Kate Kane 2.0: Krypton's Wallis Day Confirmed to be an "Altered" Kate Kane
Diana Keng
at
.
Updated at
.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for Batwoman Season 2 Episode 8.
It has been a tricky and trippy ride on Batwoman Season 2 as Ruby Rose's sudden departure shortly after the Batwoman Season 1 finale threw production and the fandom into turmoil.
Since Javicia Leslie stepped into the Batsuit, she and the show have set out to make the role hers and hers alone.
On Batwoman Season 2 Episode 8, Julia Pennyworth (Christina Wolfe) disclosed to Mary (Nicole Kang) and Luke (Camrus Johnson) that body parts had been found and tested for DNA, confirming Kate's unquestionable demise.
But WAIT.
In the final scene, the audience discovers that Kate is, in fact, alive and being held prisoner in the sewers under Gotham City.
While her face was bandaged beyond recognition, the body in question is clearly wearing Kate's garnet necklace, and the now hauntingly familiar conversation between young Kate and Beth Kane on the day of their bat mitzvah is heard echoing in the background.
Under those bandages, showrunner Caroline Dries confirms, is Wallis Day, most recognizable for playing Nyssa Vex on Syfy's Krypton.
Dries had always maintained that she would bring Kate Kane back, aware of the need for resolution for the character as well as a determination to give the first superhero to represent the LGBTQ+ community the respect she deserved.
Speaking out in June 2020, Dries was clear about her intentions.
"As a lesbian who's been working as a writer for the past 15 years, I’m well aware of the 'Bury Your Gays' trope and I have no interest in participating in it.
"That's why it's important to me as the showrunner to clarify any misinformation out there about Kate Kane and recasting Batwoman. Like you, I love Kate Kane — she's the reason I wanted to do the show. We'll never erase her."
However, Kate Kane's return does not disrupt Ryan Wilder's continuing development in the role of Batwoman.
Javicia Leslie will continue on in the role, breaking ground for POC as the first Black woman to play the character in a live-action drama.
The second half of Batwoman Season 2 will bring into alignment Wilder's journey as Gotham's defender and the reveal of Kate Kane's whereabouts since her plane exploded on Batwoman Season 2 Episode 1.
Since every character on the show now believes that Kate is well and truly dead, there will be some dramatic shifts to watch out for especially since someone is known for swapping faces. A lot.
From Krypton to Gotham, Wallis Day is beefing up her comic book credentials.
So who is holding Kate captive? How have they kept her alive? What have they done to her?
Hit our comments with your best guesses!
Batwoman airs on Sundays at 8/9c on The CW.
Diana Keng was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is a lifelong fan of smart sci-fi and fantasy media, an upstanding citizen of the United Federation of Planets, and a supporter of AFC Richmond 'til she dies. Her guilty pleasures include female-led procedurals, old-school sitcoms, and Bluey. She teaches, knits, and dreams big. Follow her on X.
