Batwoman's comic history is vast just like any comic book character. Many fans have been wondering what kind of supporting characters would be joining Batwoman after the crossover (when she takes on her own show)! Of course, the biggest question is who will be Kate's love interest and by extension potential co-lead? Comic book fans know that two names instantly come to mind, Renee Montoya and Maggie Sawyer. Batwoman.tv has been doing some investigations into who the show might go with and it all comes down to Comic Book licenses. Before we jump into our speculations, let us be clear right off the bat (no pun intended), NO choices have been made so far and NO announcements have come from Berlanti Productions, DC Comics, or Warner Brothers.
Have you ever wondered why Grant Gustin isn't the Flash in the DC Comic movies, or why Legends of Tomorrow hints at Wonder Woman but she never shows up? It all has to do with licensing. DC Comics knows that their Trinity of characters, (Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman) can likely bring in many more millions of dollars in movies than they can as TV Shows. That said, they aren't going to ask Henry Cavill (Superman) to play Clark Kent and Superman in a weekly format tv show in addition to being on film because he can make more money doing other movies like Mission Impossible than he could doing a TV Show. So here is the problem. DC Comics gets concerned that casual fans will get confused that there are different actors playing known parts on TV and Film. Furthermore, Warner Brothers (parent company of DC Comics) offers different types of licenses for their intellectual properties. Some are allowed to use a variety of characters like Flash, Supergirl or Arrow but with that comes restrictions. For example, those shows can't show Batman because Gotham owns those rights per their contract.
Sometimes there are exceptions that are made when creatively you just can't get around a character not showing up. This is perfectly presented on Supergirl. Throughout comic history, Supergirl hasn't existed without Superman. In season one, Supergirl only hinted at Superman. Finally in season two, they couldn't get around not showing him and a special license was granted to Supergirl to cast Superman outside of the movie universe. Welcome Tyler Hoechlin, who is going to be joining the crossover event where Batwoman debuts.
What does all this mean for Kate Kane's love interest ... It has a lot to do with the separation of the movies vs. the TV universe. Right now, in the Arrowverse, we've already seen Maggie Sawyer. Maggie, played by Floriana Lima, may already have permission to appear on TV if the character's license is intact. Additionally, working against Renee Montoya, is the DCEU developing a Birds of Prey movie where Renee is rumored to exist. TheGWW.com has found a couple of audition tapes that would hint Renee will be joining that movie project.
The final nuts and bolts about it come down to these two factors. First, is Maggie Sawyer's intellectual property license in the Arrowverse still active and will Floriana Lima return to play that part? Secondly, is Renee Montoya being cast to join Birds of Prey and/or is she an important enough character that DC Comics and Warner Brothers will allow a special license to include her in the Arrowverse played by a different actor? Right now, there are no indications where the developing show is going, but it would seem that the easiest path of success would be that Maggie Sawyer would be the love interest/co-lead for Batwoman.
Of course, you have to take all of this with a major grain of salt because it's just speculation at this point. There is nothing to say that a special license for Renee can't be done. We've seen it with Superman. The answer lays with Warner Brothers and their guiding hand of all of their intellectual properties.
Who do you want to be in Batwoman? Do you think Maggie and Renee would be a good choice? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and in our forum!
