What Is Batwoman's Connection to Batman? A Deeper Look Into the New CW Character

The Caped Crusader may have gone missing in The CW's Batwoman, but the streets of Gotham City are still intact, and it's got Katherine Kane to thank for that. Her fighting skills and passion for social justice came in pretty handy when she stepped up to take Bruce Wayne's place. But what is her backstory? And how is the new vigilante connected to Batman?

For one, she's more than a proud lesbian superhero. The wealthy heiress is also a Jewish ex-military who could probably give Jet Li a run for his money. And like Bruce, the no-nonsense crime fighter has a pretty dark past. 

Because of the Joker, her mother died from a car accident that she and her sister both survived. Although at the time, her sister Beth was also presumed dead after she went missing and couldn't be found. Unfortunately for Kate, her reunion with Beth wasn't a happy one, as her sister went crazy and morphed into the super villain, Alice.

Still, that traumatic accident would fuel her interest in justice and fighting crime. She decided to be like her dad, former military colonel Jacob Kane, and she studied at Point Rock Academy. But because she broke the military's code by dating another girl (Sophie) and refused to deny it, she got expelled. 

Afterward, at the advice of her dad, she did some traveling and improved her combat skills by training with survival specialists. But when she returned to Gotham, she visited Wayne Enterprises and decided to put her skills to use after discovering that her missing relative, Bruce, was a vigilante. 

Batwoman was quite close to Gotham's previous defender because they're cousins. In fact, he was like an older brother to her, and on one occasion, when she and her twin sister visited Wayne Enterprises, they snuck into his office. However, she never discovered that Bruce was Batman until after his disappearance.

She's the new head of Wayne Enterprises, but she's also in the process of converting it into a real estate development firm. Aside from picking up where Bruce left off, though, Kate tries to have some semblance of a normal life by getting out there and dating. 

For instance, she tries to have a lunch date with the bartender Reagan in "Who Are You?" But then it's interrupted when Kate gets an urgent Batwoman-related text, proving that it's nearly impossible to balance her vigilante status with a normal life.

Regarding Kate's backstory, there are actually a few differences. Among the more obvious ones is the fact that she and her cousin Bruce actually weren't that close growing up. It was only until later on, when they teamed up and fought together as vigilantes, that they bonded and got close. Also, unlike the CW series, Kate's mom and sister were kidnapped by terrorists and then killed.

According to the show's executive producer, Caroline Dries, it's not set in stone, but an appearance could happen. 

She said: "I’d say anything is possible. As everyone in this room knows how strict DC is with letting us use the Batman property. They’re just very careful with it, because it’s such a [big property]. I think with Supergirl, as we were establishing her, we didn’t actually want Superman right away. We wanted you guys to get to know her."

She continued: "I think part of Kate’s journey is not to just fill these abandoned shoes, but to find her home. So, I think it’s really important she has that time for all of us to spend with her and figure out what it means." 

Fair point. Still, here's hoping we'll eventually see Kate team up with the Dark Knight in the series.