Ruby Rose Leaves Batwoman: CW Show Will Replace Her for Season 2

Ruby Rose has exited her role as Batwoman / Kate Kane, in The CW series, and the role will now be [...]

By Kofi Outlaw

Ruby Rose has exited her role as Batwoman / Kate Kane, in The CW series, and the role will now be recast. Rose had just completed season 1 of Batwoman, with the show airing its finale this week, and leaving fans hanging on a major cliffhanger. No reason was given for the sudden and shocking departure; Ruby Rose has issued a statement, in which she says, "I have made the very difficult decision to not return to Batwoman next season/ This was not a decision I made lightly as I have the utmost respect for the cast, crew and everyone involved with the show in both Vancouver and in Los Angeles."

Despite fighting an uphill battle, Batwoman secured a season 2 renewal, with many fans excited to see Ruby Rose continue in the role. Needless to say, DC fans are now feeling sad and upset that Ruby Rose is leaving Batwoman. Rose didn't forget to acknowledge the fandom in her statement, stating, "Thank you to everyone who made season one a success – I am truly grateful."

Sad End to a Hopeful Start

Ruby Rose Leaves Batwoman The CW Will Recast New Actor for Season 2

Ruby Rose exiting Batwoman is a departure from where the actress started out in the role. After being cast as DC's Kate Kane / Batwoman in 2018, Rose openly expressed how grateful she was to be joining the Arrowverse, as one of DC's most prominent LGBTQ+ characters:

"I get to be Batwoman," Rose said on The Tonight Show. "I feel like the reason I kept getting so emotional was because growing up watching TV I never saw someone on TV that I could identify with, let alone a superhero. [Tearing up] I said I wouldn't do that and I've always had this saying, well not me, Oscar Wilde, which is 'be yourself because everyone else is taken' and so I always lived by that motto and the second motto when I came into the industry was 'be the person that you needed when you were younger' and I feel like one motto sort of led me to the other and I just kept crying about it."

Ruby Rose's Batwoman Season 1 Injury

While Ruby Rose was hopeful after being cast as Batwoman, that joyous feeling didn't last forever. Aside from the usual toll of online vitrol from trolls, Rose also suffered a major injury while doing stunts for Batwoman season 1. The actress basically broke her neck while filming a Batwoman stunt, and had to undergo emergency surgery to avoid the risk of paralysis.

The worse part about it was that Rose actually didn't know how bad the injury was for months on end, which left her in chronic pain as the situation worsened. As she explained on The Tonight Show:

"I kept seeing these doctors and they're like, 'It's your neck. It's your neck. It just kind of radiates into these nerve endings,'" Rose recalled. "So, I finally got an MRI and I had to get it in Romania in the middle of a film where I was also doing stunts. I sent it to my doctor who sort of transcribed the whole thing and basically he called and was like, 'You could become paraplegic. This is your spine. Two of your discs have herniated and they've broken all the protective layers. You have this tiny amount that your spine is not severed and if you don't get back, you could become paraplegic. Even just seeping wrong or moving my head in a strange direction. It was really, really terrifying."

Never The Same Again

After that harrowing experience, Ruby Rose seemed to cool on the idea of having to pursue big limelight roles like Batwoman, and dealing with all the major stresses that come with it - including the physical toll:

"Maybe I don't have to do everything," Rose told Variety, in regards to filming superhero stunts. "Maybe there's some that I can do once or twice and then, you know. I think I've earned my stripes already; I've done so many stunts in so many projects that I know have to relinquish the controls sometimes."

We still have no official word or insights on what ultimately led Ruby Rose to leave Batwoman. Was it the injuries? Backlash from trolls? Behind-the-scene turbulence with the network and/or producers? Or something else entirely? Deadline notes that its sources claim it wasn't the injury, but rather the demanding schedule, plus the uncertain downtime due to the coronavirus pandemic, that would've delayed Batwoman season 2's filming, and stranded Rose in a production hold. No matter what the case is, fans are already digging for some kind of explanation:

Here's the full statement about Ruby Rose's Batwoman exit, via Ruby Rose herself:

"I have made the very difficult decision to not return to Batwoman next season. This was not a decision I made lightly as I have the utmost respect for the cast, crew and everyone involved with the show in both Vancouver and in Los Angeles.

I am beyond appreciative to Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and Caroline Dries for not only giving me this incredible opportunity, but for welcoming me into the DC universe they have so beautifully created," she continued. "Thank you Peter Roth and Mark Pedowitz and the teams at Warner Bros. and The CW who put so much into the show and always believed in me. Thank you to everyone who made season one a success – I am truly grateful."

Will The CW Recast Batwoman?

Along with the announcement that Ruby Rose is leaving Batwoman came the announcement that producers will recast, right the role of Kate Kane / Batwoman for season 2. Of course, Ruby Rose is a major loss for Batwoman fans, as she is one of the most famous LGBTQ+ icons in the world now. Replacing that is going to be a real challenge.

Right now, there is another famous LGBTQ+ icon who's already nominating herself: Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Stephanie Beatriz would love to play Batwoman - and she let fans and producers know as much, as soon as Ruby Rose announced her exit!

READ MORE:

Batwoman will return for season 2 in The CW's 2020 - 2021 TV season.

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