrowverse shows, the annual crossover is still something to look forward to.

Kate has appeared in two crossovers. Kate makes her first appearance on “Elseworlds Part 2” before becoming more of a featured character during “Crisis on Infinite Earths.” She has some wonderful moments during both crossovers, and she manages to make a delightful friendship.

It will be interesting to see how the welcoming of our new Batwoman goes when Kate is no longer behind the mask.

14. The Modern Hero’s Journey

One of the main tropes in all storytelling is the hero’s journey. This is where we see our protagonist turn into the hero they were always meant to be, however reluctantly, through certain trials.

Typically, those trials are physical to begin with, training or becoming accustomed to fighting bad guys, then the trials move on to the emotional, protecting loved ones or dealing with the pressures that come with being a hero.

The hero may also find and lose love during this time or even give up on their journey, only to pick up the mantle again in the final act.

Batwoman’s journey is definitely that of a hero but for the modern age, dealing with sexual identity, femininity, relationships, family, and most of all, the legacy left behind by Bruce Wayne.

15. A Hero Can be Made from Anyone

Gotham can often be a place where things are black and white. The Joker is always the bad guy; Batman always defeats him.

What Batwoman does so spectacularly is leaving an opening for heroes to be made of anyone. Kate Kane goes on a journey of self-discovery, and when dealing with her fears, she may become more villain than hero.

Alice’s story sheds light on the trauma she was put through, which led her to be becoming the villain we are introduced to at the beginning of the season, but her relationship with Kate leaves an opening for her to step up and become a hero for Gotham.

Each character goes through their own trials, and each comes out better in the end for it.  They may have not all planned on being heroes, but life makes heroes of us all in the end.

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Did we convince you to watch Batwoman? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Batwoman airs on The CW, and all of Season 1 is currently free on The CW app.

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