The CW’s Arrowverse gets a new hero this fall when Batwoman premieres, taking fans to a post-Batman Gotham for the rise of a new hero facing her own set of challenges and personal demons in the iconic DC setting. While Batwoman is definitely part of the Arrowverse, however, fans hoping to see some of the shared universe’s villains pop up in Gotham might want to prepare for disappointment. Batwoman will have her own foes to face.
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During the show’s panel at San Diego Comic-Con this past weekend, series executive producer Caroline Dries told fans that the show will be bringing new villains from the DC universe — meaning they won’t be recycling villains who have previously appeared on the other Arrowverse shows, Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl.
“We are not going to repeat villains from the Arrowverse; we’re using a whole new chapter of villains and heroes,” she said.
Instead of utilizing Arrowverse villains, Batwoman will do what Dries called a “deep dive into the DC universe” for various baddies and other heroes, but there will be at least one villain that fans will recognize not from the Arrowverse, but from Batman comics: Tommy Elliot, aka Hush.
During the panel, they revealed that during the first season of the series Kate Kane’s Batwoman (Rose) will find herself targeted by Batman’s enemies. This led to the reveal that the series will introduce Tommy Elliot who will, eventually, become the supervillain Hush in an origin story that will develop over the course of the show’s first season.
For fans who may not be familiar, Tommy Elliot/Hush was created by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee and first appeared as part of a 12-part Batman story told on the pages of Batman #608-619 and centered on a mysterious, bandage-covered man known as Hush who was determined to sabotage Batman. His efforts were intense and involved not just the entire Bat Family, but nearly all of the major villains in the Rogues Gallery. He was ultimately revealed to be a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne’s but when Bruce’s parents were murdered — and Bruce inherited their fortune — Tommy became resentful as he had attempted to kill both of his own parents to inherit their wealth. Tommy ultimately ended up being disowned later on, his irrational grudge against his former friend only growing over time.
Hush’s appearance in Batwoman is one that may have fans wondering if an appearance from Batman himself is on the way as well. However, while executive producers Caroline Dries and Sarah Schechter say anything is possible, ultimately the use of Batman is up to DC and Warner Bros. — and the show is most focused not on Batman, but on introducing Kate and Batwoman to the world with Batman being part of the conversation through the larger world of Gotham.
