‘Supergirl’ Star Melissa Benoist Talks Meeting Batwoman for the First Time in “Elseworlds”

The relationship between Superman and Batman goes back decades, but beginning in about a week, The CW‘s Arrowverse will play host to a whole new dynamic when Supergirl and Batwoman will meet onscreen for the first time.

Almost nobody was more excited to see that dynamic in action than Supergirl star Melissa Benoist, who praised Ruby Rose’s performance as Batwoman and gushed about what the character brought to the upcoming “Elseworlds” crossover.

“Their scenes are really nice because of their similarities,” Benoist told reporters during a recent visit to the set of Supergirl. “Kate Kane is Bruce Wayne’s cousin and all these things, so they really relate on a lot of levels that I don’t think Kara’s found yet in another female superhero. There’s a really deep understanding from the get-go between the two of them.”

The implication there seems to be that Bruce Wayne is Batman in the Arrowverse — something that makes sense, given references both obscure and direct to the Dark Knight over the years. Still, some had wondered given the reality-bending nature of the story and Batwoman’s introduction trailer (seen above) whether she might somehow be an altered version of Batman herself, created by the events of “Elseworlds.” That seems less likely given Benoist’s comments.

The event will see Barry Allen and Oliver Queen have their lives swapped when Arkham scientist Dr. John Deegan (Jeremy Davies) rewrites reality. Because she’s from another Earth, Kara Danvers ends up being the only one who is aware of what’s happened to Barry and Oliver, and agrees to help them fix things. The trio then get taken on a unique adventure, which makes them cross paths with Superman (Tyler Hoechlin), Batwoman (Ruby Rose), and more.

“The crossover is f—ing bananas,” Arrow star Stephen Amell explained during a recent Facebook Live. “It’s crazy… I think that this will be the best crossover event that we do. And not just the best but the best by a really, really wide margin. And I think that last year was fantastic.”

“‘Crisis on Earth X’, I think that’s what it was called, that was pretty crazy and getting to play doppelgängers was pretty crazy,” Amell continued. “When Greg Berlanti first talked to me about why he wanted to do crossovers, it was because it’s for the fans. It’s so people can watch characters and scenarios that combine their favorite things on TV or introduce them to new things on TV. But you also get this license to do things that we could never do in the vacuum — especially on Arrow — that we can never do in the vacuum of just our show.”

The “Elseworlds” crossover will begin on Sunday, December 9th with The Flash at 8/7c, followed by Arrow on December 10th at 8/7c, and Supergirl on December 11th at 8/7c.