365 DC Comics Heroes & Villains Paper Cut-Outs
There have been a pair of heroines who have operated as The Batwoman. The first Batwoman appeared in the Silver Age and was a socialite named Katherine Kane. She took on the guise of Batwoman for fun and to attract the attention of Batman. She would go on to have a number of adventures alongside Batman and Robin yet was written out of history following the Crisis on Multiple Earths event.
The second Batwoman is Katherine Rebecca "Kate" Kane. Kate and her twin sister Elizabeth were raised by her parents both of whom were high-ranking officers in the United States Army. A group of criminals kidnapped Kate, her sister and mother in the hopes of trading their lives for military secrets.
Kate’s father attempted a rescue and tragically Kate’s mother was killed in the ensuing violence. It also appeared as though her sister was additionally killed (although years later it would be revealed that her sister had survived the ordeal).
A deeply traumatized Kate turned to honing her skills as a combatant and strategist so that she may never feel victimized again. She ended up enrolled in a prestigious military school and proved an exceptional cadet. She entered into a brief romantic affair with her roommate which was against the school’s honor code. She was offered the option to remain with the academy but only were she to deny being a lesbian. Doing so went against Kate’s own sense of honor and integrity and she refused, resulting in her being expelled.
Although it likely ruined a potentially successful career int he armed services, Kate’s father lauded her for standing by her values. Kate then went to college in Gotham City and began to lose focus, descending into a life of partying and one-night stands. One night, Kate was attacked by a would-be mugger. With the skills she had developed over the years, Kate had little difficulty taking her attacker down. At that moment, The Batman arrived not realizing that the young woman did not require his assistance. It proved a fateful encounter and Kate was fascinated by the power and intimidation the symbol of the bat had become in Gotham.
She decided to create a bat-themed costume of her own and outfitted herself with all manner of specialized weapons both created on her own and bought through the black market. Kate’s father, perhaps still feeling guilty over the death of Kate’s mother and apparent death of her sister, reluctantly assisted Kate, using his lifetime of skills and contacts to help set his daughter up as a costumed hero.
Dubbing herself ‘Batwoman’ Kate proved a highly effective crimefighter, quickly becoming a bane to the city’s criminal underworld. An early nemesis for Batwoman was the mysterious Religion of Crime, a criminal syndicate run by an individual known only as Alice. After numerous battles, Kate discovered that Alice is actually her twin sister Elizabeth who had been abducted by these villains years ago and indoctrinated into their belief system.
Batwoman has continued to battle tirelessly to take down the Religion of Crime whilst desperately trying to devise some means of saving her psychological damaged sister.
Kate has had a longstanding romance with police sergeant Maggie Sawyer. At one point the two almost got married, yet the nuptials were called off. In her ongoing adventures, Batwoman has become a member of Batman Inc., The Birds of Prey and The Justice League.
Actresses Ruby Rose, Wallis Day and Javicia Leslie have each portrayed live action versions of Batwoman. A number of different versions of Batwoman have featured in animated projects. Herein the heroine has been voiced by actresses Yvonne Strahovski, Stephanie Beatriz, Tara Strong, Vanessa Marshall, Kyra Sedgwick, Kelly Rippa and Elisa Gabrielli.
The Silver Age Batwoman first appeared in Detective Comics #233 (1956); whereas Kate Kane first appeared in the pages of 52 #7 (2006).
