Ruby Rose To Play Batwoman, The First Lesbian Superheroine

American network The CW has found its Batwoman. The openly gay actress Ruby Rose, known for her performance as Stella Carlin in “Orange is the New Black”, will take up the role of the first lesbian superheroine to emerge in the history of DC Comics.

Batwoman will debut on the small screen in December in a crossover with the universe of “The Arrow,” which is home to characters like “Supergirl,” “Flash” and, of course, “Arrow.” This first appearance will be followed by a series entirely dedicated to the superheroine, to be developed by Greg Berlanti, the brains behind the “Arrowverse.” The show will air on small screens in 2019.

An antiheroine?

The story will focus on Kate Kane, a young woman who says exactly what she thinks, and is motivated by an ardent desire for justice. In her Batwoman persona she patrols the streets of Gotham City, eager to fight crime and to confront her own demons.

Caroline Dries, the writer renowned for her work on “The Vampire Diaries” and “Smallville,” has been tasked to script the project, which is still in development. The series will add to several others from the DC Comics Univers that are currently airing: most notably, “Arrow”, “The Flash,” “Supergirl,” “Legends of Tomorrow,” and “Black Lightning.”

Ruby Rose has made no secret of her same-sex orientation. The news was commented on Twitter by a mutual outpouring of praise by both the screenwriter and the actress:

We struck gold with @RubyRose for Batwoman. No one better.

— Caroline Dries (@carolinedries) August 7, 2018

Norms for the sexuality of characters in the world of superheroines and superheros are increasingly fluid. News of Ruby Rose’s Batwoman role follows hot on the heels of the casting of transgender actress Nicole Maines, to play transgender superheroine Nia Nal, a.k.a. Dreamer, in another DC Comics show, “Supergirl.”