WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Batwoman Season 1, Episode 19, "A Secret Kept From All the Rest."
Season 2 of Batwoman already has one of its major villains confirmed — the villainous pirate Safiya Sohail, who'll be making waves for Kate Kane.
Safiyah is the ruler of the pirate nation of Coryana and she'll be playing a major role in Gotham City come next season. Batwoman showrunner Caroline Dries told Comicbook.com that her involvement will be exactly what the fans want. "We know viewers are like, 'This show is only missing one thing, and it's lesbian pirates,'" said Dries.
"I love the Safiyah storyline in the comics, and we knew we wanted to bring her in at some point," Dries continued. "But we didn't want to waste her or blow out her character in Season 1 when there are all these other hijinks happening. So we're really kind of teeing her up to be our baddie in Season 2."
Safiyah’s name has been mentioned in several episodes and the latest pointed to an inevitable appearance. In the episode, "A Secret Kept From the Rest," Julia Pennyworth is captured and tortured by Alice and Mouse and her true intentions are revealed. She's been working to recover Lucius Fox’s journal for Safiyah, and when Alice and Mouse learn of this, her name strikes fear in their hearts. Batwoman doesn't know who she is, but Safiya knows about her.
In the comics, Safiyah and Kate Kane meet when Safiyah saves her life after she falls overboard. Kate sustains a severe head injury and Safiyah puts a plate of gold in her head and saves her life. The two have a fleeting romance, but it comes undone when Kate infects the island of Coryana with a deadly disease and the two part ways.
Created 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.