Batwoman underwent a major behind-the-scenes change last summer, when it was announced that Kate Kane actress Ruby Rose would be departing the series after one season. The move caused the series to pivot pretty significantly in its second season, choosing to introduce an entirely new character to take on the Batwoman mantle, Ryan Wilder (Javicia Leslie). Still, Kate’s offscreen storyline has still factored into Batwoman Season 2, in a way that has made some fans wonder if Rose could potentially return to the series in some capacity. In a recent interview with ComicBookMovie, Rose addressed the possibility of her returning as Kate Kane — and argued that she would only do it if it made sense for the story.
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“I mean, I’m obviously moving on to other roles as I think I’ve done about three films since. I would totally do it,” Rose explained. “I don’t think it would serve the story because I think building the new Batwoman is more important than going back too far into Kate Kane, but of course I would, I would absolutely do anything they wanted as far as that [Laughs]. I haven’t watched the whole thing, but I’ve watched a couple of episodes, and I think how they’re handling it is beautiful. I think it’s her time to shine.”
Given the way that things have unfolded thus far in Batwoman’s second season — with Kate disappearing in a plane crash, and seemingly being held captive by Safiyah Sohail (Shivani Ghai) on the pirate nation of Coryana — the possibility for her potential return has definitely been left open, as opposed to killing her off entirely. Still, as Rose pointed out, Kate’s return would have to be balanced by Ryan’s ongoing journey as Batwoman, and in a way that wouldn’t diminish the newer character’s story.
“To be honest with you, I did consider the soap opera version for a hot minute, selfishly, because we had a couple episodes already written, and transition-wise, it would be seamless [since] we already started breaking season 2,” showrunner Caroline Dries previously said of dealing with Rose’s exit. “But upon further reflection, and [producer] Greg [Berlanti] helped me make this call and he’s way smarter than me about this sort of stuff, he’s like, ‘You know, I think we should just reboot the character in terms of reboot Batwoman as a different character.’ Just to also respect everything that Ruby [Rose] put into the Kate Kane character.”
What do you think of Rose’s latest comments about potentially returning to Batwoman? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
Batwoman airs Sundays at 8/7c on The CW.