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125-430: Eventually, the character would be replaced in 2006 by Kate Kane , the most iconic version of the character. This version of the character is depicted as a lesbian , of Jewish descent, possessing a military background, and is wealthy heiress who becomes inspired towards vigilantism by Batman , later revealed to be her maternal cousin (Kathy being the niece of Martha Wayne). Since the character's re-introduction in 2006,

250-485: A BFA degree in creative writing . During college, he began doing freelance animation scripts for Filmation , and a number of other studios. In 1984, he was hired to work for George Lucas on several of his animation projects. Dini later returned to the Star Wars universe in 2007 to script several episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars . Dini wrote episodes for the 1983–1985 animated TV series, He-Man and

375-611: A "loyal but not unquestioning" ally to Batman despite their disagreements. Unlike most members of the Batfamily, Kate has no ethical qualms about using lethal force if necessary, but also dislikes euthanasia . In high school, Kate Kane was a Senior Elite -level gymnast, and later graduated at the top of her class. Along with her required military training at West Point (which included instruction in Modern Army Combatives ), she completed Air Assault School and

500-476: A Dramatic Television Series. The following year he was the head writer of DC's weekly series, Countdown . Dini co-wrote a draft script for the ill-fated Science Ninja Team Gatchaman movie, which never saw the light of day and resulted in him leaving the project. Dini wrote a series for Top Cow Productions , based in a character he created, Madame Mirage . In July 2008, Dini started a partnership with GoAnimate to launch his Super Rica & Rashy series on

625-460: A February 2013 announcement that Batwoman #17 would feature the proposal between Kate and Maggie. DC Comics announced that Batwoman could not get married because "heroes shouldn't have happy personal lives". In December 2014, it was announced that the series would be canceled in March at issue forty, along with twelve other New 52 series. In 2016, it was announced that Batwoman would be one of

750-600: A black version of the 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) arrowhead insignia on her right bicep, a bluebird on her left shoulder, and a large red-and-black nautical star on her upper back. Kate is eventually pulled over for speeding by a young Renee Montoya, who was just a traffic cop at this point. The two date for several months but break up following a fight where Renee expresses concern about Kate's lack of direction in her life and Kate berates Renee for keeping her sexuality hidden from her colleagues and family. While attempting to call Renee and apologize for her behavior, Kate

875-414: A blonde-haired female assassin clad in a wig and a replica of Kathy's costume. Kate realizes that she recognizes the assassin, and asks her father to run a facial-recognition scan. While Kate restrains her attacker, her father reveals that Valentine is connected to a supervillain operating out of South America, and tells Kate that she needs to get down there to find out what is going on. Batwoman appears as

1000-622: A bunker hidden in the panic room in Kate's apartment. The first reference to the modern Batwoman is made by the Penguin in Detective Comics #824 who suggests Batman bring a date to the opening of his club, asking, "Why don't you bring that new Batwoman? I hear she's kind of hot." In 52 #7 (2006) the new Batwoman is introduced. Kane is revealed to have been intimately involved with former Gotham City police detective Renee Montoya and

1125-775: A cadet, was skilled enough in both psychological warfare and the Pashto language to be sent on a mission to Afghanistan to capture a terrorist leader. Additionally, the story mentions Kate is an expert -level marksman on the M4 Carbine and M92 pistol and "maxed her PT requirements", indicating she earned the maximum score on the Army Physical Fitness Test and the Indoor Obstacle Course Test . Paul Dini Paul McClaran Dini ( / ˈ d iː n i / ; born August 7, 1957)

1250-577: A cast that is much more reflective of today's society and even today's fanbase. One of the reasons we made her gay is that, again when you have the Batman Family—a series of characters that aren't super-powered and inhabit the same circle and the same city—you really want to have a point of difference. It was really important to me to make sure every character felt unique." Batwoman's sexual orientation initially gathered mixed reviews, ranging from praise to outrage. A reviewer at Out asserts "Batwoman will be

1375-882: A circus for her as a gift but after his untimely death, she was recruited by a young man known as Agent 33 (the future El Gaucho of the Batmen of All Nations ) into the organization, Spyral, and trained as a spy. She was given the assignment of learning of Batman's identity and donned the Batwoman codename and costume to get closer to him. Falling in love with him, the pair became lovers despite her of being legally his aunt. As such, she refused to disclose his identity. Spyral's leader and Nazi villain, Doctor Dedalus (known as Otto Netz) revealed himself as her biological father and threatened to expose her to Batman unless she continued her mission. She would subsequentially break off her relationship with Bruce in order to save him from Dedalus' plan. In

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1500-727: A circus stuntwoman who received a large inheritance upon her father's death and become a socialite in Gotham City. Frequently associated with Bruce Wayne, she would often team up with his alter-ego, Batman, and was a prominent ally and was assisted by her sidekick, Bat-Girl (aka Bette Kane, her niece). As Batwoman, she used her wealth and resources to fight crime much like Batman. Her origin would later be revised by Grant Morrison, instead casting birth name as Katherine Webb , aspiring independent film director and later wife of Nathan Kane (the brother of Matha Kane) and thus, Batman's aunt via affinity. Tying to her old origins, Nathan would purchase

1625-635: A disastrous confrontation with the Shadow Cabinet , Green Lantern Hal Jordan leads a group of superheroes to Gotham to track down the supervillain known as Prometheus . Kate is shown stalking the heroes from the rooftops after they encounter Clayface . Batwoman later contacts both Leagues at the JLA Watchtower , informing them she encountered and engaged supervillain Delores Winters , who mysteriously collapsed and died right as she

1750-484: A female rival to Batman who instead used gadgets often disguised as stereotypical feminine accoutrements and is assisted by her sidekick, Bat-Girl , she made regular appearances in Detective Comics and Batman . While a popular character in her own right with readers, editor Julius Schwartz considered the Batwoman character inappropriate for his new direction for the fictional Batman universe and following

1875-554: A former Gotham City Police detective (who would later be slated as the second incarnation of the superhero, the Question). When Wizard Entertainment inquired about editorial's decision to making Batwoman a gay character in an interview, DC Comics Senior Vice President and Executive Editor Dan DiDio responded "It was from conversations we’ve had for expanding the DC Universe, for looking at levels of diversity. We wanted to have

2000-407: A gangster named Johnny Valentine, who is wanted for his connection to the murders of three U.S. Marines. She tracks him to a local circus, the same one once owned by her predecessor, Kathy Kane. While chasing Valentine through a haunted house, Batwoman is attacked by what appears to be Kathy Kane's ghost. Batwoman struggles with and eventually defeats the "ghost", who is revealed to be nothing more than

2125-531: A global terrorist group known as The Many Arms of Death while dealing with resurfacing issues from her past. In the final issue of this series, Kate rekindles her relationship with Renee Montoya. In the "Fall of the Batmen" arc of Detective Comics and its aftermath, Clayface is tortured by the Victim Syndicate into becoming aggressive and violent. During his rampage, he absorbs excess clay matter from

2250-558: A leading character in the DC Comics Rebirth revamp of Detective Comics , which returned to its original numbering with issue #934. In July 2023, DC announced that Batwoman, along with Batwing, would lead a new Outsiders series after the conclusion of the "Gotham War" crossover event. The first incarnation of Batwoman has been presented with several different origins over the course of her publication history; Her earliest known origin depicts her as Katherine "Kathy" Kane ,

2375-420: A lesser degree, she had even participated in at times). After talking things over with Kate, Renee eventually concludes that she has the opportunity to help atone for past wrongs using the power of the office. In the story "Disinformation Campaign," part of the " Fear State " crossover storyline, Batwoman seeks out information regarding Seer, an "Anti-Oracle" who is flooding Gotham City with misinformation during

2500-553: A machinations fostered by Otto's abuse of the children. As adults, the pair compete for control of Spyral and Leviathan, organizations created by Otto Netz as opposing forces. While Elisabeth adopted Otto's incredible intelligence, Kathy instead adopted her father's spymaster prowess. Although each origin of the character differs in reasoning and approach, all versions of the character became Batwoman and were once involved with Batman romantically at some point and later seemingly killed by Bronze Tiger. Bronze Tiger's connection to her death

2625-409: A member of an all-female team of heroes created by Wonder Woman to repel a faux-alien invasion of Washington DC masterminded by Professor Ivo . After the battle is over, Kate asks Wonder Woman if she wants to accompany Kate and the other heroines to a bar to celebrate, but Wonder Woman politely turns them down to attend the college graduation ceremony of her old friend, Vanessa Kapatelis. In 2010,

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2750-749: A mugging he experienced in 1993, was published in June 2016. Dini wrote the "Actionland!" chapter in Action Comics #1000 (June 2018) which was drawn by José Luis García-López and Kevin Nowlan . Paul Dini and his wife, magician Misty Lee , created an online interview feature called "Monkey Talk" on Kevin Smith 's website, Quick Stop Entertainment .com. Dini and Misty Lee appeared on Ken Reid 's TV Guidance Counselor podcast on April 6, 2016. In September 2020, DC Comics announced that Dini would be among

2875-464: A new criminal enterprise after escaping a deadly police shootout just before Bane's takeover. They manage to track him down, but he escapes after shooting Renee in the shoulder, which thus distracts Kate while she attempts to render first aid . In the Batman/Superman story "Planet Braniac," Batwoman and Steel team up to save Batman and Superman , who were captured on the dark side of

3000-400: A ongoing solo series art by J. H. Williams III , who would also co-write the series with writer W. Haden Blackman . Artist Amy Reeder Hadley would also contribute art, alternating story arcs with Williams. The series' introductory "zero issue" was released on November 24, 2010. The launch of Batwoman #1 was originally scheduled for February 2011, then delayed until spring; in early March it

3125-469: A point of difference. It was really important to me to make sure every character felt unique." Batwoman's sexual orientation initially gathered mixed reviews, ranging from praise to outrage. A reviewer at Out asserts "Batwoman will be the highest profile gay superhero to ever grace the pages of DC Comics." Although several LGBT organizations such as GLAAD have praised DC Comics for attempting to diversify their characters, some have observed that Batwoman

3250-668: A prologue for Batwoman getting her own title again. Batwoman plays a minor role in the first arc of the Young Animal series Mother Panic , where she tracks down and briefly interacts with the title character, who is a new vigilante in Gotham. The comic implies that Kate Kane has a romantic past with Violet Paige, the protagonist, which Kate is "still mad" about. February 2017's Batwoman: Rebirth #1 lead into March 2017's Batwoman vol. 2 #1. The new series follows Batwoman as she, accompanied by Julia Pennyworth, works to dismantle

3375-460: A secret romantic relationship with her roommate, Sophie Moore . Shortly after her class's Ring Weekend ceremony, Kate is anonymously accused of homosexual conduct. The academy's Brigade Tactical Officer asks her to disavow the allegation on account of her outstanding record, mentioning that if she does, she will be demoted but still be able to graduate. Telling the BTO that she refuses to lie and violate

3500-464: A series of murders. The two work together to find Verdict, the real killer, and clear Harley's name, culminating in Kate defusing multiple bombs inside City Hall as Harley fights Verdict. Similar to her cousin Bruce, Kate uses her status as a rich socialite to disguise her vigilante activities; however, unlike Bruce, whose playboy persona is usually depicted as a facade, Kate enjoys her public lifestyle,

3625-614: A team to rescue them, Kate's mother and seemingly Beth was killed. Now raised by Jacob, a single father, he inspired her to join the United States Army but was later kicked out of the United States Military Academy despite exceeding standards as a cadet due to her being gay. The experienced caused her to spiral into depression and began excessively partying and frequently having one-night stands . She would also become briefly romantically involved with

3750-497: A tragic character and won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in an Animated Program. He continued working with WB animation, working on a number of internal projects, including Krypto the Superdog and Duck Dodgers , until 2004. In 1989 and 1990, he contributed scripts to the live-action television horror anthology series Monsters : " One Wolf's Family " and " Talk Nice to Me ". Along with Bruce Timm , he created

3875-427: A trait which Bruce himself admires. Naturally confident and flirtatious, Kate adapted such characteristics for intel-gathering purposes as a vigilante. Kate lives in a penthouse atop the R.H. Kane building that also contains her crimefighting headquarters, and holds an office job of some sort. She is an occasional gig musician at various bars around Gotham, performing as a guitarist. Though never outright stated,

Batwoman - Misplaced Pages Continue

4000-480: A young age she was more interested in masculine pastimes like her father was, something she found confusing and troubling at the time in light of her much more feminine sister. Rucka notes that Kate considers her vigilantism no different than military service and likens her adoption of the Batsymbol to fighting under a flag; following an ideal instead of an individual. Sara Century of Syfy Wire describes Kate as

4125-509: Is a wealthy heiress who becomes inspired by the superhero Batman and chooses, like him, to put her wealth and resources toward a campaign to fight crime as a masked vigilante in her home of Gotham City as Batwoman . This current version of Batwoman, who shares the same name as her counterpart from the Silver Age of comics , debuted in 2006 in the seventh week of the publisher's year-long 52 weekly comic book. Introduced as Kate Kane,

4250-660: Is an American screenwriter and comic creator. He has been a producer and writer for several Warner Bros. Animation / DC Comics animated series , most notably Batman: The Animated Series (1992–1995), and the subsequent DC Animated Universe . Dini and Bruce Timm co-created the characters Harley Quinn and Terry McGinnis . Dini began writing on He-Man and the Masters of the Universe for Filmation (1983-1984) Then later for Warner Bros. Animation on Tiny Toon Adventures . In addition to Batman: The Animated Series , Dini

4375-421: Is an Army colonel, and in Detective Comics #854, it is stated she is the cousin of Bette "Flamebird" Kane . The younger Kate also has a stepmother named Catherine Kane, making Catherine the aunt of Bette. At the 2008 New York Comic Con , it was announced that Batwoman would be among the characters appearing in a new Justice League comic book written by James Robinson . That year, Batwoman briefly took over as

4500-638: Is an identity used by three people: GCPD Detective Sonia Alcana (voiced by Elisa Gabrielli ), Wayne Tech employee Dr. Roxanne " Rocky " Ballantine (voiced by Kelly Ripa ), and Kathleen " Kathy " Duquesne (voiced by Kimberly Brooks ), who all hold grudges against the Penguin and Rupert Thorne as well as Carlton Duquesne, a gangster in the crime bosses' employ and Kathy's father. Alcana, Ballantine, and Kathy pooled their resources and skills together to seek revenge while taking turns operating as Batwoman to draw suspicion away from each other, with all three using lethal force to achieve their goals. In

4625-498: Is attacked by a mugger who wants her wallet and cell phone. Using her military training, Kate easily defeats the criminal just as Batman arrives and helps her off the ground. She is then shown fixated by the Bat-Signal as Batman departs the scene. Inspired by her encounter with the caped crusader, Kate sobers up and begins fighting crime using military body armor and weaponry stolen from her father's military base and purchased off

4750-616: Is displaced from her Gotham residence during the storylines "The Fall and the Fallen" and "City of Bane" in the main Batman series, being out of the city on a mission when Bane takes it over. She takes up temporary residence in an apartment in Atlanta . In Black Mask: Year of the Villain #1, she assists Renee Montoya in tracking down Black Mask , who coincidentally fled to Atlanta to begin

4875-655: Is heiress to one of the wealthiest families in Gotham, owning that which the Wayne family does not. In her third appearance in issue #11 of 52 entitled "Batwoman Begins", Kane assists Montoya and her partner the Question in a mystery revolving around a warehouse owned by Kane's family. When Montoya and the Question are attacked sometime later by Whisper A'Daire 's shapeshifting minions, Kane intervenes as Batwoman and rescues them. In 52 #28 (2006), after Montoya learns that

5000-413: Is joined by Nightwing , who has recently returned to Gotham and becomes infatuated with her. On Christmas Eve, he gives her an 'official' Batarang . She also celebrates Hanukkah with Renee, and the two kiss shortly before Christmas . This story introduced some of Kane's background, including the fact that she is Jewish . In issue #48 of 52 (2007), when Intergang realizes that the image of Batwoman in

5125-585: Is kidnapped by cultists and taken to London for her to once again be sacrificed. She is sealed within a coffin and taken underground to the last remaining Lazarus Pit for the ritual to begin. She is saved by the timely intervention of Dick Grayson and British superheroes Knight and Squire . After learning that Grayson plans on placing Bruce Wayne's corpse into the Pit to revive him, Kate strongly protests, but he simply ignores her. True to Kate's warnings, Bruce (in reality an insane clone created by Darkseid ) emerges from

Batwoman - Misplaced Pages Continue

5250-482: Is named. Kane appeared in media set in the Arrowverse , initially portrayed by Ruby Rose and later by Wallis Day . The limited series Infinite Crisis (2005), written as a sequel to the 1985 maxi-series Crisis on Infinite Earths , altered DC Comics continuity. Subsequently, all comic book titles published by DC Comics skip forward one year and a new maxi-series entitled 52 retroactively chronicles

5375-492: Is not the first gay or lesbian character to appear in comic books, nor is she the only lesbian to be associated with the Batman series. In the character's civilian identity as a socialite, Katherine Kane is acquainted with Bruce Wayne and is friends with a doctor named Mallory. She is presented with porcelain white skin, several tattoos , and a clothing style defined as punk-psychobilly-goth in her civilian persona. Her father

5500-532: Is presented in Detective Comics through the use of exposition and flashbacks. In their early childhood, Katherine Rebecca "Kate" Kane and her sister Elizabeth "Beth" Kane were identical twins who shared a very close bond. Their parents were career soldiers in the United States Army , and the twins were raised at least partially in Fort Bragg , North Carolina . Their father, Jacob "Jake" Kane ,

5625-482: Is seen investigating the arrival of a new leader of the Religion of Crime in Gotham. She briefly meets Batman (it is intentionally left ambiguous whether or not it is Dick Grayson or Bruce Wayne) to discuss her findings. Kate demonstrates greater knowledge of the Religion of Crime, and even corrects Batman by saying there are 13 and not 12 covens of the religion in Gotham. Batman concedes the case to her, and comments on

5750-444: Is unaware of her cousin's vigilante activities. While dancing with Maggie, Kate is approached by Kyle Abbot, a former employee of Bruno Mannheim who split from the Religion of Crime after the events of 52 . Through a conversation with Abbot, Kate discovers that Alice has kidnapped her father and plans to destroy Gotham by spreading a deadly airborne chemical from a hijacked airplane, thus succeeding where Mannheim failed. Batwoman boards

5875-400: Is widowed and later becomes both a crime fighter and lover alongside Bruce for a time until she was seemingly killed. The issue also revealed her being a spy sent to deduce Batman's secret identity and true parentage to Nazi scientist and spymaster, Otto Netz (also known as Agent Zero). That same year, co-authors J.H. Williams and W. Haden Blackman announced that they would leave Batwoman after

6000-566: The Batman: Urban Legends story "Survivor's Guilt," during which the two discuss Renee's decision to accept the GCPD Commissionership. Despite her initial willingness to accept the offer, Renee becomes conflicted about the decision due to a run-in earlier in the evening with a man she had arrested years prior, which reminded her of the abuses of police power she witnessed as an officer and a detective (and which, to

6125-611: The Crime Bible and the cited "twice-named daughter of Cain" were one and the same, they ransack Kane's apartment, kidnapping her with the intention to sacrifice her. Montoya arrives too late to stop the ritual, finding Kate bound and gagged to an altar as prophet Bruno Mannheim plunges a knife through her heart. In the ensuing confrontation, the freed Batwoman pulls the knife out of her own chest to stab Mannheim, and then collapses in Renee's arms. She survives her wounds after Renee stops

6250-456: The Empire . In 1989, Dini was hired at Warner Bros. Animation to work on Tiny Toon Adventures . Later, he moved on to Batman: The Animated Series , where he worked as a writer, producer and editor, later working on Superman: The Animated Series , The New Batman Adventures , and Batman Beyond . Dini was the writer for the episode " Heart of Ice ", which redefined Mr. Freeze as

6375-479: The Grayson series (2014 - 2016) as an antagonist, revealing a new birthname of Katrina Luka Netz and being with both the codename "Agent Zero" and acting as the secret head of the espionage organization, Spyral. In the same year the series began, it was announced that the Batwoman series would be canceled in March of 2015 at issue forty, along with twelve other New 52 series. The Kate Kane version would later appear as

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6500-585: The Harley and Ivy limited series for DC in 2004. Dini became the writer for DC Comics' Detective Comics as of issue #821 (Sept. 2006) and created a new version of the Ventriloquist in #827 (March 2007). While Grant Morrison was starting a seven-year Batman story on the Batman title composed of long, interlinking arcs, Dini wrote a number of single-issue stories over the following year as well as two crossovers with Morrison's Batman, one focusing on

6625-665: The Justice League ( Secret Origins and Liberty and Justice ). A hardcover collection of the Dini and Ross stories was published in 2005 under the title The World's Greatest Super-Heroes . Among Dini's original creations is Jingle Belle , the rebellious teen-age daughter of Santa Claus . In 2002, Dini created Sheriff Ida Red , the super-powered cowgirl star of a series of books set in Dini's mythical town of Mutant, Texas . He collaborated with Kevin Smith on Clerks: The Animated Series . He and Bruce Timm collaborated on

6750-605: The US Army Airborne School , and earned the Recondo Badge, all while maintaining a 95th percentile or better class rank and an above-average Cadet Performance Score. As a cadet, she also competed in boxing (having been taught by her father as a teenager ), and is implied to have won an academy boxing championship against Sophie Moore sometime before their senior year. Larry Hama 's short story "Honor Code" establishes that Kate, early in her senior year as

6875-461: The black market ; she operates for close to a year before her father finds out. After being confronted by Jacob, Kate accepts his offer of assistance and begins an intense two years of training across the globe with some of her father's friends from the special operations community. Upon returning to Gotham, Kate discovers that her father has created a Batsuit for her, along with an arsenal of experimental weaponry based on Batman's known gadgetry and

7000-719: The graphic novels Superman: Peace on Earth , Batman: War on Crime , Shazam! Power of Hope , and Wonder Woman: Spirit of Truth . His original creations include Jingle Belle , Sheriff Ida Red , and Madame Mirage . Paul Dini was born on August 7, 1957 in New York City to Patricia (McClaran) and Robert Dini, an advertising executive. He is of Italian descent through his father. Dini attended Stevenson School in Pebble Beach , California on an art scholarship. He attended Emerson College in Boston, where he earned

7125-413: The "Batman Family" she is more loosely connected to. Issue seventeen was also a milestone as it featured Kate proposing to her girlfriend, Maggie Sawyer . In the Detective Comics title, Batman recruits Batwoman to help run a "boot camp" for young heroes, consisting of Red Robin , Orphan , Spoiler , and Clayface . Batwoman is essentially Batman's co-lead in the first arc (#934-#940), which depicts

7250-479: The "Book of Crime", a sacred text of Intergang , contains a prophecy foretelling the brutal murder of the "twice named daughter of Kane", she and the Question return to Gotham, joining forces with Batwoman in issue #30 in order to avert Intergang's plans. Batwoman later appears in a story written by Greg Rucka for the DC Infinite Holiday Special (2006). As Batwoman continues the case, she

7375-444: The 2014 Grayson series, her origin is once more revised by Tim Seeley and Tom King. Although most elements of her previous origin from Morrison remained the same, her birthname is instead Katrina " Luka " Netz , with the latter two names as aliases. Unlike her last portrayal, she is raised by Otto Netz as a potential successor but has an antagonistic relationship with her sister, Elisabeth Netz (Frau Netz), throughout their childhood,

7500-428: The 52 weeks which directly followed Infinite Crisis . When DC editors called for a redesign of Batwoman, comic book artist Alex Ross drew inspiration from the modified Batgirl costume he designed for Barbara Gordon , seven years before Kate Kane's debut in the limited comic book series 52 . Ross and comic book author Paul Dini initially planned to revive the former Batgirl Barbara Gordon using an updated version of

7625-777: The Batwoman character has been adapted several times with some being original incarnations, such as Ryan Wilder from the The CW Batwoman television series, portrayed by Javicia Leslie . This version is the daughter of Jada Jet (based on Jezebel Jet ). In the DC Animated Universe , Batwoman is depicted as three different characters sharing the codename: GCPD detective Sonia Alcana (voiced by Elisa Gabrielli ), Wayne Tech employee Dr. Roxanne " Rocky " Ballantine (voiced by Kelly Ripa ), and socialite Kathleen " Kathy " Duquesne (voiced by Kimberly Brooks ). The original Batwoman character, Kathy Kane,

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7750-487: The Cutter, who has been abducting young women and cutting off parts of their faces to create the perfect woman. He eventually kidnaps Bette, but Kate tracks the killer to his lair and attacks him. During the fight, Batwoman reveals her identity to Bette when she mentions her tennis career, and in the aftermath Bette is seen in her Flamebird outfit, saying that she wants to be Kate's new partner. In Batman Inc. Batwoman hunts

7875-556: The DVD and Blu-ray special features, the producers explained that DC did not want the filmmakers to use Kate Kane in a family-friendly film due to the violence associated with her character. Kate Kane Batwoman ( Katherine Rebecca " Kate " Kane ) is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics . Created by writers Greg Rucka , Geoff Johns , Grant Morrison , Mark Waid , and artist Alex Ross , Kane

8000-607: The December issue because of conflicts with DC over creative differences, remarking that they were not allowed to expand Killer Croc's back story, keep their original ending to their current story arc, or depict Kate and Maggie getting married. This announcement followed a February 2013 announcement that Batwoman #17 would feature the proposal between Kate and Maggie. DC Comics responded that Batwoman could not get married because "heroes shouldn't have happy personal lives". The Kathy Kane character would make some appearances throughout

8125-537: The Honor Code of the academy, Kate admits to being lesbian and is forced to leave the school. When she confronts her father with the news, he supports her and affirms that she upheld her honor and integrity. Sometime later, Jacob marries Catherine Hamilton Kane. Kate then moves back to Gotham City where she attends college and descends into a wild social lifestyle, consisting of parties, heavy drinking, and one-night stands. During this time she also gets three tattoos:

8250-745: The Kanes are implied to be of the Reform Judaism denomination, as Kate and Beth were not preparing for a bat mitzvah on their 12th birthday. Kate displays a menorah and Shabbat candles in her penthouse and celebrates Jewish holidays, but does not follow kosher dietary restrictions. Greg Rucka mentions Kate as being shaped by her parents, who demonstrated "the best of what [military] culture can offer", including personal responsibility, integrity, service, and dimunitization of personal gratification. In particular, Kate takes after her father Jacob, as she specifically emulated his levelheaded demeanor in

8375-730: The Masters of the Universe , as well as contributing to interviews on the released box sets of the series. He wrote an episode for the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon in 1983, an episode of the Generation One Transformers cartoon series, "The Dweller in The Depths," an episode of the 1985 G.I. Joe cartoon called "Jungle Trap", and contributed to various episodes of the Star Wars: Ewoks animated series, several of which included rare appearances from

8500-590: The Moon while investigating a Braniac signal. During the " Joker War " crossover storyline, Batwoman assisted Batman in recapturing Wayne Tower, which had been taken over by the Joker 's henchmen, who were using the building's fabrication facilities for manufacturing weapons and vehicles to aid their side of the conflict. Additionally, she helped rescue Lucius Fox , who had been dosed with Joker Toxin and forced to help this production process. Batwoman meets with Renee in

8625-576: The Night! ", the teaser of which contained a team-up between Batman and Zatanna , one of Dini's favorite characters. Dini penned the storyline for the Rocksteady Studios video game Batman: Arkham Asylum , released on August 25, 2009. He wrote three episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars : "Cloak of Darkness," "Holocron Heist," and "Voyage of Temptation." On February 14, 2008, the first edition of Dini's column, "200 Words with Paul Dini"

8750-426: The Pit and attacks the heroes. As the battle takes place, the cultists who kidnapped Kate detonate explosives surrounding the Pit, causing a massive cave-in. Grayson discovers Kate, buried alive and paralyzed from the waist down. Using morphine from Grayson's utility belt, Kate deliberately commits suicide by overdose to be resurrected and healed by the nearby Pit. This plan is successful, and Kate returns to Gotham with

8875-623: The Question confronts Trickster and Pied Piper , having trailed them from the Penguin's Iceberg Lounge nightclub. Batwoman also makes an appearance in the miniseries Crime Bible: The Five Lessons of Blood (2007) alongside the Question. Batwoman is seen again on the final page of Grant Morrison 's Final Crisis #3 (2008), one month after the Anti-Life Equation was released, as a new Female Fury along with Wonder Woman , Catwoman , and Giganta . Her costume bears resemblance to

9000-407: The Silver Age version of the character, being depicted as lesbian and was announced in the same time she was revealed. Stories appeared on television news outlets such as CNN , general news magazines such as USA Today , and gay culture magazines such as Out regarding the new version of the character. In her debut issue, Kane is revealed to have been romantically involved with Renee Montoya ,

9125-554: The States and settle in the Washington metropolitan area , where Jacob receives significant promotions and Kate completes middle school and high school, seemingly at private institutions. Kate attends the United States Military Academy , where she receives excellent grades, performs well in physical fitness and sports, earns prestigious awards, and achieves the rank of Brigade Executive Officer in her senior year; she also maintains

9250-501: The animated series Freakazoid! . He has earned five Emmy awards for his animation work. In a related effort, Dini was the co-author with Chip Kidd of Batman Animated , a 1998 non-fiction coffee table book about the animated Batman franchise. Dini and Bruce Timm introduced Harley Quinn in Batman: The Animated Series as her first appearance was the episode "Joker's Favor" and in 1994, they adapted

9375-526: The bleeding in time, however, and as she recuperates in her penthouse, Renee, disguised in her new alter ego as the Question, shines the Bat-Signal into her apartment and asks, "Are you ready?" Batwoman subsequently appears in the fifty-two-issue weekly series Countdown , intended to act as a prelude to DC's summer crossover event the following year. Batwoman appears in Countdown #39 (2007), after

9500-524: The bulk of both titles during their existence including the first and last issue of both. In 2006 he announced that he was writing a hardcover graphic novel starring Zatanna and Black Canary . In 2006, Dini was on the writing staff for the first season of the ABC adventure series Lost . The Lost writers were awarded at the 2006 Writers Guild of America Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Writing for

9625-414: The character began appearing in the self-titled series Batwoman . After an introductory "zero" issue in 2010, the series launched fully in 2011 with Batwoman #1 along with DC's company-wide renumbering of its titles that year. Writers J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman chose to expand Kate's supporting cast both in terms of her family (the Kanes, including Elizabeth, Bette and other relatives), and

9750-629: The character into comics in The Batman Adventures: Mad Love one-shot. In 1994, Dini and Timm won both the Eisner Award for Best Single Story and the Harvey Award for Best Single Issue or Story for Mad Love . Dini won the same Eisner prize the next year as well, for Batman Adventures Holiday Special , (a one-shot with several Christmas-themed stories) with Timm, Ronnie del Carmen , and others. Harley Quinn

9875-400: The character is notably DC Comics' most highly profiled gay superhero whose sexual orientation has been subjected to attention from the general public, both positive and negative. The character's chief love interests include Maggie Sawyer and Renee Montoya . The character has also been featured in several solo ongoing series , Detective Comics , and The Outsiders (2023). Within media,

10000-422: The character's original costume, with red accents in place of the traditional yellow. However, since Gordon served as one of a very small number of disabled superheroes of DC Comics as Oracle, DC's editorial staff was against revitalizing her at the time. In an interview with Newsarama , Ross states, "They had me change the mask and hair to make it a bit more Batwoman, rather than Batgirl...I pointed out to them that

10125-462: The codename " Agent Zero" and acts as the secret leader of Spyral behind even the associated directors. Katherine Rebecca Kane is depicted as a Jewish military brat, one of the twin daughters of Jacob Kane (brother of Martha Kane) who grew up with a close relationship with her parents and twin, Beth. She is also the maternal cousin of Batman . On their twelfth birthday, the twins alongside their mother were abducted and although her father assembled

10250-677: The conflict that ensues, Batwoman observes that Alice only speaks in quotations from Lewis Carroll , believing herself to be Alice Liddell . Alice denies a connection to the Mad Hatter . While attending a fundraising gala for the Gotham City Police Department, Kate meets and flirts with detective Maggie Sawyer , and runs into her cousin Bette Kane (better known as the Teen Titans member Flamebird). Kate

10375-543: The creators of a revived Batman: Black and White anthology series to debut on December 8, 2020. Dini wrote the prequel to Scoob! , Scoob! Holiday Haunt , set to release through HBO Max . It was canceled in August 2022 by Warner Bros. Discovery . Dini and his wife Misty Lee , a magician and voiceover actress, live in Los Angeles. Their two Boston terriers , Mugsy and Deuce, were featured in "Anger Management",

10500-621: The dead Fury Mad Harriet . She is also seen in Final Crisis: Revelations #3 attacking the Question after having just been infected with the Anti-Life Equation. Following the events of Final Crisis and Battle for the Cowl , in which Bruce Wayne has supposedly died and is replaced by Dick Grayson, Kate becomes the lead of Detective Comics from issues 854 to 863. In the first story, entitled " Elegy ", Batwoman

10625-529: The events of "Fear State". Later the same night, working solo, Kate frees City Hall from the Red Crown terrorist group, who had taken it over after posing as the mayor's security detail. In the "Shadows of the Bat" storyline, Kate infiltrates Arkham Tower, a new replacement for Arkham Asylum , by using the alias Dr. Lisa Frow and getting hired as a psychiatrist to investigate both the building and Dr. Tobias Wear,

10750-541: The first season of the ABC adventure series Lost . Dini wrote the storylines for the Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City video games. In 2010, he created the live action drama series Tower Prep for Cartoon Network . He has written a number of comic books for DC Comics . Dini and Timm collaborated on The Batman Adventures: Mad Love , which won the Eisner Award for Best Single Story in 1994. Dini and illustrator Alex Ross created

10875-495: The general public. The modern character is depicted in comics works relatively independently of Batman but has gained a considerable profile in recent years, both within the DC Comics publishing schedule and the publisher's fictional universe . She since had several runs in her own eponymous Batwoman monthly comic book and has had stints in the lead role in Detective Comics , the flagship Batman comic book for which DC Comics

11000-477: The head of the facility. In The Aquamen miniseries, Kate assists Jackson Hyde in taking down Atlantean sleeper agents activated by Peter Mortimer in Gotham, as well as locating Mortimer himself. Dialogue between Kate and Jackson indicates they're on a first-name basis, and implies Kate is on a first-name basis with Arthur Curry as well. In the "Verdict" arc of Harley Quinn , Kate breaks Harley out of Blackgate Prison after suspecting she has been framed for

11125-405: The highest profile gay superhero to ever grace the pages of DC Comics." Although several LGBT organizations such as GLAAD have praised DC Comics for attempting to diversify their characters, some have observed that Batwoman is not the first gay or lesbian character to appear in comic books, nor is she the only lesbian to be associated with the Batman series. In 2008 during New York Comic Con , it

11250-479: The issue marked the final appearance of Earth-1 Kathy Kane, an Earth-2 version appeared The Brave and The Bold #182 (January 1982) although it would be the final appearance of the Kathy Kane character for decades. A new version of the character was eventually revealed in the spring of 2006. Sometime prior, DC editors called for a redesign of Batwoman, with comic book artist Alex Ross drawing inspiration from

11375-460: The issue. Throughout them, a back story is provided from her childhood that depicts Kate, her twin sister Beth, and their mother being kidnapped. While Kate's father can rescue her, it appears as though both her sister and mother have been killed by the time he arrives. Batwoman appears in the miniseries Cry for Justice , a set-up for a new ongoing Justice League title. When the Justice League of America splits up following Bruce Wayne's death and

11500-551: The larger crisis orchestrated by Scarecrow and contributing to the city's panic. Her sister Beth, still dealing with her lingering Alice persona, helps her on this mission, disguising herself as Alice to infiltrate a gathering of the Religion of Crime and convince them to find Seer. Despite failing to recruit the RoC members, the twins still discover Seer's whereabouts and relay the information to Nightwing and Oracle . The story also reveals that Kate and Renee had broken up sometime before

11625-466: The lead character in Detective Comics , starting with #854. with DC saying at the 2009 New York Comic Con that she would be DC Comics' highest-profile gay superhero. In 2010, DC announced that Batwoman would star in a series with art by J. H. Williams III , who would also co-write the series with writer W. Haden Blackman . Artist Amy Reeder Hadley would also contribute art, alternating story arcs with Williams. The series' introductory "zero issue"

11750-474: The lead characters in the DC Comics Rebirth revamp of Detective Comics , which returned to its original numbering with issue #934. In July 2023, DC announced that Batwoman, along with Batwing, would lead a new Outsiders series after the conclusion of the "Gotham War" crossover event. In 52 #7, Kate Kane is introduced (although she is referred to as Kathy on several occasions). No Origins titles have been presented for Kate Kane; her fictional backstory

11875-447: The length of her hair (though panels on the same page reveal the long red wig hides her actual hair, styled short). Aspects of her personal life are also revealed, including her relationship with her colonel father. The strain of her late-night vigilante activity has also taken a toll on her romantic relationships. Her lateness and nighttime absences are interpreted by her girlfriend as an on-the-side liaison with another woman. She breaks

12000-725: The mask makes her look like the Huntress a little overall—but there weren't many options." Unlike the Silver Age Kathy Kane , who was romantically attracted to Batman, the new version of Kane is a lesbian , as well as Bruce Wayne's maternal cousin. Her sexual orientation was announced at the same time the character was revealed in the spring of 2006. Stories appeared on television news outlets such as CNN , general news magazines such as USA Today , and gay culture magazines such as Out . The modern Katherine "Kate" Kane made her first comic book appearance in issue #7 of

12125-421: The maxi-series 52 , where Kane is revealed to have been romantically involved with Renee Montoya , a former Gotham City Police detective (who later takes up the mantle of the Question after the original hero dies). When questioned about the editorial decision to make Batwoman a gay character in an interview with Wizard Entertainment , DC Comics Senior Vice President and Executive Editor Dan DiDio stated "It

12250-636: The modern Batwoman began operating in Gotham City in Batman's absence following the events of the company-wide crossover Infinite Crisis (2005). The modern Batwoman is written as being of Jewish descent and as a lesbian . During the New 52 , it is established that Kate Kane is a cousin of Batman's alter-ego Bruce Wayne, being a niece of his mother Martha Wayne . Described as the highest-profile gay superhero to appear in stories published by DC, Batwoman's sexual orientation drew wide media attention following her reintroduction, as well as both praise and criticism from

12375-470: The modified Batgirl costume he designed for Barbara Gordon , seven years before Kate Kane's planned debut in the limited comic book series 52 . While Ross and comic book author Paul Dini initially planned to revive the former Batgirl Barbara Gordon using an updated version of the character's original costume, the decision was rebuffed due to Gordon serving as one of a very small number of disabled superheroes of DC Comics as Oracle. This version differed from

12500-416: The others. Furthermore, since Kate did technically die, the cultists consider their goal completed. Before leaving to return to her home, Grayson flirts with Kate by telling her that he has a thing for red-haired crime-fighters (a reference to his previous love interests, Barbara Gordon and Starfire ), apparently unaware of Kate's sexuality. Batwoman also begins hunting down a crazed serial killer known as

12625-430: The plane and defeats Alice's subordinates, eventually stopping the plot and rescuing her father in the process. However, Alice is accidentally thrown from the plane, only to be caught by Batwoman. Alice then shocks her by saying that Batwoman has "our father's eyes", apparently revealing that she is Kate's sister Beth (who was believed to have been killed years ago). With Batwoman stunned by the revelation, Alice stabs her in

12750-593: The platform. Dini returned to Batman animated adaptations to write the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "Legends of the Dark Mite". In the same episode, he appeared in an animated form wearing Harley Quinn's costume in a comic book convention parody scene, along with Bruce Timm wearing Joker's costume next to him. He would go on to write several additional episodes for the series, including " Chill of

12875-422: The relationship off as she believes Kate is not ready to commit to an exclusive relationship. Kate alludes to a past traumatic incident which she claims still haunts her. As she vaguely describes the experience, her face is shown superimposed on the page over a restrained girl with a bag over her head. She later tracks down the new leader of the Religion of Crime: an elaborately costumed woman named Alice. Throughout

13000-401: The resurrection of Ra's al Ghul and another on the return of Hush . After Morrison's " Batman R.I.P. " storyline in 2009, creators were moved around titles and Dini started writing two new Batman titles Batman: Streets of Gotham and Gotham City Sirens . Streets of Gotham started and ended with story arcs about Hush while Gotham City Sirens focused on the women of Gotham; he wrote

13125-471: The revamp to Detective Comics in 1964, Batwoman was removed from the series and three years later, was replaced by the Barbara Gordon version of Batgirl , whose approach and being a more direct female counterpart to Batman (using gadgets similar to Batman, being a highly skilled martial artist, and having a doctorate in her civilian identity) made her a more popular character. Although the character

13250-516: The team fighting the Colony, a top-secret military organization that mimics Batman's methods. The next two issues are part of the crossover event Night of the Monster Men . Issues 943-947 cover a group of "collateral damage" individuals called the Victim Syndicate, attempting to put an end to Batman's vigilantism. Issues 948 and 949 are collectively called Batwoman Begins . These two issues are

13375-451: The training simulation room used by the team, which makes him grow to a giant size. When all nonlethal attempts to stop his attack fail, Batwoman fatally shoots him with a special rifle that destabilizes his matter. This action causes a schism in the team, leading Batwoman (along with Batwing and Azrael ) to join the Colony. The Colony is disbanded in the final issue of the initial Rebirth run, along with Kate and Bruce making amends. Kate

13500-465: The wake their family tragedy to counteract her grief and inherent hotheadedness. This personality shift is something she maintained into adulthood. In James Tynion IV 's short story "The Wrong Side of the Looking Glass", this emulation of Jacob is expanded upon as including feelings of gender variance that Kate experienced as a child even before the kidnappings; though Kate is cisgender , from

13625-406: The way to the restaurant, a group of gunmen attacked the family and took them hostage, killing their bodyguard in the process. After learning of his family's kidnapping, Jacob Kane led a rescue mission to save his captured family, which ended with Kate's mother being executed and Beth apparently killed after being caught in the crossfire between the kidnappers and soldiers. Jacob and Kate move back to

13750-400: The wrist with a knife. Batwoman is forced to release her grip, sending Alice to her apparent demise in the river below. In the aftermath of this discovery, Kate locks herself in her crime lab and tries to come to terms with what just happened, while the police struggle in vain to find any sign of Alice's corpse. These scenes are depicted among numerous flashback sequences that comprise most of

13875-514: The young traffic cop, Renee Montoya , but later break up after Kate denounces her for being closeted . When later she tries reconciling with Renee, she is nearly mugged and saved by Batman. Kate then becomes inspired to become a vigilante and would later be extensively trained by her father, eventually becoming Batwoman. An original incarnation of Batwoman appears in Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman , voiced by Kyra Sedgwick . This version

14000-659: Was a sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum . He wrote a five-issue comic series set in the game continuity. A building in Arkham City is named Dini Towers in tribute. He did not write the storyline of the third Rocksteady game in the series, Batman: Arkham Knight , due to the company not wanting to hire freelance writers for future games. Dini wrote the script for Bloodspell , an original graphic novel starring Black Canary and Zatanna . He also performed rewrites on Disney's dark fantasy film Maleficent . His graphic novel Dark Night: A True Batman Story , based on

14125-438: Was a writer for Superman: The Animated Series (1996–2000), writer and co-creator for The New Batman Adventures (1997–1999), and writer and developer for Batman Beyond (1999–2001). He also co-created Freakazoid! (1995–1997) with Timm, produced Duck Dodgers (2003–2005), developed and scripted Krypto the Superdog (2005–2006). After leaving Warner Bros. Animation in early 2004, Dini went on to write and story edit

14250-553: Was about to be taken into custody. The heroes request that Kate bring the body up to them, but she declines, telling them that she is much too busy due to a rash of criminal uprisings going on in Gotham. Firestorm is then sent to retrieve the corpse from Kate and bring it to the team, who discover that Dolores was forced into fighting using a mind-control device. In a text piece included in Justice League: Cry for Justice #6, writer James Robinson revealed that Batwoman

14375-620: Was announced that Batwoman #1 would be released sometime in Fall 2011, as part of the New 52 rebooted DC Universe. That same year, Grant Morrison would also restore the original Kathy Kane into modern continuity in flashbacks, most prominently in Batman Incorporated #4 (August 2011). A later issue in 2013 issue reveals the origin of the original Batwoman in current DC Universe continuity, depicting her as Bruce's aunt by marriage who

14500-407: Was announced that Batwoman would be among the characters appearing in a new Justice League comic book written by James Robinson . That same year, Batwoman briefly took over as the lead character in Detective Comics , starting with #854. with DC saying at the 2009 New York Comic Con that she would be DC Comics' highest-profile gay superhero. Two years later, DC announced the character would star in

14625-545: Was created in 1956 during the Silver Age of Comics . After the comic book industry was attacked in the early 1950s following the publication and controversy originating from Fredric Wertham 's Seduction of the Innocent in which accused the Batman and Robin characters to be homosexual, the character was created to help offset the accusations and would first appear in Detective Comics #233 (July 1956). Characterized as

14750-399: Was from conversations we’ve had for expanding the DC Universe, for looking at levels of diversity. We wanted to have a cast that is much more reflective of today's society and even today's fanbase. One of the reasons we made her gay is that, again when you have the Batman Family—a series of characters that aren't super-powered and inhabit the same circle and the same city—you really want to have

14875-426: Was initially intended to be part of his new Justice League line-up, but this plan fell apart after Cry For Justice was shortened into a miniseries rather than an ongoing title. This explains why Batwoman is present on the cover of the first issue, and why she was initially said to be a member of the team when the book was first announced. Later, Kate appears as part of Batman and Robin : Blackest Knight . Batwoman

15000-631: Was integrated into the mainstream DC Comics continuity in the Batman: Harley Quinn one-shot published in 1999. In Batman Beyond , Dini and Timm co-created Terry McGinnis , the teenage Batman of the future, and his supporting cast. Dini has written several comics stories for DC Comics, including an oversized graphic novel series illustrated by painter Alex Ross featuring Superman ( Superman: Peace on Earth ), Batman ( Batman: War on Crime ), Shazam ( Shazam! Power of Hope ), Wonder Woman ( Wonder Woman: Spirit of Truth ), and

15125-514: Was promoted to colonel sometime before their twelfth birthday and reassigned to a NATO position in Brussels , Belgium, and the family moved there. On the twins' twelfth birthday, Jacob could not come home to celebrate with them due to a security crisis, so Kate and Beth were taken by their mother, Gabrielle "Gabi" Kane, to the Grand-Place for chocolate and waffles, their favorite dish. On

15250-660: Was released on November 24, 2010. The launch of Batwoman #1 was originally scheduled for February 2011, then delayed until spring; in early March it was announced that Batwoman #1 would be released sometime in Fall 2011, as part of the New 52 rebooted DC Universe. In September 2013, co-authors J.H. Williams and W. Haden Blackman announced that they would leave Batwoman after the December issue because of conflicts with DC over storylines. They remarked that they were not allowed to expand Killer Croc's back story, keep their original ending to their current story arc, or show Kate and Maggie getting married. This announcement followed

15375-672: Was released on the iFanboy site. Dini is the main creator of the live action drama Tower Prep Cartoon Network series. On August 4, 2010, it was confirmed that Dini will be involved in Marvel Comics' upcoming animated series Ultimate Spider-Man , which aired on Disney XD in 2012. He worked on Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. , an animated series centered around the Hulk and his supporting cast. Dini worked with Rocksteady studios once again to create Batman: Arkham City , which

15500-496: Was revealed to be false and later attributed to villainess Scorpiana by El Gaucho, previous Agent 33 whom recruited her during his time as a agent of Spyral. Ultimately, it was revealed to be a ruse by Kathy, who later kills Talia al Ghul and revealed as the Headmistress of St. Hadrian, an all-girls boarding school that is a training ground for future female spies for Spyral and served as a high-ranking member. She later adopts

15625-560: Was several times requested by fans to revive the Batwoman character, DC's editorial of the time rejected the notion, believing the character only existed as Batman's love interest and her role was fulfilled with the Barbara Gordon character. The character eventually made several guest appearance starting in 1977 but was killed off in Detective Comics #485 (August–September 1979). Editor Dennis O'Neil later stated in an interview, "we already had Batgirl, we didn't need Batwoman." While

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