The following contains spoilers for Aquamen #3 and Harley Quinn #14, now on sale from DC Comics
The coming months will see major changes to the entire DC Universe, with the primary generation of heroes known for protecting the world meeting their apparent demise ahead of the coming Dark Crisis storyline. While some like Superman and Aquaman already have their replacements prepared for the future, Gotham City's future is currently more up in the air.
With the Bat-Family set to lose Batman for the foreseeable future, Batwoman might quietly be the best candidate to replace him as Gotham's primary hero -- especially when it comes to working with others, as seen in Harley Quinn #14 (by Stephanie Phillips, Riley Rossmo, Ivan Plascenia & Andworld Design) and Aquamen #3 (by Chuck Brown, Brandon Thomas, Max Raynor, Hi-Fi, and Andworld Design).
The DC Universe is about to be thrown into chaos with the release of Justice League #75, which sees the titular team -- including Batman -- seemingly destroyed during their confrontation by Pariah. In the aftermath, the rest of the world's heroes are going to have to step up in unique ways. Both Nightwing and Jace Fox -- who's currently operating in New York City as Batman -- have been positioned to take on a more pronounced role, but their commitments to their respective cities might keep them from truly replacing the Dark Knight. Damian Wayne may see it as his birthright, but the events of Shadow War might leave him irrevocably changed. Oracle has become a central figure in the Bat-Family, but can only do so much, especially if she's out of the field.
In reality though, it's increasingly looking like Batwoman will be the ideal candidate to more or less become Gotham's prime hero in the wake of Batman's "death." Kate Kane's extensive training and experience make her a capable hero in her own right, with even Batman expressing respect for her abilities. She's been shown operating alongside the rest of the Bat-Family, especially Oracle and the Batgirls -- with all of them working in cooperation during recent events in Detective Comics as part of an investigation of Arkham Tower. She's a capable leader and has grown to accept the specific limitations affixed to the Bat-Symbol. She's also picked up a useful ability from her cousin and has been shown increasingly comfortable working with other heroes -- something the heroes need to finetune ahead of the coming Dark Crisis.
After her team up with Steel, Batwoman has been increasingly paired with other heroes, and has been shown to be a solid ally. In Aquamen #3, she's quick to come to the aid of Jackson Hyde while he's in Gotham City -- fighting alongside him and offering the young hero brief guidance. She notably doesn't treat him like a sidekick or a teenager, but as a peer -- which could be important, as Jackson has been teased as a potential future member of the Justice League. Meanwhile, in Harley Quinn #14, Batwoman's investigation into a series of murders leads her to rescue Harley Quinn from prison -- and while she may not have the most patience in the world for the former villain, she's able to quickly put that aside and work alongside her to break her out of jail.
It's actually an ideal transition for Kate Kane, and could further place her at the heart of Gotham City's ecosystem. She's already had her own version of James Gordon teased, and her working relationship with the rest of the Bat-Family could allow for some consistency and reliability going forward. In fact, of all the Bat-heroes who could step into fill Bruce Wayne's shoes, his cousin Kate Kane might be the best suited. But it also means that the weight of Gotham will be on her -- and situations like Batman having to swoop in and help save Nightwing's life show that she needs to find a way to step up and truly become the Dark Knight that Gotham needs.