Is the World Ready for Jewish Batwoman?

Another superhero is heading to TV, and if her origin story is respected, she’ll be Jewish!

The CW recently announced that Batwoman (Bruce Wayne’s cousin Kate Kane) will be joining its prime-time roster that already includes DC Comics characters like Arrow and The Flash. While viewers might succumb to Gotham City fatigue and not tune in, Batwoman will be a genre milestone as the first superhero show with a lesbian lead. The character has been out in the comics for over a decade, and fans can’t wait to see her on screen. So far though, her proud Jewish identity has been unaddressed by the network.

First appearing in 1956 as Batman’s love interest for the sole purpose of dispelling the notion that he was romantically involved with Robin (yes, really), the Batwoman alias lay dormant for many years until DC rebooted the character in 2006 as the Caped Crusader’s Jewish lesbian cousin, to much acclaim. Batwoman’s revival originally meant nothing; in the same year, DC took many of their B-list heroes and reintroduced them with tokenism at its finest (see: Asian Atom, Latino Blue Beetle, Black Firestorm, etc.). Comics continued their usual stories and would occasionally throw in a drawing of “bat gelt” as if to say, “Hey! Diversity! Aren’t we the best?”

But as time went on, Kate’s Judaism became an integral part of the character and narrative, just as much as her sexuality. She uses words like “gevurah,” discusses kabbalah, and celebrates Hanukkah. At one point another character describes her as a “spoiled heiress with a little krav maga.” In 2016’s DC Bombshells spinoff series, Batwoman freed a Ghetto in 1940 Berlin.

Most importantly, the reason Kate became a vigilante in the first place was because she had always been an outsider. Discharged from the U.S. Army under Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, she turned to a life of crime fighting. So while Batwoman may hide under a mask, her Jewish and queer identity are always on full display. It would be a shame for that aspect of her story to be lost in the jump to live action.

So, when the show premieres next year, will Batwoman be Jewish? Well, the producers are searching for a 24- to 29- year-old openly lesbian actress to don the cowl. However, the casting call also says, “any ethnicity.” All ethnicities can be Jewish, of course, but I have a feeling The CW will toss a menorah in the background of Batwoman’s house and call it a day.