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Everything We Know About the Arrowverse's Batwoman Spin-Off

Will Batman ever show up?

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Lindsay MacDonald

Batwoman has officially entered the Arrowverse!

The second episode of last year's Arrowverse crossover introduced viewers to Kate Kane (Ruby Rose), a tatted-up superhero defending the crime-ridden Gotham from thugs and supervillains alike. While Kara (Melissa Benoist), Barry (Grant Gustin), and Oliver (Stephen Amell) dealt with their Freaky Friday situation, Batwoman introduced them to Gotham while also keeping a sharp eye on the vigilantes who'd turned up in her city.

The result was an impressive hour that not only serviced the annual crossover event, but also made a Batwoman series possible. The show will join the forever-expanding Arrowverse this fall. Here's everything we know so far about the upcoming series!

It will be led by Ruby Rose. When Rose signed on to play Batwoman in the crossover, she also signed on to lead the series that was in development at The CW. Now that Batwoman has gotten a series order, we know Kate Kane and Ruby Rose are here to stay.

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It will be set on Earth 1. UnlikeSupergirl, which takes place on an entirely different Earth (or Black Lightning, which isn't part of the Arrowverse), Batwoman takes place on the same earth asArrow and The Flash, opening up the possibility that she could pop into their cities or they could pop into hers for smaller crossovers.

​Kate Kane, Batwoman

Kate Kane, Batwoman

Kimberley French, Kimberley French/The CW

Batwoman is an openly lesbian superhero. Batwoman will be the first LGBTQ-led superhero series. Caroline Dries, who wrote the episode that introduced Batwoman and who would serve as the executive producer of the Batwoman series, addressed the opportunity to write an openly lesbian superhero, saying, "Its awesome. It seems like it should have happened already but here we are. We're pumped, very blessed."

Batman has been missing for three years. When we pick up with Kate Kane, Batman has mysteriously disappeared and left Batwoman to take up the Caped Crusader mantle and fight crime in Gotham. Coincidentally enough, Kate Kane's cousin Bruce Wayne has also left the city under mysterious circumstances, which has left Wayne Enterprises a crumbling mess. Dries has confirmed that the first season of the potential Batwoman series would be about Batwoman trying to step out of the shadow of her more famous cousin, much like how Kara had to step out of Superman's shadow during Supergirl's first season.

Kate Kane is launching her own business. Arrow's introduction to Batwoman dropped a few hints about what's to come in the series, should it be picked up, such as Kate's attempt to revamp Bruce's old office. We also know she's got her own version of the Bat Cave and a highly capable R&D tech wiz at her beck and call. Sounds like the start of a superhero team to us!

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Ruby Rose, Arrow

Ruby Rose, Arrow

Jack Rowand, Jack Rowand/The CW

She and Supergirl know each others' secret identities. As we bid adieu to Batwoman, Supergirl stayed behind to have her own farewell, revealing she knew Kate Kane was under that bat mask. In return, Batwoman confirmed she'd figured out Kara Danvers was Supergirl too. The camaraderie that developed between the two women is sure to provide ample crossover opportunities for the female version of "The World's Finest."

Her show will be dark, not whimsical. Rather than taking on the fun-loving quirky tone of The Flash and Supergirl, Batwoman would lean more toward the dark and gritty tone of Arrow. "Its a darker vibe," said Dries. "When they went to Gotham we were just trying to create a -- with the music and the exteriors and the alleys and the grime, we were just trying to create a sort of an uncomfortable city... I think that [Oliver, Barry and Kara] being mugged instantaneously is a great way to personify the vibe were going for." It sounds like we can expect Batwoman's potential series to be less about the laughs and more about the tragedy of a crime-ridden city.

Batman probably won't appear. As thrilled as we were to see Superman finally appear on Supergirl, Dries is less optimistic about ever incorporating Batman into the Batwoman series. "I think that's the one they cut you off," Dries said of an eventual Batman cameo. "Maybe a hologram? Slowly but surely we'll just keep picking away at it." That being said, it seems like the show has every intention of paying off the mystery of where he went and why.

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Her friends and family are rad. Every superhero needs a team of experts on coms and in the field, and Batwoman's supporting cast is shaping up to be amazeballs. Meagan Tandy (Teen Wolf), Camrus Johnson (Luke Cage) and Nicole Kang (YOU) have all been added to the cast according to Deadline.

Tandy will play Sophie Moore, a military school graduate turned private security specialist, which makes her a hot commodity in a town like Gotham. Though she may walk and talk like a badass, she's got a soft side that only Kate Kane can bring out. Johnson will play Luke Fox, son of Lucius Fox, Wayne Tech.'s resident R&D expert, and a Dark Knight loyalist. His dedication to Batman (and his symbol) may make him resistant to change, but even he can see the need for a new hero to step up to the plate. Finally, Kang is Mary Hamilton, Kate Kane's step-sister and polar opposite. She is talkative, energetic and, hold your exasperated sighs, an influencer. Though she sounds a little airheaded, she's actually got a compassionate streak when it comes to the less fortunate trying to survive in Gotham.

Her family is also full of villains! The CW has cast two major villains in Kate Kane's life, and they're both members of her own family. First up is Alice (Rachel Skarsten), who is kind of Batwoman's version of the Joker. She's also Kate's secret twin sister who Deadline described as "maniacal and charming" in the original casting announcement. On the other side of the spectrum, Kate Kane's also got a father who she'll be going head to head with. TVLine announced that Col. Jacob Kane (Dougray Scott) would be included in the narrative as the head of Gotham's private security firm, The Crows. He's not a fan of caped crusaders though, which will put him in an awkward position when his daughter starts suiting up at night.

There's a Batman villain on the way: Showrunner Caroline Dries announced at the Television Critics Association summer press tour on Sunday, Aug. 4 that the Batman villain Magpie will be arriving in Gotham to take on Bruce Wayne's cousin. Margaret Pye is a villain obsessed with shiny things. Her criminal alter-ego is a thief who steals museum pieces and replaces them with boobytrapped extras.

PHOTOS: Arrowverse Crossover Photos

Melissa Benoist, Stephen Amell and Grant Gustin, Arrow

Melissa Benoist, Stephen Amell and Grant Gustin, Arrow

Jack Rowand, Jack Rowand/The CW


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