As Batwoman's primary antagonist right from the series' premiere episode, Alice and her Wonderland Gang have targeted Kate Kane and her family as the Arrowverse series has progressed. The first episode revealed Alice's vendetta against the Kanes was personal, as she's the long-lost sister of Kate, presumed dead before her twisted reintroduction as Gotham City's latest supervillain.
According to Rachel Skarsten, who has memorably portrayed the unhinged villain, the decision for the immediate reveal came from showrunner Caroline Dries and the series' writers room as a way to start the show with a bang and quickly set the stakes, with more comic-savvy readers already aware of Alice's true, tragic identity.
"Caroline, our showrunner, and the writers are continuously making these bold choices to do these big reveals and up the stakes of the show, and I really like that. It’s a type television that I gravitate towards -- like a Game of Thrones that kills off their lead character in the first season, or Walking Dead, where your favorite character could die because they so mercilessly kill people. It makes it more exciting television to watch and it’s typically something that I feel like networks don’t do," Skarsten told TVLine. "They try to stay a bit safer and prolong things, but I think that underestimates an audience because then you’re assuming that they won’t figure out something for 14 episodes. But they do. You also have to remember that a majority of people who are watching were fans of the comic book and already knew."
As Kate continues to settle into her role as Batwoman, Alice has quietly manipulated her stepmother to move closer to the Kanes for her own fiendish plot. An upcoming episode hints that Alice's villainous origins will be showcased in a tense confrontation between the two sisters.
Helmed by Caroline Dries and developed by Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television, Batwoman stars Ruby Rose, Rachel Skarsten, Meagan Tandy, Camrus Johnson, Dougray Scott, Elizabeth Anweis and Nicole Kang. The series airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.