Recently, The CW has begun to round out its cast for the upcoming DC Comics drama Batwoman, starring Ruby Rose as Kate Kane, after making her debut in the Arrowverse crossover last year. Set to be the next major spin-off for the Greg Berlanti DC universe, actors Meagan Tandy, Camrus Johnson, Nicole Kang, and Rachel Skarsten have joined the cast so far as Sophie Moore, Luke Fox, Mary Hamilton, and Alice respectively.
Out of those four, “Mary Hamilton” is the one whose name isn’t based on an existing DC Comics character. As a reminder, this is how her character is described on the show:
“Excitable, talkative, and an influencer-in-the-making, Mary is Kate Kane’s step-sister and polar opposite. But what Mary lacks in a filter, she makes up for with her compassion for Gotham’s underserved communities, proving she has more in common with Kate than she thinks.”
However, some recent photos and clues have us here on Batwoman Podcast thinking that maybe “Mary Hamilton” is loosely based on a familiar DC heroine connected to Batwoman. When Kang’s casting announcement was made exclusively by Deadline Hollywood, the trade included this comic photo with the actress, that is actually a piece of artwork of Bette Kane better known as the superhero Flamebird, the cousin of Kate/Batwoman. Isn’t it interesting that a supposed original character has comic artwork attached as part of the press announcement?
Then we have some of the social media posts from Kang as the You actress is currently in research mode for the show. Some of her Instagram stories have included her reading books where Bette has been prominent in the story which you can see below in the gallery.
Something else to note, which Batwoman Podcast co-host Rachel Eiley detected is that Flamebird’s full name is Mary Elizabeth Kane, with Mary being the name of Kang’s character on the show. If Kang were to play a version of Bette Kane, by using the name Mary rather than Bette, it would be similar to how Arrow went with Dinah Laurel Lance, by referring to Katie Cassidy as Black Canary’s middle name Laurel.
The character description that was provided above also matches Bette’s personality in the comics, with the major difference that she and Kate are now step-sisters instead of cousins. Despite all these clues, we’re only speculating that Kang is playing a character either loosely inspired by Bette Kane or it’s a reimagined version of the DC hero for the CW adaptation. But only time will tell.
“Armed with a passion for social justice and a flair for speaking her mind, Kate Kane soars onto the streets of Gotham as Batwoman, an out lesbian and highly trained street fighter primed to snuff out the failing city’s criminal resurgence. But don’t call her a hero yet. In a city desperate for a savior, Kate must overcome her own demons before embracing the call to be Gotham’s symbol of hope. Based on the characters from DC.”
What do you think, is Nicole Kang playing a version of Bette Kane a.k.a. Flamebird on Batwoman? Sound off with your thoughts in the comments below.
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