Before Javicia Leslie's hardscrabble Ryan Wilder steps in as the new titular heroine, Batwoman season 2 will address the exit of its former lead Kate Kane (Ruby Rose). Based on the DC Comics character of the same name, Batwoman is a superhero-crime drama on CW that shares continuity with the network's other television series in the Arrowverse. Batwoman premiered its season 1 in October, and it followed Ruby Rose's Kate Kane on her quest to become Gotham City's new symbol of hope as the designative vigilante. However, the show's second season will depict a largely different story because Rose has quit the show, and a new actor is taking up her spot.
Batwoman's season 1 was cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. CW had picked up the show for a 22-episode order, but due to the virus, it concluded with only its 20th episode. Since Batwoman had already been renewed for a second season, fans hoped that the show would complete its abandoned storyline once its returns. But in May 2020, Ruby Rose announced her exit from the series, putting the new season in limbo. After Rose's departure, Batwoman creators decided not to recast her role. Instead, they brought on board God Friended Me's Javicia Leslie to play a new untamed street-dwelling lead, Ryan Wilder. While the show's new season will inevitably focus on its new heroine, it will also give fans closure about its former protagonist's sudden exit.
As revealed during Saturday's DC FanDome, Batwoman season 2 will not ignore Kate Kane's unanticipated disappearance from the series. Showrunner Caroline Dries has assured fans that Kane will not be written-off, and her absence in the Batwoman world will be explained. Dries has elaborated on how the show will deal with Kane's departure.
“We have two major stories this season as we come into Season 2. The first one is: Where is Kate? What happened to Kate? Is she alive? Is she dead? Is she missing? Is she on the run? Is she held captive? Is she lost? These are all huge mysteries that push us deep into the season. All of our characters are going to have different perspectives on that. Different conspiracy theories, different points of view, and it will create a lot of drama, mystery, tension, intrigue. It will be shocking, awesome, and amazing.”
While Kane's absence is a significant plotline in the new season, the elementary premise is centered on introducing Leslie' Ryan Wilder as the new Batwoman. According to Dries, Ryan and her community have been institutionally marginalized since the very beginning. As a consequence, Ryan has developed rebellion as a survival instinct. In the past, Ryan has had her way by fighting against the system. And she will continue to do so even as Gotham's savior, although this time, Ryan will aim at helping the entire community and not just herself.
In wake of Rose's exit in May, fans were naturally concerned about Batwoman's treatment of Kate Kane and the unfinished arcs related to her. But Dries has made it clear that the fan-favorite heroine will not simply be ignored, rather her vanishing will be a crucial plot point in the new season. Given that there are so many theories about Kane's character that will be depicted in Batwoman season 2, it is likely that the showrunners haven't ruled out the possibility of Kane's return to the series. If showrunners had intended to scrap Kane's character entirely, they would have confirmed her to be dead before introducing a new lead. But since that hasn't happened, it is possible that they might convince Rose to cameo in a few special episodes.
Source: DC FanDome