Batwoman: Did the first trailer hit the mark?

The CW has released the trailer for its upcoming Batwoman show and, with a charismatic lead and good costumes, many fans are excited. But it is also already courting controversy.

The CW has released a full-length trailer for the upcoming DC television show Batwoman. The history of the Bat-Family on TV has been an interesting one, with Warner Bros reportedly employing a “Bat-ban,” which does not allow Batman to appear on TV since his movies are such huge moneymakers. In recent years, this rule has been somewhat relaxed, with the Batman appearing briefly on both Titans and Gotham, and Bruce Wayne also appearing. However, the ban does seem to preclude a full Batman TV show. Thus the CW has turned to the lesser-known character of Kate Kane, the Caped Crusader’s cousin. The show is set within a Batman-less Gotham and sees Kate don the cape and cowl as Batwoman to defend her city. Check out the trailer below:

Played by Ruby Rose, Batwoman appeared in one episode of last year’s crossover, Elseworlds, and she was warmly received by fans. With Arrow ending next year, it is widely believed that Batwoman is being positioned to take the place of Oliver Queen in the Arrowverse. The trailer does a good job of showcasing the overall story of Kate Kane and how she became the Batwoman. It builds up the world of Gotham and states that Batman is missing and the city is descending into madness and crime again.

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The trailer also leans heavily into social justice and feminism, which is not unexpected as the comics are also social justice heavy. The trailer also prominently showcases Kate Kane as a member of the LGBT community, indicating that part of the reason she dons the cowl is to save her girlfriend from the villain, Alice. The heavy inclusion of LGBT, social justice and feminism has caused a bit of controversy online, resulting in the trailer in The CW’s YouTube channel having over 70k dislikes. While the inclusion of these elements is not that big a deal, as the comics have also done this prominently. However, it does feel like it is done in a rather heavy-handed way. For example, when Kane asks for Batman’s suit to be adjusted, Luke Fox says “The suit is literal perfection,” to which she replies “It will be when it fits a woman”.

There are a few times where this type of dialogue is a bit cringe-worthy, as is the blatant rip-off of the Captain Marvel use of the word “HER” being hidden in another word then revealed in a fade away. That being said, the trailer showcases some great fight scenes, and Ruby Rose is charismatic and does seem to fit the role as Kate Kane. In addition, a quick glance of her final suit is shown, and it has improved a lot from the one she wore in Elseworlds.

Overall, Batwoman seems exciting. The worldbuilding and suit look good, and Ruby Rose appears to have been perfectly cast as Kate Kane. With a good cast rounding out the supporting roles, this latest CW show seems to be posed to get good ratings. It is no secret that the Arrowverse is changing, and we may be saying goodbye to Legends of Tomorrow and maybe Supergirl in the near future. The rumor of a Superman show won’t die, and it seems that with Batwoman joining the universe, we may be seeing a more authentic Justice League being formed that includes Superman, Batwoman and Flash.

Are you excited for Batwoman? Let us know in the comments section below!