5 Reasons Ruby Rose Will Be a Great Batwoman
by Lavender Vroman
As seems to be the case with any major casting announcement these days, last week’s big news that The CW had found its Batwoman in actor Ruby Rose quickly triggered a heated backlash.
Batwoman’s alter ego, Kate Kane, is an out lesbian of Jewish descent, and some fans complained Rose wasn’t “gay enough,” “Jewish enough,” or talented enough to portray her. The trolling escalated to the point that Rose called it quits on Twitter.
These criticisms, which are largely unfair or unfounded, haven’t dampened my enthusiasm about Rose’s big Batwoman break one bit.
Here are five reasons I’m excited to see her tackle this groundbreaking role:
1. Batwoman is a strong female superhero.
I’m thrilled The CW is adding a strong female superhero to its Arrowverse. Rose is scheduled to debut as Batwoman in the network’s annual DC crossover event and potentially headline her own series in fall 2019. It’s still rare to find series centered around women comic book heroes, so it’s encouraging to see Rose join an elite (and still much too small) group that includes Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones and Melissa Benoist as Supergirl.
2. Rose’s casting is an important step toward more representation.
The fact that Rose, a lesbian who identifies as gender fluid, has been cast as one of DC Comics’ most iconic LGBTQ superheroes is a huge leap forward in terms of representation. Though The CW has many significant LGBTQ characters on its various shows, including Supergirl’s Alex Danvers, The Flash’s David Singh, Legends of Tomorrow’s Sara Lance, and Black Lightning’s Anissa Pierce (aka Thunder), Rose will be the first to headline her own series, which is a huge deal.
3. A certain writer approves.
It doesn’t hurt that Rose has the approval of none other than writer Greg Rucka. Although Kate Kane made her comic book debut in 1956, it was Rucka who resurrected her in 2006 as DC’s first openly gay headliner.
After The CW’s announcement, Rucka tweeted that he “quite likes” Ruby Rose and put the onus for the ultimate shaping of the character on the show’s writers. If the man who created Kate Kane is down with Ruby, then so am I.
4. Rose has proven action movie prowess.
The role of Batwoman is a physical one. Though Kate Kane is a socialite, she’s also the daughter of a strict military father. She attended West Point and has considerable weapons training and hand-to-hand combat skills.
Rose made her TV debut in comedy-drama Orange is the New Black. Since then, she has proven herself to be an on-screen badass in several movies, including Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, XXX: The Return of Xander Cage, and John Wick: Chapter 3. She’s got the action chops and physical presence to be a formidable Batwoman.
The CW series might also give her the chance to prove her acting chops, which is something movies like The Meg haven’t really given her the opportunity to do so far.
5. Rose’s past gives her a connection to Kate Kane.
While Rose’s charisma and striking look are well suited to the character of Kate Kane, her personal background could also be a good fit. Kane’s backstory includes family trauma -- kidnapping, murder, mental illness, daddy issues, and other dark secrets. Ruby has been open about a tough childhood in which she dealt with parents struggling with substance and domestic abuse, bullying, depression, and poverty. Her past experiences could help her dig deep into Kane’s dark side.
Overall, Ruby Rose is a great fit for Batwoman. I’m looking forward to seeing what she can do.
Thanks Lavender! You can read more from her at No Man's Land Blog and leave a comment below
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