Back in 2019, the world braced for the powerful punch Batwoman would deliver to the bad guys in Gotham City. Gotham City was finally going to be explored in the Arrowverse. We would finally get to see characters we were more familiar with than the usual c-list and d-list characters we were getting accustomed to in the other shows (not that that’s a bad thing). But then, something happened somewhere along the lines of production of the show, as well as the very story that was being told, and, suffice to say, it did not go well for anyone. But, what went wrong? What happened to the show that made it the shortest-running Arrowverse show? (We don’t talk about that animated Vixen project they had). This article will explore the reasons the show failed.
1. Predictable Storyline
Batwoman had some pretty simple story beats. Kate Kane survived a car crash that had claimed her sister’s life. Batman was there and was fighting a villain. He didn’t get there in time to save both Kate and her sister. Years later, Kate has been discharged from the military and is undergoing some soul searching before she heads back to Gotham City and finds that it is still as chaotic as ever, only this time, Batman has disappeared for some reason. She ends up in the Wayne Manor and comes across all of Batman’s brilliant inventions used to fight crime. The one who shows her the technology is Lucius Fox’s son, who has been left to take care of the mansion. He gives her the technology and the suit, and she uses it to fight crime. A new criminal shows up and starts wreaking havoc in a very Jokery way. She knows a lot about how Kate operates. Kate then finds that this new criminal’s identity is…Alice. The biggest plot twist they had is one that we have seen all too many times in various other projects, executed in the laziest way possible.
2. The Mysterious Case of the Caped Crusader
Many of us know the story of Batman and how he came to be. We all know his personality and how protective he is of his city. In the source material, he is so protective and egotistical about it that he doesn’t allow Green Lanterns to do anything there without his permission. We’ve had many stories in the small screen and the big screen where we see him step up to protect Gotham City, even if it’s indirectly, when he is too old to do so as perfectly as he did in his prime. So, it is a bit strange to see that he is completely absent from the show. He has left no one to protect his home, and has done absolutely nothing since Batwoman showed up, using his technology. He didn’t even leave any effective security measures in his mansion when he left. The most bizarre thing is that the creators themselves didn’t know why Batman left Gotham City. They just put in that plotpoint to make it so that Batwoman would be Gotham’s sole protector. We at least got to see what Bruce Wayne looked like by seeing Hush disguised as him...and that just raises several other questions that we don't want to get into at this point in time.
3. Where are the Rogues?
A hero is only as good as his villain. Or is it a superhero movie that’s as good as the villain? Or is that just a rule for movies in general? Either way, the most interesting part about Batman lore is the villains. They all challenge Batman in a certain area. We have the likes of Joker who challenge his sense of justice. Riddler challenges his intelligence. Catwoman challenges his willpower. Poison Ivy challenges his lust etc. The show not only did away with Batman, but it did so with all of his rogues, save for Hush. The show handled Gotham City in a really weird way. Even Poison Ivy wasn’t the same one that Batman faced off against. She was an entirely new character. The common in-universe critique about Batman is that he creates his own villains, that Gotham City is worse off now than it was before he showed up. The numerous supervillains who showed up were either created by him or showed up because of him. It is weird that they are all absent because just as much as Batman loves protecting Batman, the villains love wreaking havoc in Gotham, which is why they never leave no matter how many times or how badly he foils them. So, what happened to them in the show? They’re just never mentioned.
4. Emphasizing on the Wrong Marketing Ploys
Batwoman was a very difficult thing to adapt for any type of screen, be it both the small screen and the big screen. There is a lot of confusion concerning the character. At least, among casual viewers who are not really into comics as much. A lot of people thought that she was Batgirl, but all grown up. That was obviously not the case. She was…different…in more than one way, and very unconventional. This was already going to stir certain people the wrong way. They went very deep into the marketing of that difference that she had, and how different she would be from Batman, and even made a big point to bring up in their first trailer, in which she made an infamous remark about the batsuit. The line was removed from the episode it was meant to be said in. That was only the beginning of the marketing issues. As the show went on, they made it clear that certain things in her life, like her career in the military, went bad because of who she was romantically involved with. The marketing made sure that the audiences knew just how different she was from Batman. It was…not the right move. They could have handled it better. Instead of focusing on the fact that she was…different from Batman, they should have marketed the story.
5. Casting
Casting the main character of a show is the most important thing. When casting, you need someone who can properly portray the character that they are playing. In a way, they set the tone and the standard for what everyone else will be like in the show. Casting Ruby Rose was a step in the right direction, but there was still a lot that had to be worked on. Although she had the smug attitude Kate Kane has, she did not have the build of someone who had been in the military. All the other characters followed suit. Their performances were very stale, and left a lot to be desired. Dougray Scott, although well-suited for the role, gave a very different performance from what would be expected from someone who has starred in major blockbusters like Mission Impossible. Luke Fox, the character famously known for taking up the mantle of Batwing in the source material, was in the show, and he also left a lot to be desired. His personality was nothing like the comicbook counterpart, his physique absolutely did not match his comicbook counterpart. He was nothing like his comicbook counterpart, period. The only thing they had in common was the name. The casting improved in the second and third seasons, especially for Kate Kane. But then, that's a different point altogether.
6. Horrible Behind the Scenes Scenarios
Comments