Batwoman (2019)

[AnakinFlair]

Huh, so around the same time TV Batwoman takes to using a staff, comics Kate uses a baton:

Up until now she usually goes hand-to-hand, apart from the usual Bat-Family-gadgets, and the occasional gun. Though I think she did uses a baton way back in her debut (before the solo series), can't find any panels showing it though. Maybe TV Kate can take to using a baton next, and comics Batwoman can use a staff.

I'm still hoping that Sara gives Kate one of her staffs that breaks down into a pair of batons so that Kate can stop breaking the staff that Luke made.

[TriggerWarning]

I finally caught up on Legends this week as I just didn't have time to watch season 4 as it came out. And it just drove home how poorly the Batwoman marketing was done where so much of marketing was about Batwoman being "the first openly gay / lesbian superhero" in the DC verse. Well except that Sara has been with Ava for two seasons now and Constantine was in a relationship with a guy last season. No big fuss about either, its just there and no one is making it the focal point of the show or plotline. No one is describing Sara as the lesbian superhero or Constantine as the gay magic user. They are just superheroes who happen to have same sex relationships which is how it should be instead of making their orientation their defining characteristic. Just like you don't hear anyone describing Ollie or Barry as hetero superheroes.

[Caivu]

Huh, so around the same time TV Batwoman takes to using a staff, comics Kate uses a baton:



Up until now she usually goes hand-to-hand, apart from the usual Bat-Family-gadgets, and the occasional gun. Though I think she did uses a baton way back in her debut (before the solo series), can't find any panels showing it though. Maybe TV Kate can take to using a baton next, and comics Batwoman can use a staff.

She used a collapsible staff in 52:

Screenshot_20191228-133919.jpg

And in the Rebirth series, she used a stalagmite as a club.

This specific example is probably just a coincidence, since the issue was still being drawn in October.

[Midnighter]

I finally caught up on Legends this week as I just didn't have time to watch season 4 as it came out. And it just drove home how poorly the Batwoman marketing was done where so much of marketing was about Batwoman being "the first openly gay / lesbian superhero" in the DC verse. Well except that Sara has been with Ava for two seasons now and Constantine was in a relationship with a guy last season. No big fuss about either, its just there and no one is making it the focal point of the show or plotline. No one is describing Sara as the lesbian superhero or Constantine as the gay magic user. They are just superheroes who happen to have same sex relationships which is how it should be instead of making their orientation their defining characteristic. Just like you don't hear anyone describing Ollie or Barry as hetero superheroes.

Where exactly was this marketing? Did I miss it somehow? Can you provide an example?

[Caivu]

Yeah, she was never marketed as the first lesbian or gay superhero on TV. The first gay or lesbian lead of a superhero show, yes. But not the first full stop.

[AnakinFlair]

I finally caught up on Legends this week as I just didn't have time to watch season 4 as it came out. And it just drove home how poorly the Batwoman marketing was done where so much of marketing was about Batwoman being "the first openly gay / lesbian superhero" in the DC verse. Well except that Sara has been with Ava for two seasons now and Constantine was in a relationship with a guy last season. No big fuss about either, its just there and no one is making it the focal point of the show or plotline. No one is describing Sara as the lesbian superhero or Constantine as the gay magic user. They are just superheroes who happen to have same sex relationships which is how it should be instead of making their orientation their defining characteristic. Just like you don't hear anyone describing Ollie or Barry as hetero superheroes.

While I get what you are saying, Sara is technically Bi-Sexual, not a full-on lesbian. I think they were touting Kate as the first full-on lesbian as the lead in a superhero show.

[Bat-Meal]

it just drove home how poorly the Batwoman marketing was done where so much of marketing was about Batwoman being "the first openly gay / lesbian superhero" in the DC verse. Well except that Sara has been with Ava for two seasons now and Constantine was in a relationship with a guy last season. No big fuss about either, its just there and no one is making it the focal point of the show or plotline. No one is describing Sara as the lesbian superhero or Constantine as the gay magic user. They are just superheroes who happen to have same sex relationships which is how it should be instead of making their orientation their defining characteristic.

Sara is pretty much unknown outside of the Arrowverse, she doesn't even exist in other media, and Legends is marketed as a Team because it's a team show - so just focusing on Sara wouldn't make a huge amount of sense.

Add to that her introduction was as Oliver's dead/former GF (and yes she is bi).

They didn't explicitly market Batwoman as a lesbian superhero anyway, it was mentioned as part of her identity but not the focal point. The media laser-focused on her sexuality, go through the old interviews and see you'll both the lead writer, and actress, say again and again that her sexuality isn't the focus but just a part of the whole. The click bait articles threw around the words lesbian and gay as though that is the character's defining characteristic, which it is not.

Add to that, a huge amount of the attention was that the actress and the writer are lesbians. Then add on top, a section of the LGBT community chasing the actress off twitter for allegedly not being "gay enough", and the whole conversation is seemingly about sexuality. And at that point is it any surprise if there's some defensiveness about the character being "gay enough".

I don't recall Sara or Alex, or their actresses, ever being under the same level of scrutiny about their sexuality.

[Bat-Meal]

New interview with Rachel Skarsten:
Spoilers for all released episodes, especially ep 8.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/li...arsten-1264955

[lowfyr]

Just watched the first eight episodes on prime and can't wait for more^^

Just hope they avoid the usual CW pitfalls.

[AnakinFlair]

I don't recall Sara or Alex, or their actresses, ever being under the same level of scrutiny about their sexuality.

I don't think it was a big deal in Sara's case, since she is an original character created for the show.

I think it was a bigger deal for Alex, because even though she is again an original character created for the show, she's also a lead character and the sister of Supergirl. And I don't think there was ever any blowback against the actresses, which actually surprises me a bit. I know Ruby got hell for 'not being gay enough', and I seem to recall Nicole Maines getting some grief as well. But I've never heard complaints about two straight actresses playing lesbian characters, which is a complaint I've heard on other projects.

Just watched the first eight episodes on prime and can't wait for more^^

Just hope they avoid the usual CW pitfalls.

Ummm... they've already done most of them. Pointless love triangle, damaged sibling, evil step-mother, hero and those closest to them being kidnapped...you could kind of call Alice's stockholm syndrome a form of mind control....

[lowfyr]

I don't think it was a big deal in Sara's case, since she is an original character created for the show.

I think it was a bigger deal for Alex, because even though she is again an original character created for the show, she's also a lead character and the sister of Supergirl. And I don't think there was ever any blowback against the actresses, which actually surprises me a bit. I know Ruby got hell for 'not being gay enough', and I seem to recall Nicole Maines getting some grief as well. But I've never heard complaints about two straight actresses playing lesbian characters, which is a complaint I've heard on other projects.




Ummm... they've already done most of them. Pointless love triangle, damaged sibling, evil step-mother, hero and those closest to them being kidnapped...you could kind of call Alice's stockholm syndrome a form of mind control....

I thought more of something like Merlin killing Sara and not getting killed because reasons for example. And dragging all of it on for season after season.

[Caivu]

Renewed for season 2!

[Frontier]

Renewed for season 2!

Nice to see we can look forward to more Batwoman .

[Bat-Meal]

Renewed for season 2!

As if it was ever in doubt.

And I don't think there was ever any blowback against the actresses, which actually surprises me a bit. I know Ruby got hell for 'not being gay enough', and I seem to recall Nicole Maines getting some grief as well. But I've never heard complaints about two straight actresses playing lesbian characters, which is a complaint I've heard on other projects.

Makes you wonder where some people's standards are: Two straight actresses playing lesbian/bi characters - nothing to see here. Lesbian actress playing a lesbian character - nooo! She's not gay enough for the role!

As for Nicole Maines, I didn't witness the controversy - did some people not like a transgender actress playing a transgender character? I like Dreamer in Supergirl.

[skyvolt2000]

Where exactly was this marketing? Did I miss it somehow? Can you provide an example?

THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Every ad I heard for Batwoman did not mention her sexuality and I heard ads for this at least 4 times an hour on the radio.

It was always "the hero we need" or something like that.