Batwoman: Kate Kane's Exit Creates a Crisis on Infinite Earths Plothole

Batwoman isn't set to return until 2021, but the hit The CW series has already undergone some pretty significant changes. Just days after the season finale, it was announced that series star Ruby Rose would be departing the role of Kate Kane, the series' titular crimefighter. In the weeks since, it was confirmed that instead of recasting the role of Kate, Batwoman will be introducing an entirely new character to take on the mantle. It's unclear how the new character, who is dubbed on casting calls as "Ryan Wilder", will fit into the Arrowverse's ever-changing landscape -- but her arrival does create an awkward plothole. Fans of the show - including Reddit user Funbun71 - recently pointed out one line of last year's "Crisis on Infinite Earths" crossover which takes on a completely different meaning now. The line of dialogue, which was said by The Monitor (LaMonica Garrett) during the crossover's second hour, reassuring with his cosmic omnipotence that Kate Kane is "the Bat of the Future".

Based on the timeline that seems to be set up for Batwoman Season 2, Kate Kane will technically only be Batwoman for a handful of more months into the "future" after the events of "Crisis", before seemingly disappearing in some mystery. At the time, the line was trying to argue that Kate is a worthy successor to Bruce Wayne's Batman (especially compared to Kevin Conroy's bitter Bruce of Earth-99), but it definitely hits differently than it did last December, especially as Kate was poised to play a larger role in the Arrowverse going forward.

The nature of Batwoman bringing in a new character - and also writing off Rose's Kate offscreen - has polarized fans in recent weeks. But as showrunner Caroline Dries recently expressed on social media, she hopes fans will ultimately be happy with how the passing of the torch happens.

"As a lesbian who's been working as a writer for the past fifteen years, I'm well aware of the 'Bury Your Gays' trope and have no interest in participating in it," Dries wrote in a statement last week. "That's why it's important to me as the showrunner to clarify any misinformation out there about Kate Kane and recasting Batwoman. Like you, I love Kate Kane -- she's the reason I wanted to do the show. We'll never erase her. In fact, her disappearance will be one of the mysteries of season two. I don't want to give away any of our surprises, but to all our devoted fans, please know that LGBTQ+ justice is at the very core of what Batwoman is, and we have no intention of abandoning that."

Batwoman is expected to return with new episodes in January of 2021.