Batwoman showrunner Caroline Dries (Smallville, Melrose Place) denies the rumored character death of Kate Kane, portrayed by Ruby Rose (Orange is the New Black), following the actress’ departure from the series, according to Screen Rant. On May 19, it was announced that Rose will be leaving The CW superhero drama series following the conclusion of its first season run. This unexpected development was followed by her reasoning that this “wasn’t an easy decision, but those who know, know…” according to Variety. Rose portrayed the series’ lead Kate Kane who began to establish herself as one of the key crime-fighting vigilantes in Gotham City.
After her departure, The CW series announced that the series will introduce a new main character for its impending second season, yet left out how the show will handle and address the absence of Kate Kane. Dries stated to Decider that “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. My comments about recasting Batwoman have launched a storm of rumors and misinformation and I wanted to clarify something. 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 statement satisfied the series’ fans who had concerns over the state of the Kate Kane character within the universe as the second season will carry on without her. Batwoman has run for one season consisting of ten episodes and will have a second season composed of the same episode count in the upcoming television season. Currently, there is no word on its second season premiere date due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on television and film production. The series’ additional cast includes the likes of Rachel Skarsten (Birds of Prey), Meagan Tandy (Teen Wolf, Jane by Design), Dougray Scott (Mission: Impossible 2), and many more. Check out the season one trailer below: