| Batwoman | |
|---|---|
 An image of the Kate Kane incarnation of Batwoman from Gotham City Monsters #3. Art by Philip Tan and Jay David Ramos. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Kathy Kane: Detective Comics #233 (1956) Kate Kane: 52 #11 (September 2006) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Katrina Luka Netz Katherine Rebecca Kane |
| Place of origin | Gotham City |
| Team affiliations | The Outsiders Justice League Queer Batman Family |
| Partnerships | Batman Bette Kane Batwing Azrael |
| Supporting character of | Batman |
| Abilities | Both versions of Batwoman possess no metahuman powers but are skilled combatants with access to high-tech equipment. |
| Altered in-story information for adaptations to other media | |
| Alter ego | The CW / Arrowverse: Ryan Wilder DC Animated Universe Dr. Roxanne Ballentine Sonia Alcana Kathleen Duquesne |
Batwoman is a name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, depicted as female counterparts and allies of Batman similarly to Batgirl. The original version of the character, Kathy Kane (eventually given the birth name Katrina "Luka" Netz to differentiate the character from the newer version), was first created by writer Edmond Hamilton and artist Sheldon Moldoff under the direction of editor Jack Schiff as a love interest in an attempt to combat allegations of Batman's homosexuality arising from the controversial book, Seduction of the Innocent.[1]
Eventually, the character would be replaced in 2006 by Kate Kane, the most iconic version of the character. This version of the character is depicted as a lesbian, of Jewish descent, possessing a military background, and is wealthy heiress who becomes inspired towards vigilantism by Batman, later revealed to be her maternal cousin (Kathy being the niece of Martha Wayne). Since the character's re-introduction in 2006, the character is notably DC Comics' most highly profiled gay superhero whose sexual orientation has been subjected to attention from the general public, both positive and negative. The character's chief love interests include Maggie Sawyer and Renee Montoya. The character has also been featured in several solo ongoing series, Detective Comics, andThe Outsiders (2023).
Within media, the Batwoman character has been adapted several times with some being original incarnations, such as Ryan Wilder from the The CW Batwoman television series, portrayed by Javicia Leslie. This version is the daughter of Jada Jet (based on Jezebel Jet). In the DC Animated Universe, Batwoman is depicted as three different characters sharing the codename: GCPD detective Sonia Alcana (voiced by Elisa Gabrielli), Wayne Tech employee Dr. Roxanne "Rocky" Ballantine (voiced by Kelly Ripa), and socialite Kathleen "Kathy" Duquesne (voiced by Kimberly Brooks).