The mystery of Bruce Wayne's disappearance was a big part of Batwoman's first season, and the show kicked its second year off last night by writing out Ruby Rose's Kate Kane. It's no secret that the actress won't be returning to the role, and the signs are now pointing to the former Scarlet Knight being dead.
The episode kicked off with a fiery explosion above Gotham as a plane crashes to the ground just outside the city. Part of it falls into the river, but there are no survivors, and it's around this point Ryan Wilder (Javicia Leslie) stumbles across Batwoman's costume. She takes it, while the rest of the show's characters mourn the apparent loss of their friend.
Kate was flying back from National City after Luke encouraged her to visit Supergirl and find out the best way to destroy Kryptonite. While another search doesn't lead to the discovery of any survivors, it's thought Kate might be in the river; no body means the door is open to her being alive.
However, we later learn that Safiyah was behind the plane's explosion, and that she "killed" Kate so that she and Alice are considered "even."
Fans aren't stupid, so what's the point of making Kate's disappearance a mystery? We know Rose won't be back, and showrunner Caroline Dries acknowledged that during a recent interview with TV Line.
"It continues to be an ongoing story," she explains. "I appreciate people saying, ‘Please don’t drag me through this. We know Ruby [Rose, who exited the series in May] is not on the show anymore.’ My desire is for it to feel incredibly satisfying, and it does take you through a rollercoaster. All the characters have a vested interest in finding Kate and have their own point of view on what happened to her. The journey to the end result, I think, will be worth going along for the ride."
What that end result will be remains to be seen... perhaps the plan is to eventually recast Kate Kane?
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