On the heels of The CW announcing that Batwoman and Gotham City will be joining the Arrowverse, we take a look at the comic run of the character.

Batwoman has gone through several incarnations through the years, and with Batwoman’s impending introduction to the Arrowverse, it’s worth looking into her background.

Kathy Kane

Kathy Kane first appeared in Detective Comics #233 in 1956. She was an heiress and former circus aerialist. Infatuated with Batman, she created a secret hideout and costume for herself and started operating in Gotham City as Batwoman. Though she initially upstaged Batman and Robin, they quickly figured out her identity and discouraged her from continuing to operate as a vigilante.

However, Kathy continued to work alongside Batman and Robin, and eventually trained her niece, Betty Kane, to become her sidekick, Bat-Girl. She also dated Bruce Wayne for a time, not knowing his secret identity.

Through years in and out of retirement, Kathy did many heroic deeds as Batwoman, but she was killed by the League of Assassins. Though her death was avenged by Batman, her existence was erased by the collapse of the Multiverse in Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Katherine Webb-Kane

When the Multiverse was reconstructed, Kathy Kane was replaced by Katherine Webb-Kane on New Earth in 2008’s Batman #678. An underground film director, a poet, a circus owner, and a widow, Katherine was approached by UN covert ops group Spyral to determine Batman’s true identity.

To do so, she decided to get Batman to chase her, so she started operating as Batwoman to get his attention. The two became an item, but Batman eventually discovered her identity. Compromised by her feelings for Batman, Katherine was forced to sever ties with both Batman and Spyral.

However, she faked her death at the hands of the League of Assassins so she could continue working with and eventually lead Spyral.

Katherine ‘Kate’ Kane (New Earth)

First appearing in 2006’s 52 #7, Kate Kane was the daughter of two military lifers. She also had a twin sister, Elizabeth, but her mother and sister were murdered by terrorists. Kate nearly died as well, but she was rescued by her father; however, she was traumatized by witnessing the deaths of her loved ones.

Years later, Kate enlisted in the Marines. However, when she entered a lesbian relationship with her roommate and was caught, she was dishonorably discharged under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. When her father married a weapons heiress, Kate took full advantage of her newfound wealth by partying and drinking heavily; she lived life without direction.

However, when Batman rescued her from a mugger, she found her purpose: she wanted to become a vigilante as well. With her father’s help, she traveled across the world for two years, learning how to fight. Her father also helped with experimental technology she could use.

She had an on-again-off-again relationship with Renee Montoya, the Question’s successor. Kate’s final appearance was in 2015’s Convergence: The Question #2.

Katherine ‘Kate’ Kane (Prime Earth)

First appearing in 2011’s Batwoman Vol 2 #1, Prime Earth’s (post-Flashpoint) Kate’s backstory mirrors much of New Earth’s Kate’s, including the murders of her mother and twin sister and her expulsion from West Point due to her relationship with another woman.

However, this Kate decided to travel the world to find herself after her expulsion. During her travels, she went diving but knocked her head on a rock and fell unconscious. She ended up on the island of Coryana, off the coast of Malta. She was rescued by Coryana’s ceremonial leader, Safiyah. The two women struck up a romance, but Kate left after Safiyah killed a warlord for a crime he did not commit.

Back in Gotham City, she ran into a mugging and tried to stop it; in the process, she encountered Batman. Realizing she felt alive while fighting crime, she decided to become a vigilante. She begged her father to train her, and he agreed. She trained for three years, coming up against the worst of the worst, before she took on the mantle of Batwoman.

Kate entered a relationship with Detective Maggie Sawyer and even proposes to her in costume to reveal her identity. However, as of the DC Rebirth event, Maggie had returned to Metropolis, indicating the engagement was over.

Kate was also Bruce Wayne’s cousin — her father, Jacob Kane, was Martha Wayne’s brother.

Arrowverse

Little is yet known about which incarnation the Arrowverse will interpret for the silver screen, and an actor has not been cast yet. It does seem most likely, however, to be a version of Kate Kane.

In animation, however, she has been voiced by Kyra Sedgwick in 2002’s Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman and by Yvonne Strahovski in 2016’s Batman: Bad Blood. She also appeared as Katrina Moldoff in Batman: The Brave and the Bold and was voiced by Vanessa Marshall.

Arrow star Stephen Amell, who made the announcement of Batwoman’s introduction to the Arrowverse at The CW Upfront, tweeted his excitement for the character:

Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait until the end of the year for the annual crossover, in which Batwoman will be introduced, to air.