What Do Batwoman And Oracle Add To The CW's 'Supergirl'?

With excitement building for this week's SDCC, there are some thrilling rumors swirling about The CW's TV shows! My fellow Creator Awad Daniel has already summarized the rumors, but here I want to focus in on the more Bat-centric ones. You see, according to Bleeding Cool, The CW is looking to add Kathy Kane's Batwoman and Barbara Gordon's Oracle to the cast of Supergirl!

Who Are Batwoman and Oracle?

Barbara Gordon (daughter of Commissioner Gordon) was the first Batgirl, originally created as part of the 1960s Batman TV series, where she was played by the legendary Yvonne Craig. The character made her way over to the comics pretty much instantly, becoming a fan-favorite. The reality-changing Crisis on Infinite Earths rebooted DC's continuity, and in this new timeline Barbara Gordon became Commissioner Gordon's niece / adopted daughter.

In 1988, tragedy struck. The Killing Joke - written by the legendary Alan Moore - saw the Joker kidnap Barbara as a weapon against her father. In a devastating twist, the Joker shot and paralyzed Barbara, leaving her crippled. We're less than a month away from the release of The Killing Joke animated movie, which will reproduce that story, while expanding Batgirl's part in it.

I'll give DC major credit where it's due: just because Barbara Gordon was crippled, didn't mean they then ignored her (as fans initially feared). Barbara became Oracle, using her intelligence to support Batman with her research skills and hacking expertise. The Oracle character played an integral role in the Birds of Prey series, which was adapted into a popular TV show. Ironically, although CW is using Barbara's Oracle persona, DC's "New 52" reboot restored Barbara's ability to walk, and set her up as their popular Batgirl once again.

Kathy Kane's Batwoman (more recently referred to as Kate Kane) has an even longer pedigree than Barbara Gordon! She was originally created in the 1950s as a love-interest for Batman, largely to end allegations Batman was homosexual! "Crisis on Infinite Earths" wiped the character out of existence until 2006, when a modern version was introduced. In an amusing and ironic twist, Batwoman became one of DC's flagship homosexual characters.

Unfortunately, the character has a troubled history over in the comics. While writers J. H. Williams and W. Haden Blackman were allowed to show a developing relationship between Kate and Maggie Sawyer, they weren't allowed to show a marriage. Furious, they quit the book, leaving DC to explain they weren't opposed to a homosexual marriage per se, they just didn't believe superheroes should have happy personal lives! The character's becoming increasingly important in the post-"Rebirth" Detective Comics, where she works for Batman, training his allies to help him police Gotham.

What Do These Characters Add To Supergirl?

As my fellow Creator David Opie has observed, adding Oracle and Batwoman significantly increases the diversity of The CW's superhero shows. That's not all it achieves, though!

The CW is clearly setting up Supergirl's world as one in which superheroes are mainstream. We already know that Superman is due to appear in the next season, but this adds a lot more. If Barbara Gordon's Oracle is to share any history at all with the comic book character, then she'll be an ex-superhero who was crippled by the Joker - suggesting that there's a long history of Gotham vigilantism in this reality.

More interesting is the fact that Batman is being set up as existing in the same world as Supergirl. You have to remember that, at least for the moment, Supergirl exists in a different reality to The CW's other superhero shows. With Superman himself added to her reality, I'd expected Gotham's superheroes and supervillains to be placed in the Flarrowverse. Right now, Supergirl seems to be positioned as the show where some powerful brands could often appear.

One big name who's unlikely to crop up is Bruce Wayne himself. He's still tied to the Gotham deal over at Fox, but Bleeding Cool has reported discussions between Fox and The CW with the goal of acquiring Batman too. Given the costs that would be associated with this deal, it's likely this would mean the launch of a new Batman series existing in the same world as Supergirl - presumably with Batwoman and Oracle as supporting cast.

If even half of these rumors are correct, then Supergirl fans have reason to be excited. Supergirl's move over to The CW seems to have opened up a whole world of possibilities, with her broader universe being expanded to an incredible degree. Come SDCC, we'll soon find out whether or not these rumors are accurate!

Do you want Batwoman and Oracle to be added to Supergirl?

Source: Bleeding Cool