Batwoman Establishes the Arrowverse's Azrael and the Suit of Sorrows

Batwoman has been on the air for almost a season now, and it's established a pretty unique canon [...]

Batwoman has been on the air for almost a season now, and it's established a pretty unique canon for Gotham City in the process. The hit The CW series has followed the journey of Kate Kane/Batwoman (Ruby Rose), who takes over as Gotham's caped crusader years after the disappearance of her cousin, Bruce Wayne. While Batman has largely been an enigma within the Arrowverse, we've gradually begun to get details about how he operated before his disappearance, and what foes he previously went up against. Thanks to the series' latest episode, which is the penultimate installment for Season 1, a whole new corner of Batman's world has officially been canonized within the Arrowverse. Spoilers for this week's episode of Batwoman, "A Secret Kept From all the Rest", below! Only look if you want to know!

The episode followed Kate and nearly everyone in her inner circle hunting for Lucius Fox's journal, which was believed to hold secrets regarding Batman's various weapons. Thanks to a pair of special glasses Lucius built, they were able to decode the journal's secret ledger -- only to realize that the book provided instructions on how to kill whoever is wearing the Batsuit. Towards the end of the episode, Kate traded the glasses to Elizabeth Kane/Alice (Rachel Skarsten) in exchange for her friends' lives, and Alice briefly put on the glasses to prove their authenticity. In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, the decoded message teased a rather surprising part of Batman's lore -- his previous run-ins with the assassin group The Order of St. Dumas, and the eventual birth of Azrael. Part of the journal - which appears to describe other iterations of the Batsuit - details how Bruce eventually got the "Suit of Sorrows", a twisted version of the Batsuit that later was worn by Azrael.

batwoman azrael easter egg
(Photo: The CW)

"According to its legends, it can impart strength and speed of its wearer but also would completely corrupt anyone whose heart and soul is not pure," the journal reads in part. "At first, the Dark Knight was dubious of the legend, but eventually experienced an aggressive behavior while wearing the armor during patrols. Batman later learns from a member of The Order of The Pure, a splinter faction of The Order of St. Dumas, that the armor once belonged to a knight named Geoffrey de Cantonna, who massacred hundreds of people in an alpine valley in 1190. The Suit of Sorrows becomes one of the trophy displays within the Batcave, to remind the Dark Knight that he must be ever vigilant not only in his crusade against crime, but also himself. The new Azrael takes up wearing the suit eventually."

Whether or not this means that we'll get to see Azrael on Batwoman - or even just the Order of St. Dumas - remains to be seen, but it still is a genuinely fascinating Easter egg either way. While it could just be part of describing another Bat-suit that Bruce once wore, it also could possibly lay the groundwork for that part of the lore to eventually take a larger role -- or, at least, the Suit of Sorrows to potentially make an appearance. And come on, it's safe to say that a flaming sword would be legitimately awesome to see on Batwoman.

What do you think of Batwoman's Azrael Easter egg? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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