Batwoman isn’t just TV’s first lesbian superhero. She’s also Jewish. Australian actress Ruby Rose will play the caped protagonist of an eponymous series on the CW this fall, premiering Oct. 6.
True to the DC Comics, the character is gay and Jewish, executive producer Caroline Dries confirmed at the Television Critics Association press tour. In the pilot episode, Kate Kane/Batwoman’s lesbian relationship is established, but her Jewishness is not.
“We’re trying to find ways of incorporating that without it being a huge thing in the story. We want it to feel natural,” Dries said, noting that references originally in the script were cut because they didn’t fit. “In our hearts, we know she’s Jewish and now we’re trying to find a way to make it [work].”
Rose, who is an out and proud lesbian, but not Jewish, has several tattoos that have been altered for the show. “I have one that’s in the shape of a cross and I have one that says, ‘Let go. Let God.’ We’ve made adjustments to those tattoos,” she said.
The CW first introduced Batwoman audiences in episodes of “Supergirl,” and that synergy will continue in “a really big crossover,” Rose said.
