Dea RatnaWe’ve now a face to attach to the upcoming Batwoman TV series. The Greg Berlanti series will cast Ruby Rose to play the iconic red-haired lesbian hero. Batwoman will make her first appearance in the next crossover event in the Arrowverse and her solo series will debut in 2019.
Batwoman is one of the first out lesbian superhero in the DC universe. In the current comic version, Batwoman is the moniker taken by Kate Kane. Initially from the military, Kane had to be discharged under the ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ policy which states openly out gays and lesbians are prohibited to serve. She was confronted by her instructor as being a lesbian and was asked to disavow the statement to be able to remain in the military. Refusing to go against her moral stance and lie, Kane stood her ground and was forced to leave during her training. However, her will to fight for and protect the weak did not die when she left, eventually taking on the mantle of Batwoman and continuing to fight from the shadows.
Rose’s casting follows the CW’s promise to prioritize casting an openly gay actor to play DC’s first lesbian superhero. Rose is openly out and has acted in projects such as Netflix’s Orange Is The New Black and Pitch Perfect 3. She is also a model and recording artist, with a large following to her name.
Batwoman is only the latest in the CW’s attempt to bring in more queer voices. In addition to Arrow‘s Curtis Holt, Legend of Tomorrow‘s Sara Lance, Black Lightning’s Anissa Pierce, Supergirl’s Alex Danvers, and even more supporting characters, Batwoman‘s Kate Kane and Supergirl‘s Nia Nal, TV’s first trans superhero, will add even more diversity to the CW’s roster next year.
It’s heartening that the CW committed to casting an openly gay actor to play the character, as almost every other gay characters in the DC universe have been played by straight actors. With the recent uproar about Scarlett Johansson’s casting as a trans man, it’s a good idea for studios to put even more consideration on who they decide to put on screen.
It would have been great to see a lesser known actor plays the part, but Ruby Rose is nonetheless a great new voice in the CW’s DC universe.
Dea wishes she could play the latest Tomb Raider or Uncharted, but she can’t, so instead she reads and watches other people play. On her down time, you can probably find her re-reading Captain Marvel. The Carol Danvers one.
Natalie
