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Batwoman

    Batwoman I (Katherine "Kathy" Webb-Kane 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Katherine_Webb_003_3393.jpg

The original Batwoman, Katherine "Kathy" Kane, was a character introduced to the DCU in 1956 to serve as a love interest for Bruce Wayne, who was being accused by some people of being gay. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #233 (July, 1956). She was created by writer Edmond Hamilton, and artist Sheldon Moldoff. She lasted for about a decade, but was dropped (along with the first Bat-Girl, her niece Betty Kane) in 1964 in an attempt to prune down the Bat-Family, which was overly crowded with characters. There was a half-hearted attempt to revive the character during the Bronze Age, but this came to an abrupt end when Kathy Kane was Killed Off for Real by Ra's Al Ghul's League of Assassins in Detective Comics #485 (August, 1979). Post-Crisis continuity initially decided that there had never been a Kathy Kane Batwoman. However, the original Kathy Kane, Batwoman tenure intact, was eventually featured in Grant Morrison's Batman.


  • Action Girl: She was a competent crimefighter, especially in her first appearance, as was her niece Bette.
  • Back for the Dead: The original Batwoman, after years of barely appearing, was brought back for a Post-Crisis story in which she was murdered by the League of Assassins to further motivate Batman to oppose that group, and give Bronze Tiger something to atone for. It was later revealed that she had survived.
  • Bat Family Crossover: She and Bette ran into Barbara Gordon's Batgirl one time and helped her catch crooks.
  • Becoming the Mask: After she had fallen for Batman, she tried to get out of her deal with Spyral.
  • Damsel in Distress: She was frequently captured by bad guys back in the '50s.
  • Decomposite Character: It was initially believed that Kate Kane was the post-Infinite Crisis version of Kathy Kane (albeit with a new appearance and Adaptational Sexuality), but it was later revealed Kathy still existed as a completely separate character.
    • Even before then, some of her characteristics were shunted onto New-52-Kate's stepmother Catherine Hamilton.
  • Distaff Counterpart:
    • To Batman, obviously, and even to Robin with her circus acrobat background. Kathy used weapons based on women's cosmetics, carried a utility purse, often relied on "feminine intuition" instead of deductive reasoning and frequently turned into a Damsel in Distress for Batman to rescue.
    • Also one to Catman; like Catman, she was something of an Abhorrent Admirer (or at the very least a nuisance) to her similarly-animal-themed counterpart.
  • Elseworld: Several of the Batwoman stories of the 1960s were imaginary stories written by Alfred, in which Batman and Batwoman had gotten married and had a son, Bruce Jr. Dick Grayson and Junior took over after their elders retired, fighting under the names Batman II" and "Robin II".
  • Faux Action Girl: She was best remembered as this later on, particularly in later appearances where she kept needing to get rescued. It was to the point that one of Barbara Gordon's selling points as Batgirl was that she wouldn't be this.
  • Improbable Weapon User: Kathy used tear gas perfume, reflective compacts, and other gadgets disguised as makeup.
  • In Harm's Way: Grant Morrison portrays Kathy as an inveterate thrill seeker. She fell in love with Nathan Kane after he bought her a circus as a venue for her stunt-cyclist act.
  • Legacy Character: The first that started the Batwoman legacy.
  • Mad Scientist's Beautiful Daughter: Possibly the daughter of the villainous Dr. Daedalus.
  • Makeup Weapon: Carried a number of cosmetic themed weapons, such as tear gas perfume and a powder puff that emitted a blinding cloud of powder.
  • May–December Romance: She was older than Bruce at the time. When trying to break things off with Bruce, she claimed that she was too old to be running around in costumes with a younger guy like him.
  • Name of Cain: She married into the Kane family, and people claim his death was caused by the "Kane family curse". Judging by what's happened to the family of other people sharing the name, how can you blame them?
  • Not Blood Siblings: A variant. She has something of a romantic relationship with Bruce, and she's his aunt—but only by marriage to Martha Wayne's brother.
  • Not Quite Dead: Confirmed in the final issue of Batman Incorporated. Kathy is not only alive, but she's the leader of a major spy organization which was leading a sting operation against Talia al Ghul for years, which Kathy concludes by killing her.
  • Of Corsets Sexy: The original Batwoman's first costume was a black corset over a yellow silk shirt, with yellow tights and cape. Later artists have interpreted her costume differently.
  • Posthumous Character: These days she is usually only shown through flashbacks of Bruce's past, and established to have died during his early years.
  • Put on a Bus: After Crisis on Infinite Earths, she was supposedly erased from existence. Up until Grant Morrison brought her back during ''Batman R.I.P.'' via flashbacks.
  • Retirony: She was murdered only after she decided to hang up the cape for good.
  • Stay in the Kitchen: Kathy's very first appearance plays like an aversion at first, but Batman convinces her to give up the cape and cowl. This didn't stick and she appeared in more stories, but was then played straight again after Barbara Gordon became Batgirl and she and Bette disappeared from the comics, bar some one-off appearances in the 70s.
  • Took a Level in Badass: Grant Morrison has done a fair share of work reinventing Kathy Kane in flashbacks during Batman Inc.. Kathy is now a former independent film producer, author, and stunt woman whose late husband, Nathan Kane, bought her a circus as a gift. Following his death, Kathy was approached by the espionage organization Spyral to do investigative work into Batman's life. Kathy invented the Batwoman identity to do close-up investigative work and legitimately fell in love with Bruce as an equal crimefighter, causing her to quit Spyral. However, she also broke up with Bruce when Kathy learned the head of Spyral was in fact wanted Nazi war criminal Otto Netz, a.k.a. Doctor Daedalus and her possible birth father.
    • In the New 52, Kathy is the Headmistress of Spyral, which is actually working to stop Talia al Ghul and Leviathan.
  • The Vamp: She was initially out to seduce Batman to uncover his identity for the crime league, Spyral.

    Batwoman II (Katherine Rebecca "Kate" Kane) 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kate_bat.jpg
Katherine “Kate” Kane first appeared in 52 as an old flame of Renee Montoya, a rich socialite who turns out to be Batwoman. Kate is a military brat; her father is a Special Forces colonel and her mother was a captain in the 525th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade. When she was 12, she, her twin sister Beth, and their mother Gabi were kidnapped by terrorists. During their rescue, Gabi and Beth were killed.

Afterward, Kate aspired to serve her country in the Army like her parents, especially to have the inner strength and resolve she saw in her father Jacob. She attended the United States Military Academy and excelled there, eventually achieving the rank of Brigade Executive Officer. However, she was expelled under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell when she refused to lie about her sexuality.

After her expulsion, Kate drifted for awhile, relying on alcohol and romance to help with her crippling depression. One fateful night, she took down a thug in an alley right before Batman showed up, and seeing him in person made her realize that if he could protect others, then she could too, and vigilantism could be her new path in life.

With the bat symbol as her inspiration, she began crimefighting on her own. When her father found out, he agreed to help her if she would go through with training he specifically designed to get her to quit. She made it through regardless and returned to crime fighting. Kate protected Gotham City in Batman’s absence, and after he got back.

Kate is Bruce Wayne’s first cousin, and has an unofficial place in the Batfamily. At first, she preferred to keep to her own cases, and repeatedly turned down Bruce’s offer to join Batman Inc. or join him, for fear that he would take over. In time, she became a more frequent (though still independent) ally to the Batfamily, including taking a position leading and training a team of young vigilantes (and Clayface) in Detective Comics (Rebirth).
  • Academic Athlete: In middle school, Kate played soccer and took gymnastics, the second of which she continued through high school until she became part of the Senior Elite program, while maintaining her grades at the top of her class. At West Point, she took up boxing (with strong evidence she was a school champion) and excelled academically to the point that she became Brigade Executive Officer and was ranked in the top 5% of her class in academic, physical education, and military skills.
  • The Ace: Not to the same degree as Bruce, but Kate is still a highly-trained and extremely competent individual (even before she became a vigilante), and she knows it. She's also well-liked and respected by many who know and/or have worked alongside her, such as Barbara Gordon, Alfred Pennyworth, and Wonder Woman.
  • Action Girl: The reveal of her Post-Crisis incarnation is a full-page splash of her knocking out two mutated human/leopard/lion cultists at the same time, breaking one of their heads through a table while kicking the other one clear across the jaw. Even before becoming Batwoman, Kate was a top West Point cadet who excelled in all areas, including military and phys-ed skills.
  • Affirmative-Action Legacy: She’s a Jewish lesbian following in the (dubiously canon) footsteps of predecessor Kathy Kane, a straight gentile.
  • Affluent Ascetic: Downplayed. She's a billionaire, but lives in a rather modest top-floor penthouse with no real extravagances apart from her vigilante HQ; her temporary apartment in Atlanta was even more spartan. Even her car collection, while more in line with what one might expect from someone with her sort of wealth, is rather small and doesn't contain anything obscenely expensive.
  • Amazonian Beauty: Her first appearance in the New 52 depicts her as extremely muscular and toned in addition to the fact that she was previously established as rather tall for a woman.
  • Angsty Surviving Twin: Deals with the psychological aftermath of hearing her mother and twin sister Beth die. Beth was Not Quite Dead, but Kate wouldn’t learn that until Beth almost died again.
  • Artistic License – Gun Safety: Of the several times Kate has held some sort of gun, she almost always has her finger on the trigger (even when resting) or points it in unsafe directions (such as carrying a rifle pointed at the ceiling). A trained soldier should know much better than that.
  • Artistic License – Military:
    • Kate's discharge is often referred to as a dishonorable one. This is a mistake, since most discharges under DADT were honorable, and there's nothing about her otherwise exemplary conduct at West Point that would require such severe consequences.note 
    • In Elegy, BTO Reyes says that if Kate decides to accept a demotion rather than resign, she'll give up the chance to become First Captain during the next semester. However, the First Captain (or Brigade Commander) position is not decided each semester, but each academic year. Since Kate was already in her final year, there's no way she could become First Captain barring some kind of calamity befalling the small number of cadets outranking her.
    • In Larry Hama's story "Honor Code," Kate is sent to Afghanistan for a brief mission early into her senior year at West Point, on account of her language and psychological warfare skills. Even with such skills, pulling a single cadet leader away from their duties and into an active war zone would be an exceptional, virtually impossible scenario in reality; the story treats Kate's mission as only slightly unusual (even implying Kate has previously gone on another sort of mission), and does not offer an explanation why no other such military expert was available.
  • Awesomeness by Analysis: Kate is capable of this in regards to hand-to-hand combat. Also see Sherlock Scan, below.
    Batgirl: She's calculating. She's learning how to beat me.
  • Badass Normal: As is usual in the Batfamily.
  • Battle Couple: She's fought side-by-side with both Maggie and Renee to various extents. The Rebirth era in particular saw an uptick in how often she and Renee joined forces after becoming a couple again.
  • The Beautiful Elite: She's part of an old-money, founding family of Gotham City, was a star cadet at perhaps the best military academy in the world, and is mentioned by several characters to be extremely good-looking.
  • Big Sister Instinct: Kate was protective of Beth due to her aggressive personality. She even once beat up an older, larger boy who had been bullying Beth.
  • Birds of a Feather: Downplayed. Kate's romantic partners tend to be strong-willed, dynamic women in their own right just as Kate herself is, though there's usually enough personality difference that one of them will clearly be the more serious or funnier of the two.note 
  • Blade Enthusiast: Downplayed. Kate almost never actually uses knives, but does have quite a few in her collection of weapons (including a bolo, a Ka-Bar, and several karambits). Her training flashbacks show she's quite capable with blades, and she used a sword to dispatch some robot enemies in the finale of her Rebirth series.
  • Blood Knight: Downplayed. Kate doesn't absolutely relish fighting, but she smiles so often while putting the hurt on people that it seems she genuinely enjoys it.
  • Boxing Battler: Kate mentions that Jacob taught her to box, and she later boxed at West Point, where it's implied that she beat her then-girlfriend Sophie Moore in a match sometime before their senior year.note  Kate continued to train in this style (among others) during her Batwoman training.
  • Boyish Short Hair: From high school all the way through being a cadet, she kept her hair just long enough to comb into a side part. In the Rebirth era, it's buzzed almost to her scalp.
  • Brains and Bondage: Kate was her high school valedictorian, was consistently within the 95th to 99th percentile of her class at West Point, and later graduated from the FBI's New Agent Training program on her way to becoming Batwoman. She's also into bondage and rough sex.
  • Broken Bird: Subverted. Considering the trauma of being kidnapped, having her mother killed in front of her, and later struggles with alcohol abuse and other debauchery, Kate ultimately ended up rather well-adjusted, and worked through other lingering and relatively minor personality issues.
  • Butch Lesbian: Her civilian garb tends toward this style.
  • Casual Kink: She practiced bondage with Safiyah Sohail, and a conversation with Maggie Sawyer the morning after one of their lovemaking sessions described it as happening all over Kate's apartment, with the implication it was also rough.
  • Charles Atlas Superpower: Her training to become Batwoman involved a number of superhuman-like feats, such as fighting blindfolded, catching arrows in flight, learning to ignore pain, and building up resistance to drugs and other chemical agents. The results left her with incredibly high pain tolerance and durability (best seen when she was stabbed in the heart and fully recovered), speed (Batman estimates her reaction time as faster than an eyeblink), and strength well above that of an average human (such as being able to shatter a stone statue with a single punch or knock around the likes of Bane and Killer Croc).
  • The Charmer: Kate is very confident and often flirts with other women in social settings if she's single. She's so good at it that she was able to charm her way into dating Renee Montoya, the cop who pulled her over for speeding, during the actual stop and while possibly drunk.
  • Clark Kenting: In Shadows of the Bat, she successfully poses as a psychiatrist at Arkham Tower using only a long (but still red) wig and possibly brown contacts, in addition to adopting a somewhat nervous demeanor. In the same story, she's also able to hide her real identity from a reporter using only the wig and a pair of oversized sunglasses.
  • Combat Pragmatist: She tends to shut down fights quickly and practically, with a minimum of showboating, and often with improvised weapons from the environment. While she has the same no-kill rules as the rest of the Batfamily (usually, anyway), she is also much less reluctant to use guns.
  • Cool Car: Kate definitely owns a 2005 Porsche Boxter, and (based on the context of their appearances) almost certainly owns a 1960s Volkswagen Karmann Ghia convertible and a 1968 Shelby Mustang convertible.note  Car collecting seems to be something she inherited from Jacob.
  • Covered with Scars: Kate has been shown to have extensive scarring on her back and upper arms, as well as a scar on her chest from the time her heart was almost cut out.
  • Creepy Child: She displayed shades of this in the aftermath of her kidnapping and rescue. For instance, at Gabi and Beth's funeral, she expressed to Bruce a serious desire to hunt down and kill the people responsible for harming their families.
  • Cuddle Bug: She's quite comfortable giving hugs to those she's close to, and especially so for romantic partners.
  • Cultured Badass: Kate speaks multiple languages, can rock a tux, knows how to waltz, has at least some appreciation for the ballet and fine food, and is highly educated and well-read.
  • Daddy's Girl: Her father is her role model and support system after her mother dies, and she admits at one point that she loved having him take care of her. This only makes their fallings-out more dramatic.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Kate has a very dry sense of humor.
  • Demolitions Expert: Part of her training involved defusing bombs, and she's been shown using detcord and shaped charges effectively.
  • Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life: Becoming Batwoman gave her life direction and purpose after she was expelled from West Point.
    Kate: That bat they shine in the sky... civilians think it's a call for help. The bad guys think it's a warning... but it's more than that. It's something higher. It's a call to arms... I've found my way to serve...I finally found a way to serve.
  • Doesn't Like Guns: Averted, unusually for a member of the Batfamily. She owns at least seven (most of them assault rifles) and has target shooting experience from both sets of training.
  • Drill Sergeant Nasty: To her trainees in Detective Comics (Rebirth). She recognizes it and compares it to an experience of her own, saying that it was for the better and made her a leader.
  • Dude Magnet: Though she's a lesbian, Kate has had several male characters find her attractive. A boy in middle school had a crush on her (though he confused Beth with Kate), the Penguin called her "kind of hot," and Nightwing directly flirted with her when she first arrived on the scene. All three, of course, were unaware of the Incompatible Orientations at play.
  • Elites Are More Glamorous: Played with. While she's not an official soldier, Kate's Batwoman training was conducted by members of the US Special Forces, Navy SEALs, the SAS, and other special operations units. Before that, she was a decorated and high-ranking cadet at the United States Military Academy, a very prestigious school.
  • Famed In-Story: Downplayed. As Batwoman, Kate's reputation has preceded her a few times, mostly for being hellaciously tough.
  • Former Teen Rebel: Played with. Aside from a single instance of sneaking into a nightclub while underage, Kate seems to have been a mature, well-behaved teenager who excelled in school and sports. Her only "rebellious" phase was in her 20s just after she resigned from West Point and lived a life of debauchery for a few years. After deciding to become a vigilante, she turned her life and public image around.
  • Friendly Rivalry: She's implied to have had one as a cadet with Sophie Moore, her then-girlfriend. Early in their senior year, for example, they had a private and illegal bare-knuckle sparring bout, during which Sophie hints to the reader that Kate had previously beaten her in an official boxing match.
  • Friend to All Children: Kate loves kids and will not harm them even if they attack her.
  • Functional Addict: Downplayed. After her meeting with Batman in the alley, Kate's alcohol abuse stopped essentially overnight, but she never completely gave up drinking, and now does so responsibly (even in light of the high stress of her new calling).
  • The Gadfly: Subtle, but she does seem to enjoy messing with people when not on duty (particularly her stepmother). Crosses over with I Shall Taunt You while she's on patrol.
  • Genius Bruiser: She graduated high school at the top of her class, was within the top 5% of her class at West Point all four years, and graduated from the FBI's New Agent Training program on her way to becoming Batwoman. She also knows over a dozen forms of martial arts, is a multilinguist, and has a solid grasp of various disciplines like forensics, demolition, espionage, medicine, and aviation.
  • Good Is Not Soft: Kate generally gets along well enough with anyone who's not an enemy (or acting foolish). But toward enemies she's arguably more brutal than Batman himself, and isn't beyond using lethal force if necessary.
  • Graceful Loser: Kate usually takes her losses in stride and good spirits. At worst, she'll be even more galvanized to do better.
  • Hair Color Dissonance: After 52, where Kate had light auburn hair, she's been consistently depicted with unnaturally bright red hair, even in contexts that make it clear it can't be dyed that literal color (such as a young child or as a cadet).
  • Has a Type: Almost all of Kate's relationships have been with women who hold some type of power: Sophie Moore was a fellow high-ranking West Point cadet, Renee Montoya and Maggie Sawyer are cops, Safiyah Sohail was the de facto ruler of a pirate nation, and she's dated at least one lawyer. This attraction also extends to superpowers, as Kate as expressed desire for both Wonder Woman and Zatanna (though she's not been in a romantic relationship with a meta yet). On a more physical basis, she tends to be attracted to either women of color with wavy dark hair, or short-haired blonde women.
  • Heroic Sacrifice: Her decision to leave West Point rather than lie about being a lesbian, which prevented an investigation and spared any other closeted cadets from being outed.
  • Holographic Terminal: In the Rebirth era, she has these built into her gauntlets, along with capacitive elements on their outer shell. The projections can form from either the palm or the forearm.
  • Honor Before Reason: She gave up her future in the Army, where by all accounts she would have excelled, rather than lie about being gay.
  • Humble Hero: Generally speaking, at least. At West Point, for example, she referred to herself as doing just "okay" despite the fact she excelled by every single metric (see her entry for Self-Deprecation, below). As Batwoman, she's perfectly content to only handle low-level thugs if need be, instead of needing more prestigious villains to fight.
  • Idle Rich: Like her inspiration, Kate maintains this image, and before finding her purpose she really was one. In the first issue of her run in Detective Comics, her girlfriend breaks up with her because she thinks Kate is not responsible enough and has been "tomcatting around" when she has actually been fighting crime. When Batman begins to shadow Kate Kane in order to determine if she is the woman in the Batwoman costume she goes clubbing, apparently picking up random women, before he loses sight of her in a dark alley.
  • I Have Many Names: In addition to her given name and Batwoman identity, there's her cadet/boxing nickname of Candy, and "Red One", used by Julia Pennyworth on their global mission.
  • The Immodest Orgasm: When Kate and Maggie have sex the first time, Kate is shown to be quite... vocal.
  • Improvised Weapon: As a Combat Pragmatist, Kate makes extensive use of these. Examples include a rock, a desk, a stalagmite, decorative lanterns, a chandelier, and a concrete wall.
  • In-Series Nickname: At West Point, possibly because of her participation in boxing, her nickname was "Candy".
  • I Shall Taunt You: Her banter, when it happens, tends to be employed to irritate her opponents.
  • Jewish American Princess: Subverted. While she is Jewish and from an affluent background, Kate isn't selfish or materialistic, and she largely grew up on an Army base instead of in a mansion or similar posh setting.
  • Lady Swearsalot: Downplayed. She's not quite at sailor levels of cursing, but she is one of the more foul-mouthed Batfamily members.
  • Le Parkour: This was a specific part of her Batwoman training, and she would have also been required to learn similar concepts as a cadet.
  • Lesbian Jock: During her academic career, Kate participated in soccer, gymnastics, and boxing. She has also been implied (to differing degrees) to be a fan of baseball, basketball, and football.
  • Made of Iron: She's weathered a good deal of severe injuries with little lasting damage. Most notably, being stabbed directly in the heart and not only living, but killing the man who stabbed her with the same knife.
  • Nerves of Steel: Kate developed this trait after seeing it in Jacob and wanting to emulate it for herself. She's trash-talked demigods to their faces, to name just one example.
  • Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Her attempt at being Cruel to Be Kind to drive Bette away backfired horribly, as it not only made Bette more determined to prove herself as Flamebird it left Bette rattled enough that she was almost killed by the Hook from jumping in headfirst.
  • Not Afraid to Die: She is fully aware that any given patrol could be her last, and records a goodbye message for her father before each outing, just in case.
  • One-Woman Army: While on a mission with Steel to save Batman and Superman from Braniac, who was holding them on the Moon, Kate singlehandedly defeated dozens of Braniac robots in hand-to-hand combat as part of a distraction.
  • Power is Sexy: Related to Has a Type, above. Kate tends to find women in positions of power attractive; not necessarily in higher positions of power, though (Kate outranked Sophie Moore, for example).
  • Product Placement: Kate owns (or owned) a Volkswagen Jetta, a Porche Boxter, a Jeep Wrangler, and a Ducati motorcycle. She also uses an Everlast heavy bag.
  • Real Award, Fictional Character: At West Point, Kate earned the Air Assault Badge, Basic Parachutist Badge, the RECONDO Badge, the Superintendent's Award for Excellence, and received the National Defense Service Medal. Based on other events and statements, she would also have earned the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the IOCT Tab, the Master of the Sword's Award, the Physical Fitness Badge, the Army Expert Qualification Badges for both Pistol and Rifle, and the Soldier's Medal, though none of these have been explicitly shown or mentioned.
  • Religious Bruiser: Downplayed. It's not entirely clear how devout Kate is, or if she's even a theist, but she does still celebrate Jewish holidays, has Shabbat candles and a menorah in her apartment, and is well-versed in Kabbalah. Her fighting ability, however, is not in question.
  • Self-Deprecation: She sometimes does this, such as saying "[She] was never much of a student," when in actuality she was at the top of her class in both high school and college.
  • Sex Is Violence: After Sophie clocked her across the jaw and knocked her down in their bare-knuckle sparring match, Kate made a suggestive joke that she wouldn't be able to give Sophie oral sex any more, implying Kate is aroused by fighting.
  • Sexual Karma: Zig-zagged. In dedicated relationships, Kate and her partners are shown or described as having fulfilling, intense sex. When she was more into one-night stands, however, the sex is not particularly remarkable.
  • She-Fu: Downplayed. Kate was a champion gymnast in high school and will use those skills in combat should the situation require it, but she usually fights with more standard martial arts techniques.
  • Sherlock Scan: Downplayed and related to Awesomeness by Analysis, above. She can identify whether someone has a military background based on how they move and fight.
  • Shut Up, Hannibal!: She is incredibly fond of this tactic. In contrast to most of the Batfamily, she isn't very into battle banter, but you can bet that if she says anything, it'll probably be this variety or perhaps even a breaking speech.
    • To Tahani after Tahani tries to blame her for the end of Coryana.
    • To Maria whenever Maria tries to make her give in to her sorrow.
    • To Scarecrow when he tries to intimidate her.
    • To Jacob Kane when he tries to talk her over to his side on the Colony.
  • Smash Sisters: In the Rebirth era, there's an implication she's developed this relationship with Barbara Gordon. The two have apparently trained together enough to pull off complex, named hand-to-hand combat sequences requiring a partner.
  • Statuesque Stunner: Kate's official height is 5'11", and multiple characters have mentioned that they find her very attractive.
  • Sugar-and-Ice Personality: Especially while on duty, Kate can often be stoic, harsh, and very violent. But she also loves children, has a sense of humor, and is generally friendly and emotionally open to people she likes, particularly close family and romantic partners.
  • Super-Reflexes: As measured by Batman, Kate has a conscious reaction speed of 50 milliseconds, which is not only about three times faster than the fastest such reactions in real life, it's also slightly faster than real-world reflex speeds, which are unconscious.
  • Tattoo as Character Type: Her Special Forces arrowhead tattoo on her right bicep is a match to one her mother Gabi had, and after her Batwoman training also came to symbolize those skills; her nautical star on her back is a vintage symbol for lesbians in the '40s and 50s; and her bluebird on her left shoulder covers a bullet scar.
  • Thou Shalt Not Kill: Zig-zagged. Kate will almost always adhere to Gotham's typical no-kill rule, but if an enemy needs to be killed (as in justifiable homicide or other lawful forms of killing), she'll do it without hesitating, and won't be bothered by it afterward. But on the other hand, mercy-killing doesn't sit well with her.
  • Tomboy: Kate was one when she was a kid, and it caused her a lot of confusion and sadness since she thought she was "supposed" to be girly like her sister mostly was, and didn't understand why she didn't feel the same way. As she got older, she understood that her tomboyishness and interest in traditionally masculine activities was perfectly okay, and eventually became a...
  • Tomboy with a Girly Streak: Kate is a lifelong athlete, swears a lot, is rather stoic and amazingly tough, and generally wears more masculine fashions (and sometimes hairstyles). But she also loves children, owns a decent number of feminine outfits, and isn't stoic to the point of emotional repression (like Bruce often is).
  • Trademark Favorite Food: Downplayed since it's never been directly commented on and it's not a specific dish, but Kate has been shown eating various Asian foods more than any other.
  • Training from Hell: Kate's father sends her to train with the Murder of Crows, a group of his old brothers-in-arms, after finding out she's working as a vigilante. In other words, men from the Green Berets, Navy SEALs, the SAS, and Spetznaz, all throwing everything they know at her. Just a taste of what she goes through: chased by men with nightsticks through the Paris catacombs for thirty-six miles with broken ribs; tortured for a full week with waterboarding, electric shocks and sleep deprivation; crossing the both the Amazon Rainforest and Sahara Desert on foot with few supplies; and learning to fight effectively with a concussion, while blinded and deaf, and while standing in a pool of her own blood. Badass, indeed.
  • Trauma Button: Subverted. Kate has been in a variety of situations that mimic or contain elements of her previous traumatic experiences, but she doesn't have this kind of reaction to them.
  • The Unfavorite: Downplayed. Unbeknownst to Kate, Jacob tearfully admitted to a comatose Bette that he loved Beth more than Kate, because Kate reminded him too much of himself. Made worse considering this feeling is based on a skewed perspective on Jacob's part (see Doesn't Know Their Own Child in his entry below).
  • Use Your Head: Batwoman's used it to great effect on the likes of Cutter and Batgirl.
  • Violently Protective Girlfriend: For both Maggie and Renee, though Renee has had more examples (even when the two weren't back to being a couple).

Kane Family

    Bat-Girl / Flamebird / Hawkfire (Mary Elizabeth "Bette" Kane/Betty Kane) 


See the Teen Titans character sheet for more info.

    Col. Jacob Kane 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/capture3_8.PNG

Kate Kane’s father, with whom she (at times) has a tumultuous relationship. A decorated Special Forces veteran, he helped her become Batwoman by organizing her training and procuring her gear, and later trained Bette Kane to become Hawkfire. In Detective Comics (Rebirth), he is revealed to be the leader of a military unit group modeled after Batman called the Colony.


  • Action Dad: Father of Kate and Beth, and a capable military leader who survives torture, gets Kate out of danger several times in her solo series, and coordinates an army of batmen called the Colony under his inspiration’s nose for at least 2 years. He also taught Kate how to box and, years later, organized her Batwoman training.
  • Affluent Ascetic: Downplayed.
    • He and Catherine live in an enormous mansion, but otherwise Jacob seems to have a pretty frugal life, down to using his old West Point drawstring bag as his personal luggage. Like Kate, he has a small collection of cars that are even more modest than hers, and his everyday vehicle varies between a late-80s or early-90s Jeep Cherokee and a Honda CR-V.
    • Despite his wealth, he, Gabi, and the twins lived in normal military housing while at Fort Bragg, which was a standard single-story ranch-style house.
  • Archnemesis Dad: Zig-zagged. After finding out that he is behind the Colony, Kate refuses to have anything to do with him and helps lead the fight to take him down. During a greater crisis, though, she talks with him and finds some common ground to take down a bigger evil.
  • Boxing Battler: He taught Kate how to box when she was a teenager, and later sparred with her during her Batwoman training.
  • Colonel Badass: He’s literally a colonel, and was an active Green Beret for many years. As an older man, he's still plenty fit and capable in a fight.
  • Cool Car: Jacob collects them and has a large garage full of them, including a vintage Mustang. Kate seems to have inherited that trait.
  • Crusading Widower: His wife and daughter supposedly died at the hands of terrorists. He became even more dedicated to his job at the military and as a father to Kate.
    Jacob: I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure what happened to Gabi and Beth never happens to another family, and I’ll spend that life gladly...There’s a little girl who needs me, and...I will do everything in my power to give her the life she deserves. The life she wants.
  • Doesn't Know Their Own Child: Played with.
    • Despite being a loving father, Jacob never seemed to get a solid grasp on his daughters' personalities, particularly Kate's. For instance, he was disturbed by Kate's lack of emotion when he euthanized the family's sick cat, and let that one instance color his perception from then on, even going so far as to say that Beth was completely unlike him. Later on, however, Kate describes Beth as being the self-controlled one like Jacob, and such self-control was only something Kate emulated after her kidnapping. Jacob also describes Beth as being the adventurous one, when flashbacks contradict that claim (both twins took soccer and gymnastics and played pranks on teachers, for example).
    • He also had no idea Kate was a lesbian until she told him.
  • Generation Xerox: Discussed and enforced. Kate admits to trying to emulate him, and he tells a comatose Bette that Kate was more like him than Beth was.
  • Happily Married: To Gabi and later Catherine.
  • I Did What I Had to Do: How he views his military service, or at least the part that involves killing people. He feels no guilt about killing his enemies, but also doesn't consider it a point of pride.
  • I Have Many Names: Oddly, Kate had several different informal names for him: "Dad," "Pop," and "Sir," used somewhat interchangeably and sometimes within the same conversation. And that's in addition to "Uncle Jake" (from Bruce and Bette), his formal rank, and his informal codename of Old Crow within the Murder of Crows.
  • Is That What He Told You?: Kate is furious with him after she finds out that he lied about Beth’s death, particularly because she found out as Beth was falling from a fatal height.
  • Manly Tears: Jacob has openly wept at the death of his wife and daughter, and much later at his niece Bette's coma and recovery. None of the instances are treated in- or out-of-story as being embarrassing or detrimental to his status as a badass Special Forces colonel.
  • Nerves of Steel: Jacob's ability to remain even-keeled in the aftermath of the kidnapping and murders made him even more of a role model for Kate, and she later developed that same trait.
  • Open-Minded Parent: He immediately accepted Kate when she came out to him, in addition to being proud of her for maintaining her integrity even if it cost her a surely bright military career. Later, once he knew how dedicated Kate was to being a vigilante, he was again immediately supportive.
  • Outliving One's Offspring: Beth or so Kate thought.
  • Papa Wolf: He personally lead the rescue operation after the kidnapping. Years later, he saved Kate after Alice drugged her and she was basically a sitting duck, even bringing an MP5 along with him and not hesitating to use it.
  • Parental Betrayal: In Detective Comics (Rebirth), he takes advantage of Kate allowing him into the Belfry to lead the Colony inside the defenses.
  • Real Award, Fictional Character: Jacob has earned the following military awards: the Army Achievement Medal, the Kosovo Campaign Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the NATO Medal for Kosovo, the Kuwait Liberation Medal, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Meritorious Unit Commendation, the Army Aviator Badge, the Air Assault Badge, and the Combat Infantryman Badge. He has also been shown wearing a Navy Combat Action Ribbon, but this is almost certainly just a mistake.
  • Secret-Keeper: To Kate as Batwoman, and later to Bette.
  • Secret Test of Character: Stages one of these at the end of Kate’s training to make sure she never kills in anger. Even in general, her training was designed to discourage her as much as possible and get her to quit.
  • So Proud of You: His immediate response to learning not only that Kate is gay, but has also left the Army rather than lie about it, is to tell her how proud he is of her integrity. And that her mother would be, too.
  • Sports Dad: Zig-zagged. He didn't pressure his daughters into sports, though they ended up sporty anyway. After the kidnapping, once he understood that Kate had the same interest in athletics he did, he ran her through "boot camps" in the summer that led to Kate dominating in school sports in the fall.
  • We Can Rule Together: To Kate after she finds out that he is behind the Colony. The Well-Intentioned Extremist variety.
  • Well-Intentioned Extremist: His chosen way of going about making sure no one goes through what his family went through? Creating an army of drones to kill suspected terrorists and other targets, leading to Tim’s "death".
  • When You Coming Home, Dad?: Played with. He promised to be at the twins’ birthday celebration the day they and Gabi were kidnapped, but was unable, making them threaten to stay home until he arrived. Averted when, after the attack, he is shown immediately dropping a meeting promoting him to a clearance level above the President's so that he can go take care of Kate. Such promotions allowed him to later be more present in Kate's life, such as accompanying her to R-Day at West Point or attending one of her boxing matches at the Academy.

    Catherine Hamilton Kane 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/capture_33.PNG

Kate Kane’s stepmother, wife of Jacob Kane. Heir to the Hamilton Rifle Company fortune.


  • Good Stepmother: For the most part. Catherine can be stuffy and clueless in a manner typical to the wealthy, and seems uncomfortable with Kate being a lesbian, but she does genuinely love Jacob and tries to be a part of Kate's life even though Kate doesn't particularly like her.
  • Loved I Not Honor More: Discussed this with Jacob before their marriage, recognizing that he would be gone frequently and would be unable to tell her about his job in most cases. However, she calls him out on locking her out when she discovers Bette and Kate’s identities.
  • Marry for Love: Jacob is implied to be poorer than her, although he’s still solidly upper class and a fellow billionaire. In every scene together, they really do seem to be Happily Married.
  • The Nicknamer: The only one to call Kate “Katie.”
  • Parent with New Paramour: She marries Jacob and becomes Kate’s stepmother. Kate emphasizes that first syllable, and “lives to offend her.”
    Jacob: Your mother and—
    Kate: Stepmother.
  • Secret-Keeper: For Bette.
  • Secret Secret-Keeper: She found Bette’s costume, confirming her vigilante activities and beginning to suspect Kate and Jacob’s roles without Jacob or Bette realizing until she confronted them.
  • Socialite: She occasionally hosts fundraisers and parties, but doesn’t need to to afford her Simple, yet Opulent lifestyle.

    Gabrielle “Gabi” Kane 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gabi_kane_01.png

Kate and Beth’s mother, a member of the Army's 525th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, who died in a terrorist attack on the twins' 12th birthday.


  • Action Mom: Mother to the twins, military officer, and fought to protect her daughters when they were attacked.
  • Happily Married: To Jacob Kane.
  • Missing Mom: She died during the rescue of her and the twins.
  • Parents Know Their Children: How she isn’t fooled by the twins’ switcheroo tricks.
    Gabi: Except you forget, I’m your mother and I know all of your tricks.
  • Posthumous Character: Dies years before the story begins, although she appears in flashbacks.
  • Real Award, Fictional Character: She earned a Basic Parachutist Badge like Kate did years later (as well as several other as-yet unidentified medals).
  • Retcon: Prior to the New 52, Gabi was buried somewhere in Gotham. As of Rebirth, she's buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

    Elizabeth “Beth” Kane/Alice/Red Alice 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/alice_villain.jpg

Kate’s identical twin sister, who was supposedly killed in a terrorist attack along with their mother. She resurfaced years later as Alice, the new High Madame of the Religion of Crime, before seemingly falling to her death. Revived by the DEO to manipulate Kate, she was rescued by Bette and took on the name of Red Alice. She’s working to improve her relationship with her family.Unmarked Spoilers Ahead!


  • Acquired Poison Immunity: She keeps a razor blade with a powerful hallucinogen/opioid in her mouth as the High Madame. When she uses it on Kate, Kate’s biosigns quickly enter critical range, implying that Alice must have at least some degree of poison immunity to keep it in her cheek at all times.
  • Alice Allusion: Quotes from Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-glass? Check. Using the nom de guerre Alice? Check. Blonde hair, fantasy Victorian-inspired wardrobe? Check. Madness as a major plot point? Check.
  • Ancestral Name: Jacob Kane's mother was also named Elizabeth.
  • The Atoner: Implied to be on the current Prime Earth, but explicitly stated in Batwoman: Future’s End.
    Vampire!Batwoman: I wasn’t in control when I did those horrible things. You know what that’s like. All those awful things you did. But it wasn’t really you, was it?
    Beth: Actually, it was. And I’m gonna spend the rest of my life trying to make up for what I did.
  • Break the Cutie: Kate and Jacob remember her as being sweeter than Kate: less prone to confrontation, willing to forgive more than Kate, crying over a dead cat for two days while Kate successfully stifled her emotions. A kidnapping and unknown horrors that drove her insane later, and she’s a crime boss shooting her minions in the head without emotion.
  • Color-Coded Characters: In flashback sequences, she tends to wear organic-patterned and pastel or light colored clothing, while Kate wears sharper patterns and darker colored clothing. See Identical Twin ID Tag below.
  • Coordinated Clothes
  • Domino Mask: She wears a painted one during her brief time as Red Alice.
  • Elegant Gothic Lolita: Her costumes draw inspiration from the same sources. Her Red Alice uniform in particular.
  • Evil Twin: As the High Madame. Has since had a heel-face turn.
  • Excessive Evil Eyeshadow: As the High Madame, she wears heavy black makeup around her eyes. The effect is made starker by the fact that her most of her face is covered in white makeup.
  • Expository Hairstyle Change: After her Heel-Face Turn, she adopted a half-shaved hairstyle, although she kept it blonde.
  • Girly Girl with a Tomboy Streak: Of the Kane twins, she was definitely the more feminine, but she still played soccer and took gymnastics just like Kate did.
  • High Collar of Doom: Her Alice costume includes one.
  • Identical Twin ID Tag: As kids, Beth wore pink and white colors similar to those she wore as the High Madame. Kate wore black and red colors similar to those she wore as Batwoman. As an adult, Beth is blonde while Kate is still a redhead.
  • Light Is Not Good: As the High Madame, she wears an entirely white outfit, her face is unnaturally white, and she dyes her red hair blonde. She’s eccentric, mad, and evil, and at this point, as far as Kate knows, Beth is dead.
  • Mind Rape: Heavily implied to be the reason she went insane and became Alice.
  • Morality Chain: Downplayed. She wasn't Kate's sole or even primary reason to be good, but as children she was typically the one to calm Kate down when Kate got excessively angry or violent (such as when Kate gave bullies a pummeling). After she was believed dead, she became a perceived Morality Chain Beyond the Grave to Kate in the same downplayed sense; not Kate's sole source of morality, but a cautionary voice in her head.
  • Poisoned Weapons: Particular credit goes to the hallucinogen-laced razorblade she keeps in her mouth during her time with the Religion of Crime.
  • Pre-Insanity Reveal: The reveal at the end of Elegy that Kate’s supposedly dead sister Beth and the High Madame are one and the same.
  • Quirky Curls
  • Skeleton Motif: She has numerous skull details on her High Madame costume, including one on her trusty razorblade.
  • Speaks in Shout-Outs: Up until the very end of the Elegy arc, she spoke solely in quotes from Alice in Wonderland. Although she can speak in other ways, she still occasionally uses them.
  • Speech Bubbles: She gets specific ones: a different font from the rest of the cast, and black speech bubbles when she is Alice.
  • Twin Desynch: At age 12, she and Kate were inseparable and pretty similar. During more than a decade of separation, Kate went to a military academy, abused alcohol, got tattoos, and became Batwoman. Beth went comic-book insane, started talking solely in Lewis Carroll quotes, took to wearing really unnatural makeup, and became the High Madame of the Religion of Crime, putting her in direct opposition to Kate.
  • You Have Failed Me: Kills her main henchman, and then turns her guns loose on the assembly of goons for letting Kate get close and capture her.
  • Your Makeup Is Running: After Kate attacks her with pepper gas, the heavy black eye makeup begins to run. She keeps this look throughout the arc.

United States Military Academy

Characters primarily associated with the USMA, or West Point.
    Col. Sophie Moore 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sophie_moore_prime_earth_0001.jpg

Kate’s roommate and romantic interest at West Point. When Kate was outed, Sophie was not. They reunited by chance while Kate was engaged to Maggie. By this point, Sophie has been promoted to colonel, but is still not out as a lesbian.


  • Academic Athlete: She boxed at West Point and was also a high-ranking member of the Brigade Staff (S-3, or operations officer).
  • Always Second Best: Played with in relation to Kate. Sophie is implied to be Book Dumb based on her lack of any awards that would indicate academic achievement, as opposed to Kate having one that places her within at least the top 5% of her class. Kate also outranked Sophie, and is strongly implied to have beaten her for a school boxing championship. However, Sophie also beat Kate in a later sparring match and was able to stay in the Army thanks to Kate's Heroic Sacrifice, leading to her eventually making the rank of colonel.
  • Ambiguously Brown: Her heritage is never commented upon, but she’s clearly non-white and, unusually for comics, consistently depicted as such (though her actual appearance has varied).
  • Artistic License – Military: When Sophie meets Kate again, the maximum amount of time since her graduation is about 13 or 14 years, making it impossible for her to have actually achieved the rank of colonel, which by law requires a minimum of 22 years of service.
  • Book Dumb: Implied. She lacks any awards that would put her within the top 15% of her class, nor any that indicate she has an above-average Cadet Performance Score (the average of all scores in academic, physical, and military skills). But she did still earn the Air Assault and Basic Parachutist badges, holds a high rank, and seems to be a good boxer.
  • Boxing Battler: Like Kate, she was a boxer while a cadet. She defeated Kate in an illegal bare-knuckled sparring session once, and has dialogue that implies Kate beat her in an earlier, official match.
  • Friendly Rivalry: It's implied that she had one with Kate at West Point. They were girlfriends, but thought nothing of having a bit of private bare-knuckled sparring, for example. During that very scene, Sophie further implies that Kate had previously beaten her in a boxing match.
  • In-Series Nickname: As a cadet, her nickname was "Gimme", possibly a result of her participation in boxing.
  • Lesbian Jock: She boxed for West Point, just as her girlfriend Kate did.
  • Nerves of Steel: Implied. Kate mentions that Sophie's unflappability is a big reason she was attracted to her.
  • The Nicknamer: Frequently calls Kate by her cadet nickname of "Candy".
  • Real Award, Fictional Character: As a cadet, she earned the Air Assault Badge and the Basic Parachutist Badge, and received the National Defense Service Medal.

    BTO Reyes 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/reyes.PNG
West Point's Brigade Tactical Officer during Kate's time as a cadet. He was also the first person she came out to after Sophie.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: When Kate is accused of homosexual conduct, he cites her otherwise exemplary record as a reason to offer her the option of a demotion, which would still allow her to graduate and be commissioned, rather than the dismissal likely at the end of a full investigation.

    Col. Tina Nair 
One of Kate's former instructors, now retired. Years before becoming an instructor, she was responsible for hiding the blueprints for a mysterious device called the Negahedron after her unit recovered it in the Yukon.
  • Band of Brothers: Her relationship with Kate in civilian life. Every month they meet to "swap war stories."

    Sgt. Tate 
One of Kate's military trainers during her plebe (freshman) year.
  • Drill Sergeant Nasty: Downplayed. During training he was aggressive and particularly verbally abusive to Kate, but off the job he showed a kinder and softer-spoken side, and let Kate know he was so strict only to make better soldiers.
  • Rugged Scar: Has a large one running down his left jaw.

The Murder of Crows

A group of Jacob Kane's closest spec-ops comrades who helped train Kate and later Bette.
    General 

  • Elites Are More Glamorous: All of them are former or current special operations personnel, though only Jacob Kane (US Special Forces) and Marcus James (US Navy SEALs) have had their units specified. Sean McCairn, on account of being Irish, was likely part of the Army Ranger Wing, and the Ukrainian member Bohashka Zlenko was probably a member of the Spetsnaz GRU and later the Special Operations Forces after the breakup of the Soviet Union.
  • Would Hit a Girl: Their training regimen for Kate was extremely brutal, and included things like a weeklong torture session using multiple methods, chasing her after breaking her ribs, combat sessions that went to the point that Kate would literally be standing in a puddle of her own blood, and a specific bare-knuckle boxing match in which the largest Crow, Bohashka Zlenko, knocked Kate out cold. Bette had a far less severe time with them, though they still didn't pull any punches.

    Jason Morley, "Crow 1" 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jason_morley_0.png

    Sean McCairn, "Crow 2" 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sean_mccairn_3.png

  • Badass Bookworm: His profile notes that he "dabbles in forensics, archaeology, [and] philosophy."
  • The Casanova: He thinks he's one anyway, due to his Irish accent apparently being irresitible to women.

    Marcus James, "Crow 3" 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/marcus_james_tierra_0_001_3.jpg

  • Action Dad: He's a badass, and "taught his sixteen-year-old-daughter to hack into Swiss bank accounts."
  • Friendly Sniper: Seems to be one. He has over 300 confirmed kills, but also has a teenage daughter who he teaches various skills, like hacking.
  • Gadgeteer Genius: He "designs and builds self-replicating nanotech", apparently in his spare time.
  • Vulgar Humor: His profile notes that he "can't stop telling dirty jokes".

    Jackson Lloyd, "Crow 4" 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jackson_lloyd_tierra_0_001_5.jpg

  • Dreadful Musician: His profile mentions that he "plays guitar, badly."
  • Noodle Incident: Also in his profile is a mention of "a barfight in El Paso," which Lloyd still owes Jacob a beer for.

    Bohashka Zlenko, "Crow 5" 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bohashka_zlenko_5.png

True Believers

A heretical sect of followers of the Dark Faith, who split from the Religion of Crime after the failed sacrifice of Batwoman. It is comprised entirely of were-people and shapeshifters.
    Kyle Abbot 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/abbot.PNG

The werewolf leader of the True Believers.


  • Heel–Face Turn: Abbot betrays the Religion of Crime when he finds out about their plan to destroy Gotham, and abandons their interpretation of the Dark Faith after Batwoman's failed sacrifice. He and Kate later work as allies, though not closely.

    Claire 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/claire.PNG
One of Abbot's top associates.
  • Lizard Folk: Her were-form is this.
  • Man Bites Man: She bit a Religion of Crime goon on the shoulder while rescuing Batwoman.

    Hayes 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hayes.PNG
Another of Abbot's top associates.

Department of Extranormal Operations

A US government organization that investigates and tracks metahuman activity. They blackmail Batwoman into working for them as part of their goal to unmask Batman.
    Director Bones 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/2124979_screen_capture.png

Head of the DEO.

For Bones' pre-Flashpoint iteration, see Infinity, Inc..


  • Artificial Limbs: His left leg below the knee is an advanced prosthetic.
  • Cigar Chomper: To the point that he practically chain-smokes them.
  • Invisibility: All of his tissues are invisible apart from his bones, hence his nickname.
  • Only Known by Their Nickname: Though named Robert Todd before the New 52, he is only referred to as "Bones" or "Director Bones," even by his own agents.
  • Poisonous Person: His sweat contains cyanide, requiring him to wear gloves at all times.

    Cameron Chase 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cameron_chase_prime_earth_002_5.jpg

A DEO agent tasked with uncovering Batman's identity, and later assigned as Batwoman's partner. Her father, Walter Chase, was the vigilante Acro-Bat; his murder while on patrol lead to her dislike of superheroes.


  • The Chew Toy: Given how unlikable she is, it's rather enjoyable whenever Kate gets to rough her up.
  • Jerkass Has a Point: To Batwoman quite frequently. While she was rude, insulting, and held the DEO's threats over Kate's head, her plans generally accomplished what they set out to do (whether Kate liked the methods or not).
  • No Sympathy: Her focus on the mission sometimes crosses over into this, and she's often quite callous. In particular, she insults Bette and generally treats her with disdain when she finds her after the losing fight with Hook.
    Chase: Another idiot playing dress-up.
  • Stay with Me Until I Die: After Bette is recovered by the DEO and stabilized after her encounter with Hook, Chase invokes this by posing as a nurse and convincing Bette that she's dying from her injuries. Chase asks her to give her a name so someone can be with her, and Bette names Kate, all but confirming to Chase that Kate is Batwoman.
  • Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: With Batwoman. They get their missions done, but really don't like each other.

Medusa

    Christopher Falchion 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/falchion_0001_5.jpg

A demigod and warrior who masquerades as one of Gotham's elite. Head of operations in the city.


    Maro Ito/Sune 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maro_ito_0001_3.jpg

A sorcerer and shapeshifter in Medusa’s employ, and Falchion's second-in-command; he eventually kills Falchion and takes his place. Possibly sharing a body with a twin named Sune...or possibly just inventing her as a completely new identity. For the purposes of this page, Maro and Sune are the same person.


  • Black Magic: Most of his spells and summons involve the death and/or blood of innocents, and are intended to produce more death, blood, and destruction.
  • Establishing Character Moment: His first appearance is a scene of him calmly drowning a child (having drowned another shortly before), indicating both his evilness and the Black Magic nature of his powers.
  • I Know Your True Name: He ties Bloody Mary to him by knowing her name: Mary Worth.
  • Kneel Before Zod: Tells Kate to do this once he introduces himself to her.
    Maro: It is my pleasure to finally know you, Miss Kane. I am Maro Ito, once Falchion’s warlock, now his successor. And I would be honored if you’d kneel before me.
  • The Sociopath: Manipulates people, shows little emotion or regret for the atrocities he commits, chases Kate because he “craved a taste of [her],” and generally fails to see other people as full fledged humans instead of story elements to manipulate.
  • The Starscream: To Falchion. He kills him after various subterfuges, then informs Medusa that Batwoman and the DEO are responsible for the death, while claiming Falchion's literal and figurative power for himself.
  • Would Hurt a Child: His entire plot revolves around killing, kidnapping, or otherwise hurting children.

    Maria Salvaje/La Llorona 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/weeping_woman_001.png

A single mother from Gotham City who became the urban legend La Llorona. Her two children drowned in an old boathouse while she was drinking, and she committed suicide in the same location. She is brought back as a ghostly urban legend by Maro Ito, and charged with kidnapping or drowning a number of children for Medusa.


  • Alcoholic Parent: The reason she didn’t realize her children were missing.
  • Apologetic Attacker: After Kate initially dispels her, only for Maro to pull her back.
    Maria: I am sorry. They will not let me rest...
  • Black Eyes of Evil: As La Llorona.
  • Burn the Undead: Although it only dispels her for a bit.
  • Death Equals Redemption: Discussed by Kate right before she dispels her. Maria tells Kate who took the children (although it isn’t very helpful, and she comes back shortly).
  • The Dog Bites Back: She kills Maro for killing her children and keeping her spirit from them.
  • Fate Worse than Death: Her only desire is to reunite with her children in the afterlife.
  • Forced into Evil: By Maro.
  • Nightmare Face: Her face goes between that of a beautiful young woman and a decayed skull, with all the steps of decay in between.
  • Ocular Gushers: To the point that she can drown people using them.
  • Parental Neglect: She wasn’t watching her children, and Maro Ito was able to murder them as a result.
  • Peaceful in Death: Her goal, and implied to be her happy ending after Maro’s death.
  • Terms of Endangerment: She calls the children and occasional others she kidnaps or drowns by motherly pet names in English and Spanish.
    La Llorona: My sweet, sweet girl.
  • What Have I Become?: She is horrified by the monster Maro made her into.

    Rush/Hook 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rush_ii_0001_8.jpg

A child molester and flunky of the Religion of Crime, Rush was “chosen” and taken over by the Ashoth, a mystical hook. He savagely attacked Bette Kane, but she later took him down and separated him from his hook. It was last seen assimilating a crab.


  • Chekhov's Gunman: First appears in Elegy, where Kate interrogates him on the Religion of Crime. Returns later as Hook.
  • Cybernetics Eat Your Soul: Justified: the Ashoth is sentient and contains mind-manipulation qualities which drive him to commit atrocities.
  • Evil Hand / Evil Weapon: His hook is sentient, takes over his mind, and can talk.
  • Hook Hand: He is named for the weapon.
  • Organ Autonomy: The hook hand has a mind and voice of its own, and is the one in control when he’s attached to it.
  • Strapped to an Operating Table: By Maro, in order to amputate his arm and replace it with the hook.
  • Symbolic Mutilation: Maro Ito cut off his “traditionally female” left hand, which he never used to molest children, to get rid of the schism between it and his right hand. He replaced it with an evil and sentient hook.

    Mary Worth/Bloody Mary 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bloody_mary_3_6.jpg

A Victorian ghost of sleepover scare fame, Mary Worth was a child bride who tried to kill all of her competition when her husband cheated on her.


    Waylon Jones/Killer Croc 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/killer_croc_8.jpg

Killer Croc was briefly recruited by Maro and, through magic, given the ability to transform into the multi-headed Hydra from Greek mythology. After Medusa's defeat, he was tasked with assassinating Batwoman by remnants of the group.

For more info, see his entry in the Batman: Rogues Gallery (Part 2) page.

Coryana

Inhabitants of the island nation where Kate spent her "Lost Year" during the time between her expulsion from West Point and becoming Batwoman.
    Safiyah Sohail 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/safiyah.jpg

The unofficial leader of Coryana when Kate first came to the island. Former lover of both Tahani and Kate.


  • Alliterative Name: Safiyah Sohail.
  • Casual Kink: She and Kate practiced bondage.
  • Clean Pretty Reliable: She performs CPR on Kate after a mission-gone-wrong. Kate is absolutely fine, and the two stand up and kiss almost immediately after.
  • Florence Nightingale Effect: She saved Kate’s life and nursed her back to health. They slowly fell for each other over several months, and they shared their first kiss after Safiyah saved Kate from drowning again.
  • Mercy Kill: Of the infected foxes. It deeply impacted Kate, who helped her take some of them down with a rifle.
  • Romantic Spoonfeeding: One of her favorite methods of romancing. She feeds Kate honeycomb and tries to feed Tahani dates, but is distracted by Kate before Tahani can eat.
  • Team Mom: She “leads” Coryana’s warlords by resolving their disputes and negotiating between them in a maternal role. She outright refuses to claim to have more power than that—although everyone knows how much control she has over the island.
  • The Tragic Rose: Her bar is called The Desert Rose and is filled with roses, and the flashbacks with her feature a rose motif. The story of Kate’s lost year and its aftermath is tragedy according to nearly every character, and the loss of Safiyah was the catalyst for the decline of Coryana.

    Rafael 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bw2cradle2.jpg

Safiyah's right-hand man, who helped nurse Kate back to health after she arrived on the island badly injured.


    Song Tae-Ri 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/black_flag.jpg
One of the warlords of Coryana.
  • Sword and Gun: She first appears brandishing a katana and a Glock pistol.
  • What the Hell, Hero?: After Coryana is saved from being destroyed, she admonishes Kate for once again leaving without helping to clean up a mess she's at least partially responsible for.

    Deadeye Dick 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/deadeyedick.jpg

One of the warlords of Coryana. Kate knows the least about him, and was specifically warned by Safiyah not to talk to him.


    Adelaide Stern 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/adelaidestern3.jpg

One of the warlords of Coryana.


  • Multiple-Choice Past: Kate describes her as "the Assassin of Asansol, or Ashdod, or Asmara, depending on who you ask."

The Many Arms of Death

A global terrorist group introduced in Batwoman (Rebirth) that hides its activities under the guise of a legitimate arms-dealing company, the Kali Corporation. They operate out of the island nation of Coryana and seek to cause massive attacks in heavily international areas to maximize outrage and, therefore, demand for their products.


    General 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/manyarms.jpg

  • Cool Airship: The Vorpal Blade, though it's closer to a small helicarrier than a zeppelin.
  • Equal-Opportunity Evil: They appear to follow this, which makes sense as they're a global organization. Knife is a Nigerian lesbian, and Fatima, the secretary to Elder and Younger, is Turkish. The group also includes agents who are (presumably, given their locations) Japanese, Iranian, and American.
  • Evil Is Hammy: All members who have had a speaking role fit to some degree. Elder and Younger start off that way, and Knife permanently slips into this after having a bit of a Villainous Breakdown.
  • Evil Plan: Their plot to torture Kate mentally and emotionally is quite complex and made up of multiple gambits and red herrings.
  • Expy: Of SPECTRE (down to the similar meanings of their logos), with a dash of Cobra Unit thrown in as well.
  • Flowery Elizabethan English: Their official internal communications are excessively formal.
  • He Who Fights Monsters: They try to invoke this as part of their plan to traumatize Kate, hoping to warp her into a remorseless, psychopathic killer.
  • Multiple Reference Pun: The Many Arms of Death is not just a reference to the goddess Kali, it refers to what they traffic in and is also a reference to their operatives, who use weapon-based codenames.
  • Nebulous Evil Organization: It's not clear exactly how the organization is structured, nor what their motives are aside from profiting off the Kali Corporation's weapons sales. Complicating matters is the reveal that the Religion of Crime, longtime adversaries of Batwoman, are just one branch of the group.
  • Theme Naming:
    • Their agents are all codenamed after a type of weapon.
  • Trauma Conga Line: The Many Arms invokes this trope against Kate, slowly tormenting her by eroding her mental and emotional well-being through "trials". As of issue #11, it seems to be working.
  • The Unseen: Five of the Many Arms's Dragons have yet to appear: The Fist, The Hammer, The Halberd, The Rapier, and The Spear.
  • War for Fun and Profit: As arms dealers, the Many Arms seek to cause massive terrorist attacks in locations where people from many different nations mingle, in order to maximize the outcry (and potential clients).

    Elder and Younger 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/elder_6.jpg
Elder
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/younger_6.jpg
Younger

The CEOs of the Kali Corporation. Collectively known as "The Eyes of Death".


  • Creepy Twins: Well, half-twins; they share a father but were born on opposite sides of the Earth at the same time. But they do tend to finish each other's sentences and give off not-subtle incest vibes.
  • Faux Affably Evil: They're polite to their underlings and seem to be Wicked Cultured, but their intentions to "clean up" Coryana seem like an act instead of a true act of charity. And they really want Kate Kane dead.

    Tahani/The Knife 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/knife1_9.jpg

A Nigerian assassin employed by the group, who lived on Coryana before Kali took it over. She abandoned her old name and now goes by one of the weapon-based codenames that the Many Arms assign to their field operatives.


  • Badass Bandolier: She wears a criss-cross one that holds throwing knives.
  • Blade Enthusiast: With a name like that? Of course. She has a collection made up of all sorts of knives and swords.
  • Conspicuous Gloves: Wears a pair of fingerless gloves, which gives her a balance of dexterity for throwing and hand protection for unarmed combat.
  • Cool Mask: She briefly wore a stylized skull mask before Kate melted it.
  • Cool Sword: While not her main weapons, at one point she wields a pair of swords that seem to act as Laser Blades while still being made of metal (as they can absorb heat).
  • Dark Action Girl: She's more than capable of giving Kate a run for her money in a fight.
  • Disproportionate Retribution: Her revenge against Kate is this. Kate's only "crimes" against Tahani are wooing away Safiyah and accidentally releasing a plague onto Coryana that decimated the island's fox population. To get back at her, Tahani is perfectly fine with utterly wrecking Kate's mental and emotional state in any way possible, including murdering all of Gotham and causing Beth to relapse into Alice.
    Batwoman: You can sell yourself these high ideals, but under all these flowery words, Tahani— you're willing to kill thousands of people 'cause you're pissed Safiyah loved me.
  • Enemy Mine: She hates the Kali Corporation for what they did to the island she loves... but since she holds Kate responsible for causing it to happen in the first place, she's willing to ally with them.
  • Evil Counterpart: Knife is this to Batwoman, and a fair bit of the first arc of Batwoman (Rebirth) compares and contrasts them in various ways, such as through panel design and color schemes, scene happenings and stagings, and their physical abilities.
  • Evil Gloating: She has a habit of doing this and thus sabotaging her own schemes against Kate.
  • Facial Markings: Knife wears white face paint.
  • Hot Blade: She uses the exhaust from the Vorpal Blade's engines to heat up the blade of one of her above-mentioned swords to the point that it glows.
  • The Man in Front of the Man: The leader of the Many Arms of Death hiding in plain sight as one of its operatives.
  • That Man Is Dead: She abandoned her given name since she sees her prior self as nothing but a "plaything" of Safiyah Sohail, Coryana's previous de facto leader.
  • Meaningful Name: She's skilled with bladed weapons, particularly throwing knives.
  • Offhand Backhand: She blocks a thrown vase just by raising her arm, without turning around.
  • Sleeves Are for Wimps: Her outfit is essentially a sleeveless Spy Catsuit, and she's rather buff.
  • The Stoic: She's very serious and even-tempered, despite an undercurrent of anger.
  • Villainous Breakdown: She begins to go through one at the end of the first arc of the 2017 series, and is noticably more unhinged by her final appearance.
  • Woman Scorned: And how. A good chunk of her villainy is directed toward Kate, to hurt her as much as possible for "stealing" Safiyah.

    The Rifle 
An Iranian agent operating out of Tehran. Presumably skilled with firearms. Apprehended by Batwoman.
  • Improbable Aiming Skills: Implied, as she shoots at Batwoman from a helicopter while Batwoman is driving a Lamborghini through the streets of Tehran.

    The Chain 
A Japanese agent stationed in Tokyo. Chain weapons are his forte. Apprehended by Batwoman.

    The Torch 
An agent stationed in Mississippi. Apprehended by Batwoman.

    Dr. Jonathan Crane/The Needle 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/scarecrow_5.jpg

More commonly known as Scarecrow, Dr. Crane used the codename "The Needle" during his brief time with the group, though he still employed his usual masked identity. He used funding from the Many Arms to conduct bioweapon research in a lab hidden beneath the Sahara under an artificial oasis, the water in which was laced with fear toxin.

For more information, see Batman: The Scarecrow.

    Fatima 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fatima_6.jpg
Elder and Younger's personal assistant.
  • Personal Mook: In addition to acting as Elder and Younger's secretary, she's also a pilot and serves as a liasion between the CEOs and their field operatives, where she is known as "The Voice of Death".

Other Villains

    Sister Shard 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sister_shard_prime_earth_0001_2.jpg

A monk belonging to the Order of Stone, one branch of the Religion of Crime.


  • And Show It to You: The Religion of Crime in general wants to cut out Kate's heart, but Shard seems particularly fixated on it.
  • Bald of Evil: She's completely clean-shaven.
  • Cyborg: After Kate kicks her ass in Batwoman: Elegy, she returns with a robotic arm to fix the one Kate snapped in half. After that one gets blown up, she has even more significant enhancements later.
  • Running Gag: Kate beats Shard up. The next time Shard appears, she has cybernetic enhancements to fix the injuries Kate gave her. Rinse, repeat.

    Evan Blake/Wolf Spider 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_wolf_spider.jpg

A part-time cat burglar who, as a civilian, is an old friend of Kate's.


  • Cut Himself Shaving: The day after their first costumed encounter, Evan and Kate bump into each other at a police station, where Evan is trying to cover his tracks by reporting a burglary at his apartment. He explains his bruised face as being from said burglar, when Kate (unbeknown to her) actually did it.
  • False Flag Operation: Of a kind. He burglarizes his own apartment to throw off suspicion.
  • Hates My Secret Identity: Inverted. He and Batwoman hate each other's costumed personas, but as civilians they're good friends and obviously don't know each other's secret.
  • Kick Them While They Are Down: Batwoman quickly gets the upper hand on him in their first encounter, and he pretends to surrender. When Kate pauses, he tosses some drugged darts into her face and beats her up while she trips out.
  • Meaningless Villain Victory: He avoids being captured by Batwoman, but gets beaten up during his dealings with her and ultimately disposes of the gold stash he was after, declaring it cursed. Even if he had decided to keep it, Kate had put out an Interpol alert for it, making it impossible for him to sell the coins and rendering his entire venture as Wolf Spider pointless.
  • Would Hit a Girl: He ambushes Batwoman and Hawkfire, breaking the latter's ribs and dealing Batwoman one of the worst beatings she's ever received (after drugging her first).

    Natalie Mitternacht/Nocturna 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/natalia_mitternacht_prime_earth_001_5.jpg

A vampire black widow who manipulated Kate into a relationship with her almost immediately after Kate broke up with Maggie. She mentally, emotionally, and sexually abused Kate for over a month, partially through the use of hypnosis.

For Nocturna's pre-New 52 iteration, see Batman: Rogues Gallery (Part 2).


  • Action Dress Rip: After her stepdaughter tries to kill her, she performs one of these between panels to join a battle on the rooftops.
  • Adaptational Villainy: The original Nocturna (Natalia Knight) of the pre-Crisis Earth-One was a morally complicated individual who had a lover/enemy relationship with Batman yet also acted as a genuinely loving and nurturing mother figure to Jason Todd. Natalie Mitternacht on the other hand is a creepy, manipulative woman and mind-controlling rapist.
  • Ambiguously Bi: Has both male and female partners, but to what degree she actually is attracted to/in love with them and to what degree she’s just manipulating them is left ambiguous.
  • Bed Trick: Downplayed. Kate thinks that she is Maggie, allowing Natalia to get close enough to bite her.
  • Black Widow: Has been acquitted of the murders of multiple husbands, although the media, families, and she herself all know she’s a black widow. She’s not particularly subtle—she goes from sex, to marriage, to murder with one victim over the course of less than five issues.
  • Butt-Monkey: Following the end of the New 52 Batwoman series, whenever Nocturna appears in a comic alongside Kate then that story will end with Nocturna having her ass handed to her for her sexual abuse of Kate.
  • Charm Person: She casually uses her power to get a free newspaper. Her persuasive voice is explicitly confirmed by both herself and Beth to be unable to do anything against someone’s nature.
  • Clingy Jealous Girl: She gets very upset when she find out that Kate has been talking to Maggie, even though she's doing so as part of her job as Batwoman.
  • The Corrupter: To Kate, to the point where Kate begins threatening to punish vandals with death. Although she didn’t get Kate to actually become a killer, and how many of the scenes of Kate becoming evil are real and how many are Nocturna’s narratives is left unclear.
  • Double Standard: Rape, Female on Female: She attempts to invoke this, claiming she didn't actually rape Kate because her powers can't force someone to do something they don't want to do. However, just because Kate was willing to have sex doesn't excuse that Nocturna most likely used her powers to compel Kate to act on those feelings, in addition to pulling a Bed Trick of sorts on her while Kate was drunk. By her reappearance in the Crimes of Passion one-shot it became clear what Nocturna did to Kate was flat-out rape, it wasn't okay, and Kate beats the shit out of her for it a second time.
  • Early-Bird Cameo: First appears in the background of Arkham Asylum in pre-Flashpoint Detective Comics.
  • Femme Fatalons: Has very long, very sharp fingernails.
  • A Glass of Chianti: Drinks red wine.
  • Hate Sink: She's a self-absorbed, sociopathic abuser, brainwasher, predator, and rapist and if she's in a story than chances are it is not because you are supposed to side with her.
  • Hemo Erotic: There’s blood all over Kate, but not on Natalia, as they’re making out immediately post-bite.
  • Lesbian Vampire: Bisexual vampire, technically.
  • Meaningful Name: “Mitternacht” is German for “Midnight”.
  • Ms. Fanservice: She spends most of her time in slinky black dresses, has a cleavage baring Spy Catsuit, and has at least one scene in her underwear.
  • Our Vampires Are Different: Her biting Kate did not turn her into a vampire.
  • Playing the Victim Card: When Beth threatens her and doesn’t buy her good intentions, she pulls out a tragic backstory and won Kate even more to her side.
  • Secondary Color Nemesis: Wears green and purple to Kate’s reds and yellows.
  • Shabby Heroes, Well-Dressed Villains: When she goes out for dinner with Kate, Kate wears jeans and a t-shirt (she argues that they’re expensive jeans and a vintage T-shirt) while Natalia wears her usual slinky formal wear.
    Nocturna: Opposites attract has never been more clear.
  • The Sociopath: Selfish, manipulative, and sees other people as toys.
    Nocturna: Love you? I don't even like you. You were just so easy to snare. All your broken-hearted martyr-complex self-loathing... it was like a neon sign flashing "Over here!" I couldn't resist.
  • Teeth Flying: Kate's final confrontation with her ends with Nocturna beneath Kate's boot, getting her teeth stomped out of her head.
  • Unequal Pairing: With Kate. She isolates Kate from other influences, acts possessive, commits gaslighting, and has at least some degree of mind control over her.

    Anton Knight/Night-Thief 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nigh_thief.jpg

A thief and Nocturna's former lover and partner-in-crime.

For Night-Thief's pre-New 52 iteration, see Batman: Rogues Gallery (Part 2).


  • Blade Below the Shoulder: His main weapons.
  • Cool Mask: His costume contains a white one, with red vinelike patterns and a hair cowl.
  • In the Back: Played with. He was the very first character to actually knock Kate out... which he did by sneaking up behind her and suckerpunching her in the back of the head.

    Derek/Killshot II 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/killshot_derek_0001_3.jpg

A former soldier turned assassin, hired to kill Nocturna.


  • Blood Knight: Seems to be one. He gets excited at the prospect of a hand-to-hand battle against Batwoman, saying he hasn't done so since his military days.
  • From Camouflage to Criminal: Former soldier, now a hitman.

    Green Fairy 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/green_fairy_3.jpg

A poisonous Arkham inmate who briefly escapes due to a distraction by Wolf Spider.


    Simon Samuels/Colony Prime 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/colony_prime.png

The highest-ranking soldier in the Colony's infantry.


  • Badass Boast: Shortly after meeting Batman and Batwoman for the first time:
    Colony Prime: When the Colony needs their most dangerous work done, they don't send an army. They send me.
  • Cool Helmet: His uniform's helmet is different from the rest of the Colony, being of a unique shape and mostly featureless aside from a triangular lens arrangement.
  • Hypocrite: He frequently accuses Kate of things he himself is guilty of, such as unprofessional soldier conduct.
  • Smug Snake: Thinks very highly of his own skills and very little of Batman and Batwoman's.
  • "Well Done, Son" Guy: Sees the leader of the Colony as a father figure. Kate mercilessly picks apart his "daddy issues."

    Abbadonia 
A fire-themed "vigilante" briefly teased in Batwoman Rebirth. She was a customer of The Many Arms of Death.

Other Supporting Characters

    Renee Montoya 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/montoya_7.jpg

Officer Renee Montoya pulled Kate over for speeding when Kate was still self-destructive and alcoholic. After Kate flirted with her during that very stop, they soon began dating.

Later, during the argument that led to their breakup, Kate urged Renee to stop lying to her coworkers and come out of the closet.

Before the New 52 era, their relationship is depicted solely in flashbacks, and most interactions between Renee and Kate feature lots of reminiscing in their internal monologues. They rekindled their relationship during the Rebirth era, but broke up once again around the time Renee became the GCPD Commissioner, for as-yet unexplained reasons.

See The Question and Batman: Supporting Cast for more on Renee Montoya.

    Maggie Sawyer 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maggie_sawyer_circa_2018.png

Kate’s long-term girlfriend and at-one-point fiancée. In-universe, they broke up because Kate made a deal with Maggie’s ex-husband so that Maggie wouldn’t have to waste time she could spend with her daughter fighting for custody. Out-of-universe, creative team of Williams and Blackman said that DC hadn’t let them write the marriage, causing them to leave the book.See Batman: Supporting Cast for Maggie’s tropes.

    Julia Pennyworth 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/julia_4.jpg

Daughter of Alfred Pennyworth. Former SRR operative. Acts as Mission Control for Kate on their mission to hunt down The Many Arms of Death.See her entry on the Batman: Bat-Family character page for more information.

    Felipe and Isabella Lopez 
A young couple whose children were kidnapped by Medusa. They never stop trying to find and rescue their children, and both Maggie and Kate try to comfort and help them.
  • Go and Sin No More: Felipe encounters Maria, tells her that God forgives her, and that he does too for what she’s done to him and his family. Maria, who had been starting to resist Maro, went on to kill the sorcerer.
  • Happily Married: Even during all of the trauma and stress of their children’s kidnapping, the couple is shown as nothing but respectful, loving, and supportive of each other.
  • Who Will Take The Kids?: Maggie uses this reasoning to talk them down from going to confront Medusa on their own.

    Pegasus 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pegasus_bw.jpg

Falchion’s brother and son of Medusa, Wonder Woman and Kate sought him out for information on how to take down the organization. He gave it in exchange for a quick death.


  • Alien Blood: Like his brother, his blood is blue.
  • Blessed with Suck: He’s immortal, but his healing factor runs on belief. Since belief in the Greek pantheon isn’t very high, he’s unable to die with extremely painful wounds.
  • Immortality Hurts: Falchion tortures him by giving him wounds that won’t heal for hundreds of years, knowing that he won’t die.
  • Mercy Kill: He asks this of Wonder Woman, and she obliges, much to Kate’s shock.
  • Wound That Will Not Heal: not because they are necessarily supernatural, but because he is. He can live with them, but healing them will take lifetimes.

    Dr. Alan Huss 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/15166103_sx540.jpg

A psychiatrist recommended to Kate by Maggie, and whom she was briefly a patient of. Maggie and a number of GCPD officers have been his patients as well.


  • Pop-Cultural Osmosis Failure: In his first meeting with Kate, he asks if the relationship issues she mentioned had to do with a boyfriend or a husband. Therefore, he somehow failed to realize Kate is a lesbian, despite her being a public figure who resigned from the military for that very thing just a few years prior, in what would have been major news.
  • The Shrink: Of course. And a good one, too. Despite some initial resistance from Kate, she does eventually cooperate and get some benefit from their sessions, and he shows genuine concern for her after she becomes ensnared by Nocturna.

    Dr. Mallory Kimball 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mallory_kimbal.jpg

One of Kate's civilian contacts who works at Gotham General Hospital.



Alternative Title(s): Batwoman Rebirth

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