Batwoman Showrunner Breaks Down Kate’s Big Reveal in “How Queer Everything is Today!”

Batwoman returned from midseason hiatus (and the massive “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover) last night, and it clued fans in on what Kate Kane’s (Ruby Rose) post-“Crisis” world will look like. In addition to the episode’s massive cliffhanger, which added a twist to what we thought we knew about Elizabeth Kane/Alice (Rachel Skarsten), the installment had an incredibly personal moment for Kate. Spoilers for this week’s episode of Batwoman, “How Queer Everything Is Today!” below! Towards the end of the episode, Kate decided that it would be worthwhile for Batwoman to come out of the closet as a lesbian, after she spent days debating about whether or not to keep that side of her identity private. Batwoman publicly came out as part of a cover story in CatCo magazine, which was initially well-received by those across Gotham City and beyond. While Batwoman never publicly came out in the comics, showrunner Caroline Dries saw it as an emotional arc for Kate’s character, something that she dove into in a recent interview with Autostraddle.

“When I first signed on to do Batwoman, I was thinking about how this is a show about a woman who is super strong, super confident, and very comfortable with who she is as a lesbian,” Dries explained. “She’s a badass and she can fight people and she’s tough and she’s vulnerable and has a big heart — and then she goes and puts on a costume and hides all of those characteristics. She becomes a different person, essentially, and it’s still strong and badass, but she has now hidden all of the things that make Kate Kate.”

“…That narrative doesn’t quite work for me, and so I thought, well, if it’s not working for me, maybe it’s not working for Kate either. Kate is comfortable with who she is, and when she’s suited up, all she does is lie all day. And she’s not a liar,” Dries continued. “She’s just been told [on “Crisis on Infinite Earths”] that she’s the Paragon of Courage; she just helped put all these universes back together. I think she’s thinking, “I feel like I should, as Batwoman, have the courage to be who I really am.” She might be putting her secret identity in jeopardy or possibly making people who don’t like gay people hate her, but she still feels pulled to do it.”

The moment came about after a confluence of things — including Batwoman accidentally being romantically linked to a male police officer named Slam Bradley. Things then came to a head when Kate crossed paths with Parker Torres, a young girl who initially felt hopeless about her future after her parents didn’t accept her being gay. As Kate proclaimed in the episode’s closing narration, she hoped that by coming out, she could help queer people around the world feel less alone — and it definitely seems like that was the case.

Batwoman airs Sundays at 8/7c on The CW.