The CW may be losing Arrow in the 2019-2020 TV season, but the new Batwoman guarantees that there will still be plenty of non-superpowered superhero action. Kate Kane finally got the series order for her own show this month, after she made her epic debut in last fall's "Elseworlds" crossover between Arrow, The Flash, and Supergirl.
Of course, many Arrow-verse fans have been hoping for a Batman series ever since Oliver Queen growled and brooded his way onto the small screen, but the full-length Batwoman trailer should be proof enough that Kate Kane's series is both the kind of superhero show the Arrow-verse needs to reinvent itself and the Batman show that fans need.
Check out a list of five moments from the trailer that prove Batwoman is the Batman show that superhero fans deserve on the small screen:
She's Got The Batsuit And The Batcave Already
The Batwoman pilot takes place before the events of the "Elseworlds" crossover, according to Deadline, where she appeared already with her Batwoman suit and already experienced in fighting crime wearing a cape and a cowl. The trailer reveals that Kate Kane seemingly has some idea that her cousin was Batman -- or at least was concealing a secret at Wayne enterprises, and she discovers the Batcave.
There, she spots the iconic Batman suit, and she announces to a slightly panicky Luke Fox that he needs to alter it to fit a woman, to make it perfect. Kate has the suit, she has the cave, and we can bet that she has the toys as well. Good of Batman to leave her a fully stocked lair before disappearing!
The Laws Of Gravity Do Not Apply
The heroes who wear the mantle of the Bat may not have superpowers, but they do not fear gravity when it comes to scaring the pants off of bad guys. In the trailer, we see Kate leaping off of a rooftop and knocking somebody off of a ledge with no clear regard for either of their safety. Is Kate going to let herself or her opponent fall to their death? Almost certainly not. But she's delivering a truly Batman-esque scare, and showing off nerves of steel while doing it.
Notably, this leap is something quite different than what the other non-powered Arrow-verse superhero who lurks on rooftops usually does. Oliver generally looks for something to shoot a trick arrow at before jumping off of roofs, and Kate's sole focus seems to be on knocking the bad guy off the side of the building. Then again, they seem to be much higher than most of the buildings Oliver lurks on in Star City, so she has more time to grappling her way to safety.
She Has The Superhero Landing Down
Are you really a superhero if you haven't nailed the proper way to land from a jump? Kate Kane has already mastered the superhero landing while dressed in the Batsuit, and whoever she's sneaking up on clearly didn't know she was there. Based on the silhouette, this scene takes place before Kane adds the red wig to her ensemble, which I assume happens once she decides to embrace an identity as Batwoman rather than trying to pass herself off to Gotham as Batman.
Whether or not she goes by Batwoman or is trying to convincingly be Batman in this scene, she's going to look fantastic sticking the landing, and I'm guessing definitely scare whoever she's chasing. Who would have guessed that Kate could nail the fighting and the theatricality of a Bat-hero without Bruce's tragic backstory? Her backstory appears to be linked to the armed forces, based on the trailer, and I doubt the military trained her in fighting with a cape on. Effective vigilantism really does run in the family!
Detective Work Runs In The Family
Vigilantism apparently isn't the only method of crime-fighting that runs in the family! Although Batman may be most memorable for scenes in which he is beating the stuffing out of his villains and/or outwitting them into causing their own downfalls, he's also known as "the World's Greatest Detective." Batwoman's Batwoman evidently will be a detective in her own right, as the trailer shows her sneaking around and breaking into places without immediately attacking anybody.
Interestingly, most of the rest of the Arrow-verse has the superheroes doing most of the fighting while their teams do most of the research. Even CCPD forensics scientist Barry Allen relies on his team to do a lot of the off-the-books research and investigation. Will Kate be the first lead superhero in the Arrow-verse to do most of her own ongoing detective work? Other than Luke Fox, it kind of looks like she won't have a team helping her out as Batwoman, at least at first.
Confident As Kate Kane And Batwoman
As pretty much every Batman fan knows, Batman wouldn't be Batman without Bruce Wayne "cluelessly" schmoozing his way through life to protect his secret identity, although Matches Malone guarantees that he has another option. We can't say for sure based on this first trailer that Kate will use her civilian identity to mask her night job, but it's clear that she has the confidence to play whatever part she needs to.
Her response when she's referred to as "a female Bruce Wayne" is to call herself "awesome," "hilarious," and "handsome" with a wink. She's obviously much more than just a female Bruce Wayne, and that can only be a good thing. Now, read on for an honorable mention!
Honorable Mention: Brooding On A Rooftop In Style
Some of the most iconic images of Batman show him brooding on Gotham rooftops, cape fluttering in the wind as he surveys his city. Well, Kate can do it as well, and she'll eventually have the red wig to flutter in the wind along with the cape. Why brood alone in a cave when you can gear up in a fantastic superhero suit and do it hundreds of feet in the air?
Take a look at the full trailer for yourself:
Honestly, for me, the only disappointing thing about this trailer is that it confirms we won't get to watch Batwoman until the fall. The new series will air on Sunday nights at 8 p.m. ET, leading in to the fifth season of Supergirl. The full lineup for The CW's fall season reveals changes for much of the Arrow-verse, as well as some other series. At least we have plenty of options to watch this summer to pass the time until The CW gets positively batty!
