Let’s just put it out there that one of the reason behind Batwoman being absolutely reamed by audiences is that it features an outed lesbian in Kate Kane, and in the real world the backlash has been just as virulent toward Ruby Rose, who is playing the character. In all honesty and sincerity this isn’t right and it’s not a good reason to hate a character and their story, and it’s definitely not a sentiment I support would ever go for when it comes to liking or disliking a character. Ruby Rose is a gifted and talented actress and has proven it on more than one occasion. But Mansoor Mithaiwala from ScreenRant has reported Rose is getting a ton of flak for being gay and for her stint as Batwoman. The anti-gay movement that’s been levied against her and the show isn’t a positive one no matter how people want to spin it, as being gay isn’t a negative thing on its own and is just as much of a right as anything that humans enjoy. But there is an issue with this character in my own mind that stands out and it’s worth noting.
First you might want to take a look at Jonita Davis from Medium and her article basically stating why the male critics are bunch of whining babies that don’t seem to see the benefit of the feminine masculinity, oh yes, and are simply pushing back because men are worried that women might be taking over their roles in a traditional sense. If Jonita and the rest of those that think like her were interested in the truth and would listen it’s not so much that women are becoming tougher on TV, or have already become tougher, as this is something that adds to the whole dynamic of a superhero legend. Instead it’s the fact that some of them aren’t just gaining equal standing, it’s that they want more and more as time goes on and seem to want to let it be known that they’re going to be the authority while the men are outdated, obsolete, and no longer needed. That’s cute, but it’s not the truth. In reality Batwoman might be great on paper at this moment but if you look at it in this light she had to break into her cousin’s batcave, appropriate his suit, and then deliver this godawful line ‘it will be, when it fits a woman’, and the equally cringe-worthy ‘I’m not about to let a man take credit for a woman’s work’. Were those really necessary, or are there a bunch of ‘woke’ writers in the mix that just felt like ‘sticking it to the men’? Batwoman is a worthy hero without any doubt, but let’s break it down once again so people can understand.
She broke in Bruce Wayne’s batcave and strolled around like she owned the place without a care in the world. Okay, she’s edgy, she’s tough, and she has a high sense of confidence, but she’s also a borderline criminal at that point. She appropriated his suit, which is already said to be perfection, but will be perfect as she says when it fits a woman. Yeah, she’s still confident, she has a lot of sass, and yet she’s stating that what was designed for a man isn’t good enough and therefore to her way of thinking is inferior. That can be let go though since if she wants to use the suit then molding it to her body would make sense. But then not allowing a man to take credit for a woman’s work. Huh boy, where to even begin? Let’s just call it even and say that first, people knew Batman far before Batwoman was ever a thing, so seeing the suit is of course going to make people think that he’s back. Second, no one knew about Batwoman, they knew about Batman, which means guess what, the moment you appear he’s going to get the credit because it’s HIS suit and HIS reputation that was made by it. If the writers for Batwoman really wanted to make this into something special it seems that they could have found a better way for her to go about taking up the mantle instead of showing Batwoman being a woman that has a serious need to prove herself and can’t seem to realize that she basically had to take someone else’s idea in order to remake herself into a hero. She didn’t come up with anything in the batcave on her own, she didn’t start the reputation of the Batman, and honestly and truly she had nothing to do with crime fighting in Gotham until much, much later when Batman’s rep had already been established. But the idea of her just coming in and expecting things to go her way is, well, a little childish as well as arrogant in a way.
So to Jonita and anyone else that wants to think that men have a problem because Batwoman is taking over, hahaha, no, not really. But it would be nice if the writers remembered just WHY Batwoman ever became a possibility. Samantha Nelson of The Verge has something to say on this subject as well, and it’s worth reading.
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