The Batwoman series has seen several changes throughout its brief two-season run, with the woman wearing the familiar wig and cowl changing halfway through. However, it has managed to incorporate various elements and characters of the Batman mythos, including some of the Caped Crusader's familiar foes. The plant-powered villain Poison Ivy is the next Batman rogue to face Batwoman, but the extended Batman Family is still somewhat missing in action.
The Bat-Family is one of the strongest concepts in DC Comics, with Batman's supporting cast helping to round out his adventures and make him more interesting. Sadly, it's only really been handled in cartoons, and live-action shows have yet to utilize it to its fullest potential despite being the best medium for it. Here's how expanding the new Batwoman's supporting cast could help her and which Batman characters could fill the roles.
Why Batwoman Needs a Bat-Family
So far, the only real Bat-Family member to be a recurring part of Batwoman has been Luke Fox, who's been there since Day One. He's finally taken up the mantle of Batwing as he has in the comics, helping to make him an even more vital character. It also helps that he's something of a legacy character, having worked alongside Kate Kane and now doing the same for Ryan Wilder.
This reminds people, especially comic book fans, that the show is a Batman-related series -- or at least the closest thing to one at the moment. Many criticisms of the mere existence of Batwoman and Gotham have been that they're only tangentially related to the Dark Knight, having premises that don't quite involve him in order to make way for movies. Batwoman has usually been a Bat-Family member who's somewhat separate from the rest of Bruce Wayne's clan, so she needed as much connection to him on this show as possible.
Now that Ryan Wilder's under the cowl, she definitely needs a larger supporting cast full of Batman's famous friends and allies. This will help to bring in more fans who want to see those characters done in live-action. These can be mainstream and obscure, connecting Ryan Wilder to a wider Batman world that both casual and hardcore fans will recognize.
Which Bat-Family Members Should Join Batwoman
Three Robins have shown up on the show Titans (Dick Grayson, Jason Todd and now Tim Drake), but there are still some other Boy and Girl Wonders who could appear in some capacity on Batwoman without stepping on Titans' toes. Stephanie Brown has already appeared in the series, and she's incorporated some elements from main Batgirl Barbara Gordon. Given Brown's ties to the comics' Robin and Batgirl mantles, as well as her own identity of Spoiler, she definitely needs to become part of Batwoman going forward as one of these vigilantes. Barbara Gordon is soon showing up in the DCEU, and while Warner Bros. is less resistant to multiple versions of characters across various live-action media, her being in the Arrowverse in any major capacity is unlikely.
Another candidate might be the somewhat still recent character, Duke Thomas. While in the comics he started as a Robin of sorts, he eventually took on the identity of The Signal, operating more during the daytime to contrast Batman's nocturnal activities. This would definitely be a different and interesting direction, and the fact that he's still so new means that the show can largely define how he's characterized without too much pushback. Harper Row is another recent character who is largely undefined but still connected to Batman.
A far more esoteric choice would be the somewhat forgotten character of Orpheus. An independent Gotham City vigilante, Orpheus was separate from Batman but still an ally. He would also be a comparatively more blank slate of a character, and showing up in Batwoman could even see him return in the comics. Along with Duke Thomas, he would add more diversity to the show, especially since being a Black hero for Gotham was part of his motivation in the comics.
Batwoman returns Wednesday, Oct. 13 on The CW.