Ever wondered what a show would look like if the protagonist leaves after one season? How weird would it be? Will there even be a story ahead if the lead character departs? These questions have been eating up Batwoman fans ever since they heard of Ruby Rose‘s departure. Recently, The CW announced that they would be creating a new lead character for the series instead of recasting Kate’s role. This left fans with many other questions. How will the story progress with another lead actor? How will the stories of other characters in the show play out?
Some fans feel that Kate Kane’s departure could fall under the ‘bury your gays’ cliche. This is a trope in fiction where gay or lesbian characters die or get unhappy endings. This trope stresses on the idea that ‘these queer characters are viewed as more expendable than their heterosexual counterparts’.
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What Did Batwoman Showrunner Respond To Fans’ Concerns?
Batwoman showrunner Caroline Dries responded to fans’ concerns regarding Kate Kane’s departure. Here’s what she said:
“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. 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.”
Caroline Dries Talks About The New Lead Character
Caroline Dries spoke about creating a new lead character instead of recasting Kate’s role in an interview in the ATX Television Festival. This interview was reported through Deadline. She said, ” 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 also said that Greg helped her see that they “should just reboot the character and also respect everything that Ruby put into the Kate Kane character.”
Who Is Cast As The New Character?
Here’s what Caroline said about the new character, Ryan Wilder in the ATX Television Festival, “I’m inventing a whole new character who in her past was inspired by Batwoman, so she will take on the mantle and is completely maybe not the right person at the time to be doing it, so that’s what makes it fun.”
The new character is “likable, messy, goofy and untamed” and is “nothing like Kate Kane”. No actress has been cast for the role yet. They are looking for actresses who are “female, mid-late 20s and any ethnicity” for the role of Ryan Wilder!
Also Read All major updates on the cast of The CW’s Batwoman Season 2!