WMG / Batwoman (Rebirth)

Kate is going to be revisiting quite a bit of her past "downward spiral" globetrotting, so why not guess the locales?

• Israel (I would be surprised if this wasn't a stop)
  • CONFIRMED BY #1's COVER HOLY SHIT SHE'S GOING TO JERUSALEM.
  • Actually, Jossed.
• Amsterdam
• Cairo
  • Confirmed in issue #11.
• Milan
• Budapest
• Hong Kong
• Dubai, because that would make the finale to Batman and Robin Eternal so much funnier.
• Whatever country "Misunderstandistan" ended up being.
• Qurac
• Khandaq
  • Can you imagine?!
• Seoul
• Lyon
• Havana
• Rio
  • Jossed. However, Julia goes there for an unknown purpose during a break in their mission during the "Fall of the Batmen" arc in Detective Comics.
• Bangkok
• Buenos Aires
• Madrid
• Vienna
• Warsaw
• Paris
• Riyadh
• Metropolis
  • Where she will be reaquainted with Maggie Sawyer. With maybe a scene referencing Kate's very first appearance in 52... only this time Kate is in Renee's place.
  • Jossed.

Beth's origin will finally be addressed.

• And will be guest written by Greg Rucka, or co-written at the very least. They've got him on payroll, and he always says that they can drag him back at any time if they offer him Kate, Renee or Diana. I assume Beth counts as Kate in that context.
  • Partly confirmed. Rucka was not involved at all, and there are still many unknowns, but more about what made Beth into Alice was revealed.

The Second-In-Command Colony Dude will be codenamed "Prodigal".

• Because nothing says nepotism quite like that.
  • Jossed: Apparently his name is Colony Prime. That's...not as cool? Maybe?

The above character will be Kate's half-brother.

• The side plot from the first Batwoman series about Jacob Kane having a son is technically still open, since the original candidate, Director Bones, was revealed not to be his son.
  • I think that could work, if they were careful. It'd have to be something along the lines of Jacob knocking up a woman shortly before meeting Gabi, but having absolutely no idea that it happened and for whatever reason the mother didn't want him in her child's life so he only found out once the kid started investigating his parentage. So, maybe Jacob only realized that this soldier he was training was his son after they were already super-deep into Colony stuff?
  • Of course, I highly doubt Kate would believe this for a second—-considering what happened with Beth and her father's track record—-so she'd just pummel him. And even then, I think there's a limit to what she can and cannot accept as family. Her father? Yes, even after all this crap. Beth? Yes, even after trying to kill her all of those times. But if Mister Bones turned out to be her half-brother...would that really make her want to build a relationship with the guy? He clearly cared nothing for their family, if it was true, since he held Beth hostage, and blackmailed Kate by threatening to throw their father in prison. This new dude, if he is her half-brother, might be a bit more of a nuanced situation, but even still...if they're fighting one another, how is he supposed to convince her that it's true in a way she'll actually be open to accepting?

Kate and Julia will hook-up.

• I don't know how Bruce would react but I feel like Dick would find it both sweet and really funny.
  • To say nothing of Alfred, too! He'd absolutely approve.
  • Jossed, though there are some innuendos indicating such.

Drill Sergeant Tate will make an appearance.

• That little anecdote from 'Tec #936 seemed way too specific and important to just leave it be. Plus the scar on his face.
  • Jossed.

Bette's Pre-Flashpoint memories will be flowing back, bit by bit, and it'll be super weird.

• She was with the Teen Titans for so long and saw so much of their history. If she meets Wally West she's in for one hell of a "shock". Eh?
  • Jossed.

In this series, Kate will wear a variation of the Colony uniform designed for her, as seen in Detective Comics.

• For any number of reasons, even if only to differentiate her visually between the two books.
  • Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of consistency and brand recognition? Batman doesn't have a different outfit across titles unless the plot demands it. Also, wasn't the point of the Colony Suit to show just how dumb it looked on her? How it didn't fit her character at all? I mean, for God's sake, Jacob kept the freaking wig as part of the uniform.
  • Maybe since she'll be doing missions that are closer to actual military operations, she'll wear something more in line with that, at least once. There could also be an element of secrecy about it; if Kate Kane disappears from Gotham for a week or two at a time, and there are no reported Batwoman sightings there during that span... but reports of someone matching that description start popping up on the other side of the world? Someone could potentially put two and two together there. Having a different costume, even slightly, would help offset that.
  • Okay, yeah, but...doesn't the same go for Batman? He doesn't change his outfit, and I'm pretty sure Kate would have a solid alibi. She's left the country on missions before, and this has never been an issue. Also, again, that Colony Kate uniform is terrible. Look, if she starts killing people—-which is something I hope gets addressed since hey soldiers kill people???—-she'll wear something else that doesn't have a Bat on it.
    • WE WERE BOTH RIGHT???

Guesses as to possible villains who could show up:

• Shard
  • But like, with pseudo-AMAZO augmentations. She has a habit of upgrading her cybernetics everytime Kate kicks her ass.
  • Technically confirmed. She doesn't have any visible augmentations here, and shows up in a flash-forward sort of montage as Kate fights alongside Renee.
• Dr. Death
• Hookcrab
• Sune? She did escape at the end of "World's Finest", free of her brother Maro. Scorned "ex-lover" or something.
• A rogue faction of the DEO
• A far more organized, militarized and recently rebranded version of the Religion of Crime
• Checkmate (Maxwell Lord, duh)
• Intergang (this makes the most sense as they do smuggle crazy shit)
• Cheshire
• Copperhead
• Kobra
• Those Quraci Super-Terrorists from the original Suicide Squad run
• Prometheus (just kick him in the balls, Kate)
• Lady Shiva, and yeah I know I brought this up in the 'Tec Rebirth WMG, but this'd be an awesome single-issue tale.
• Some form of Neo-Nazi/White Supremacist/"Alt-Right" maniac. Topical, relevant, and yet immune to being dated.
  • Indirectly confirmed in issue #1. It's not shown, but Kate mentions "crushing" various white supremacist and nationalist organizations during her six-week hunt for the Monster Venom suppliers, since such groups took interest in the weapon.
• Dr. Light (the first one?)
• Catwoman
• Onyx Adams
• Starling
  • This would be cool, but only if they can somehow do this without recanonizing the New 52 Birds of Prey.
• Killer Croc
• Raptor (he's poppin' up in Deathstroke, so what if he did the cameo circuit?)
  • He'd definitely have an opinion on her "branding".
  • Jossed.
• H.I.V.E.
• Katrina "Luka" Netz. Back from the dead, and she wants her old mantle back...
  • Jossed.

Kate will be revealed as a baseball fan in this series.

• Since this title shares the same writer as DC Comics Bombshells (an elseworld story where Batwoman is a baseball player), this would serve as a nice Mythology Gag.
  • Jossed as far as this series goes, but it was still confirmed, in Detective Comics #951.

Since Kate will be doing covert ops work from the sounds of things, she might need a pseudonym...

• ...so how about Roxanne Ballantine, Kathy Duquesne, or Sonia Alcana?
  • Hell yes, but Duquesne is pronounced Du-Kane so probably not that one. I could use her using Sonia, though.
  • All Jossed.

There will be a scene where Kate, Bette, and Julia sit around and compare "war wounds".

• Between Kate getting stabbed in the heart, Bette getting gutted, and Julia getting impaled through the torso, all three of them have survived severe injuries, so it would be a natural subject to bring up.
  • Jossed.

Violet Paige will have a cameo.

• Mother Panic establishes that Kate and Violet have a history of some kind, and since this series will feature flashbacks, maybe she could show up for a panel or two.
  • Jossed.

This series will have a crossover with the Nightwing (Rebirth) title.

• Dick will be going back to global-scale missions around the time this series starts, so it wouldn't be implausible for he and Kate to team up for an issue or two.
  • Jossed.

If Kate goes undercover, part of this will involve dyeing her hair black.

• Not just as a disguise, but as a visual head nod to Kathy Kane, the original Batwoman.
  • Jossed.

Flashforward!Kate is Kate...except she's actually from the Future.

• Consider her uniform, the different designs of the Colony equipment (guns, armor, symbol), and her very visible crows feet. Not to mention her hair having lost some of its color. With such a focus on age in the Rebirth one-shot, we have to assume that this is Kate Kane...but she looks 45, rather than "Soon" after 30ish. So, what if things got really bad in the future. Apocalyptic bad. Kate, having commandeered the Colony, makes a one-way trip back to the past to fix things. Bruce already said that the Colony tech was ten years more advanced than anything the US Military could muster. That includes DARPA, and we never received clarification on this.
  • The idea here is that Kate would have to face, and beat, another mirror of herself. Except this time it isn't a dark twisted one (Beth) or a whiny dude one (Simon) or even her own father. It would be a stronger, faster, smarter, better equipped, lethal and far more experienced version of herself. Literally. It'd be the ultimate fake-out. "Soon" meaning that Future!Kate would arrive soon, not that Kate would become her "Soon".
    • Or, just from an Alternate Future altogether where Kate was never kicked out the military. Since Word of God has stated repeatedly that she'd have become the DCU's Captain America—-which means something very different in 2016/2017—-it'd be a rather perfect middle finger to Marvel's Secret Empire and all the crap surrounding it.
  • Confirmed only as far as that Kate being from a bad future.

Safiyah (and possibly Knife) will suffer Death by Secret Identity.

• The "trailer" page of the one-shot shows that they both know Kate's identity as Batwoman, and neither appear to be friendly.
  • Probably already Jossed with Knife, since she's set to be Kate's new archenemy.
  • Fully Jossed.

Kate did Fight Clubbing during her time in Coryana.

• Likely as Safiyah's personal champion or something. This would explain how she apparently made so many enemies on the island (causing gamblers to lose money?), how she kept up her combat skills during her downward spiral, how she got close to Safiyah in the first place, and it would fit in with the Wretched Hive nature of Coryana.
  • Kate having to throw a fight so that she loses (maybe as a way to get free from Safiyah?) would serve to make her even more enemies, and would fit the concept of exploring Kate's failures that seems to be a big part of the series.
• Likely Jossed.

Batwoman will be some type Failure Hero in this series.

• In interviews, both Tynion and Bennett heavily focus on Kate's past failures that will be explored, and have repeatedly mentioned that things will get very bad for her, even including showing what might happen if Kate gets her status as Batwoman "ripped away."
  • Jossed.

Archery will play a big role in at least the first arc.

• The one-shot included two instances of Kate using a bow-and-arrow. Smells like foreshadowing.
  • Jossed.

Kate's identity as Batwoman will be made public.

• If Kate's status as Batwoman is to be "ripped away" as Word of God claims, that wouldn't be a bad way to do it.
  • Jossed.

Knife's long hair will be used against her somehow.

• It's probably not an accident that Kate has a buzzcut again in this series (along with her trademark wig) while her new archenemy has waist-length hair. Given Kate's penchant for fighting dirty, it'd be a surprise if that didn't come into play sometime.
  • Jossed.

There will be a small crossover or teamup with Wonder Woman again.

• Kate and Diana have already worked together in the first Batwoman series and showed a strong admiration and respect for each other. Plus, the pair parted ways with a mutual offer of aid if the other ever needed it. Marguerite Bennett has stated that this could be possible sometime down the line, and with Greg Rucka back writing on Wonder Woman, it seems like the best time for a "World's Finest" Part 2. Given the way that Wonder Woman is structured, this will likely be a long ways off it happens at all (or at least if it's a true crossover).
  • This seems far more unlikely, now that we know Rucka is leaving after Wonder Woman #25 :(
  • Jossed. Diana shows up for one panel in a flashback, but that's it.

Knife has been tracking Kate for a long time, but has always been stymied in some way from taking her out.

• First, due to Kate's training. Then due to the inadvertent protection the DEO provided her, then from Kate's enthrallment to Nocturna, and finally because of Kate's closer association to Batman in Detective Comics. Kate being away from Gotham finally gives Knife the chance to lure Kate back to Coryana according to some plan of Safiyah's. This would also explain how Knife, Safiyah, and Rafael know Kate is Batwoman.

Tahani is Safiyah's former lover, despite also working for her.

• Even though the preview panel in the one-shot of she Kate fighting has her mentioning that killing Kate is "just business", that could be a half-truth and there's some jealousy at play. Plus, Word of God says that Kate and Tahani hurt each other in "intimate" ways in the past.
  • Confirmed in issue #4.

Kate got some sort of reconstructive surgery to remove her head scar.

• It's not visible even with her buzzcut, and it was fairly large, indicating that the follicles there were restored somehow. Since it doesn't seem like Jacob knows about Coryana at all, maybe Kate had the scar removed in order to hide it, as well as to help make it easier for her to forget what happened there. Such a surgery would be a drop in the bucket for someone as wealthy as she is.

Luke Fox designed, in whole or in part, Kate's glider from issue #3.

• It has a very similar deployment method to Luke's own suit (see Detective Comics #944), and since it consists of fewer parts, covers less of her body, and has fewer features, it would be relatively easy for someone like Luke to build.

Colony Prime outed Kate at West Point.

• The solicitation for issue #8 specifically refers to him as an enemy from Kate's past, though he's never appeared prior to the Rebirth era.
  • Likely Jossed. He stated in "Batwoman Begins" that he was once a private, and had he gone to West Point he would have been commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant. It's not impossible for the two to be true, but very unlikely.

Kate will undergo Dented Iron.

• Between this series and Detective Comics, Kate has been significantly injured more frequently in the Rebirth era than ever before, and since most of her history remains intact, she still has all her old injuries, too. This would also play into the way the series focuses on Kate being a fallible person.
  • Confirmed. Kate suffers a higher concentration of injuries and ailments than she's ever had before, particularly from issues #7 to #14.

Knife has a Villainous Crush on Kate.

• Knife repeatedly adapts her methods of fighting Kate to be increasingly (though not linearly) less lethal, despite ostensibly meaning to kill her. When in a top mounted position on Kate, Knife opts to choke rather than just stab her, and later settles for simply beating the crap out of Kate when she could have again easily drawn a knife and used it. Plus, Bennett has claimed that she ships Kate with Knife (and the rest of the female cast). The uneveness in Knife's methods could indicate that if there is an attraction, it's either subconscious or a downplayed example.

Kate is having auditory hallucinations after her fear toxin exposure.

• Specifically, related to both Jacob and Julia. This would make some of the Conflict Ball sorts of things they say to her make a lot more sense; under normal circumstances, they're overly critical and/or out-of-character. But since Kate's dosings were intended to break her, and used imagery of people she knew to criticize her (one of whom was Jacob), this would resolve the apparent contradiction in the real Jacob and Julia, and in a fairly clean way.