trailer review
Batwoman is all set to join the CW superhero family with her own show later this year, and the whole thing has somehow become way more controversial than it should be.
Australian actress Ruby Rose stars as the protagonist Kate Kane, Bruce Wayne’s cousin, who takes over Batman’s mantle to protect Gotham as a vigilante. A quest to save her kidnapped girlfriend spurs the street fighter to don Batman’s very long cape (The Incredibles’ Edna would clearly be disappointed) and fight for justice.
Seemingly it’s as overly dramatic as everything else in the Arrowverse, and yes, admittedly the trailer for the upcoming television series isn’t exactly spectacular. From the few lines we’ve heard so far, the script seems pedestrian and the series seems to be banking a little too much on the gender of its protagonist.
But if you make the mistake of scrolling through the comments the trailer has generated online, you’d think the project was some sort of a crime against humanity.
The complaints are along the same lines as came out when Ghostbusters was remade with a female cast, Captain Marvel was announced with Brie Larson as its star, and Daisy Ridley was made the lead of Star Wars. Apparently there is no place for a woman – especially a woman who is vocal about her gender – on any screen, big or small. It feels as if the moment a powerful female character steps into the lead or the actress portraying her makes a statement about female empowerment, the project immediately gets inundated by a torrent of misogynistic hate.
It may be worth noting that all three of the aforementioned projects, while no masterpieces, did turn out to be just fine despite the negative reaction they received. How anyone can have such a strong, vitriolic reaction to something that hasn’t even been released yet is beyond confusing. We know very little about how the Batwoman series will actually turn out from its trailer, but apparently even a 3 minute preview is enough to upset the keyboard warriors who have been complaining so loudly about this title that you’d think it was a personal insult to each and every one of them.
The Arrowverse isn’t high art, and the dark, intense Batwoman seems in keeping with the rest of the franchise. Many DC fans are actually looking forward to the series. And while the show may not be for everyone, who knows how many young women might relate to the protagonist or find inspiration in her strength?
Maybe instead of unleashing harsh vitriol on a show they haven’t seen, a show they probably aren’t the target audience of, the detractors could take solace in the fact that they don’t HAVE to watch Batwoman. We are lucky we live in a time when there are so many entertainment options; it is astoundingly easy to ignore the programs we don’t like. And in the end, if Batwoman does turn out to be terrible, then everyone can just stop watching it and it will simply go away on its own. Because ultimately that is how the television business works.
Batwoman will join the Arrowverse in fall 2019.
- Sameen Amer
The Express Tribune Blogs - 28th May, 2019 *
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