Though Alice was seemingly introduced as the Big Bad of Batwoman season 1, it seems like Mouse could be the true villain of this story… for Alice and Kate, for whom he holds an enormous grudge.

Alice, AKA Beth Kane, has been a terrifying threat to Gotham on Batwoman season 1, especially as Kate tried to save the sister she lost instead of take down the monster that her sister had become. However, though Alice has taken the majority of the attention, much of the mischief she’s caused could not have been done without her handy, face-swapping accomplice, Mouse.

And while Mouse hasn’t done much without Alice by his side, he has proved to be a thorn in Alice’s side on numerous occasions, and his slip on reality makes him even more ruthless than Alice (which is quite surprising, seeing as she’s on the brink of madness… but he’s long gone). Could he be the true threat to Kate and Gotham of the season?

Mouse’s hatred for Alice’s family

Over just the few episodes he’s been in on Batwoman season 1, it’s clear just how much Mouse resents all things Beth Kane — particularly Kate. Though Mouse and Alice developed quite a deep, familial bond during her literal imprisonment by his father, Kate is the one thread to Alice’s old life that she just can’t let go of, which clearly drives Mouse insane.

If Mouse had the opportunity, he would kill Kate in an instant. I truly believe that. The only reason he didn’t on Batwoman season 1, episode 11 was because Kate’s abduction and return was the one way he could get Alice back from the Crows. The only thing that has held him back in the past is Alice.

Mouse wants to be the only person Alice cares about, the only person in her life, and he cannot stand that it’s changing from how it was when Alice was kidnapped and trapped in the basement of his home, forced to be Mouse’s only friend by his mad man of a father. What lengths will Mouse go to in order to ensure that Alice has no one but him?

Alice acts differently around Mouse

On Batwoman season 1, Alice has seemed like three different characters. One when she’s with only Kate, another when she’s with Mouse, and a ruthless villain when she’s around literally anyone else. With Mouse, it almost feels like Alice has Stockholm syndrome. She’s almost diminished when she’s in his presence, trying to please him and calm his emotions, putting herself second. While she seems to call the shots, it’s likely only because Mouse knows with complete certainty that he can trust her not to leave him.

Over the course of the season, Mouse has really been the worst part of the show. He’s an interesting villain with his ability to impersonate anyone, with the skills to make masks out of real skin to accomplish that, but he really makes Alice unlikeable when they’re together. He brings out a side of her that isn’t fun to watch because it’s so clear that this relationship is so incredibly toxic (not that Alice’s relationships with anyone else are much better, but in a different way).

She still fights with Mouse over Kate, but it seems like Mouse has a hold over Alice, putting her on a path that she might not want to take herself. If this is the case, then it could give way to a story where Alice finally begins to try to redeem herself and become a different, nicer person, reuniting with her twin sister. Helping Kate take down Mouse could be the first step on the path of redemption and becoming Beth Kane again, or if the show follows the comics, Red Alice.

Mouse is a ruthless villain

As I said before, Mouse is even further past the brink of madness than Alice is, but who can blame him? We’ve seen what Mouse’s father did to Alice, but Mouse spent his entire life with that man, watching as he did terrible things to try to cover up his son’s “deformity” and “fix” him. It’s no surprise that Mouse ended up in Arkham, either.

Regardless, Mouse certainly takes after his father. He’s ruthless, manipulative, and will stop at nothing to achieve what he wants. He has no moral center and seems to be lacking any humanity, aside from his twisted relationship with Alice. If Alice were to turn against him, I think Mouse would break completely. He’d completely lose it, becoming one of the most threatening villains in Gotham because of his ability to blend in amongst the citizens and impersonate literally anyone.

If Mouse keeps trying to push Alice away from Kate, away from her twin sister, I think that’s exactly what will happen, leaving him as the Big Bad of Batwoman season 1. And that way, Alice’s story gets to continue on.

Batwoman continues Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW!