‘Batwoman’ Showrunner Responds To Season 2 Changes: “I Love Kate Kane”

When it was announced last month (May 19) that Ruby Rose, who played Kate Kane on The CW’s Batwoman, would be exiting the series before Season 2, it set off a series of outcries on Twitter and beyond. Adding to the fire? Kate Kane the character would not be returning, to be replaced by a new character named Ryan Wilder who would take on the mantle of Batwoman.

Naturally, fan speculation ran high that the series would be killing off Kate Kane to make way for the new character, but according to a statement provided to Decider from showrunner Caroline Dries, that’s far from the truth.

“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,” Dries said. “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 statement was also posted publicly on Dries’ Twitter account.

For those not familiar with the “Bury Your Gays” trope mentioned by Dries, it’s probably pretty obvious from the combo of words, but TV shows has traditionally killed off an LGBTQ+ character as a motivator for another character. Though there are a number of factors that have made showrunners more aware of the trope, many would point to The CW’s The 100 killing off fan favorite Lexa (Alycia Debnam-Carey) as the main driver behind current conversations. Lexa’s death led not just to fan consternation, but a public, ongoing conversation about the treatment of LGBTQ+ characters in popular media.

Dries’ statement comes hot on the heels of a panel held virtually by ATX this past weekend where the showrunner sat down with her former Vampire Diaries boss Julie Plec to discuss (among other things) the reason behind changing from Kate to Ryan.

“To be honest with you, I did consider the soap opera version for a hot minute, selfishly because we had already a couple of episodes written, and transition-wise it would be seamless,” Dries said. “Upon further reflection — and Greg [Berlanti] helped me make this call, he is way smarter than me about this sort of stuff — he said, you know, we should just reboot the character in terms of reboot Batwoman as a different character, and also respect everything that Ruby put into the Kate Kane character. And I just think it helps the audience a little bit too, that we are not asking them to not address the elephant in the room.”

Though information hasn’t officially been released on the new character, Wilder has been described via a leaked casting notice as, “With no one in her life to keep her on track, Ryan spent years as a drug-runner, dodging the GCPD and masking her pain with bad habits. A girl who would steal milk for an alley cat could also kill you with her bare hands, Ryan is the most dangerous type of fighter: highly skilled and wildly undisciplined. An out lesbian. Athletic. Raw. Passionate. Fallible. And very much not your stereotypical All-American hero.”

Rumors have continued to fly in the intervening weeks about Wilder, as well as the status of Batwoman Season 2, including potential casting (no, Riverdale‘s Vanessa Morgan is not playing the new Batwoman) and Kate Kane’s mortality. Ultimately, though, those are all rumors — and Dries’ word clarifies that though Kate Kane the character will not be recast and Rose will not be joining Season 2, her presence will still very much be felt.

As for Rose’s exit, though reports vary, the actress released a statement in May on her exit that expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to play Batwoman. “I am beyond appreciative to Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and Caroline Dries for not only giving me this incredible opportunity, but for welcoming me into the DC universe they have so beautifully created. Thank you Peter Roth and Mark Pedowitz and the teams at Warner Bros. and The CW who put so much into the show and always believed in me. Thank you to everyone who made season one a success — I am truly grateful.”

Those Rose won’t be returning, cast members Dougray Scott, Rachel Skarsten, Meagan Tandy, Nicole Kang and Camrus Johnson will continue with the new Batwoman (whoever may play her) when the show returns in January, 2021.

This story has been updated to include a revised version of Dries’ statement.

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