When Ruby Rose announced she would be leaving The CW’sBatwomanafter leading the show for only a single season, it shook up the show’s story as much as it rattled fans. But now, even after newcomerJavicia Leslie accepted the hero’s mantleas the new character Ryan Wilder, some are wondering if Rose might someday return.
In a recent interview promoting her new filmSAS: Red Notice, Rose spoke about the idea of returning toBatwomaneven just long enough to tie up her character’s story arc, saying she’s open to the idea. However, she also added that she doesn’t think it would necessarily be worthwhile. After it was announced thatthe showwouldn’t kill off her character Kate Kane, speculation quickly began to rise about how Rose’s role would be handled. Currently, Kate’s friends and family are working to find her after she disappeared in a plane crash, and the series is implying that she’s being held on a remote island under the watch of the criminal queen Safiyah.
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When the folks at ComicBookMovie.com asked whether she would return, Rose said, “I would totally do it. I don’t think it would serve the story because I think building the new Batwoman is more important than going back too far into Kate Kane, but of course I would,” before adding, “I’ve watched a couple of episodes, and I think how they’re handling it is beautiful. I think it’s [Ryan Wilder’s] time to shine.” SinceRose left the show more out of necessitythan any ill will, that leaves things much more open to a potential cameo than there might have been otherwise.
Few expected Rose to leaveBatwomanso soon after establishing herself as the CW’s newest hero, but the series seems to have quickly found its footing in the wake of her departure. Leslie’s casting as the new Batwoman added new, perhaps unexpected depths to the show, resulting in a rather rare but certainly welcome Black lesbian hero. In fact, even theBatwoman suit was redesignedto make her Blackness clear even from just a silhouette, driving home the new focus of the character. So, Rose’s statement that she doesn’t think it would serve the story makes sense, since a cameo might distract from where the series has been going since she left.
Ryan has brought ideas to the showthat might not have even been addressed, at least to the extent they are now if it hadn’t been for Rose’s sudden exodus. Several substories have dealt with her history with Gotham City’s private security force known as The Crows, and her resulting distrust of them reflects the relationship between countless Black people and the police in the real world. While The Crows have never really been portrayed as a fully benevolent force, having Kate’s father as its leader and her former lover as one of its officers maintained a sort of gray view of the security agency. Ryan now adds an entirely new dimension to the already multifaceted organization while using it to also develop her own character. It’s particularly poignant here in the time of theBlack Lives Mattermovement.
It’s still up in the air whether Rose will return to the show, but regardless of whether or not she does,Batwomanhas already taken on a proud new identity, in both the show’s premise and its own titular hero. Still, it might be nice to see her come back, even just for one appearance. It would certainly give the Kate Kane fans out there something to celebrate.
Batwomanseason 2 is currently airing on the CW and the series is available for streaming on Hulu and HBO Max.
