The CW’s superhero shows have no shortage of diverse representation. In addition to racially mixed casts, all four shows, plus the unattached ‘Black Lightning’ include LGBTQ characters and sometimes, the actors who play them are also gay in real life. Openly gay Wentworth Miller’s original character Leonard Snart/Captain Cold wasn’t gay, but his Earth-X counterpart, also played by Miller was married to another male hero, The Ray, played by fellow gay actor Russell Tovey. There have been multiple other LGBTQ roles, some played by heterosexual actors and there have been characters on the show that are straight, while their actors are gay in real life.
It looks as though if producer Greg Berlanti (who is gay himself), Sarah Schechter and Geoff Johns get their way, the lead character of potential spin-off ‘Batwoman’ about an openly lesbian crime fighter– real name Kate Kane– will also star a lesbian or bisexual actor. The pilot script is being written by ‘Smallville’ and ‘Vampire Diaries’ alum Caroline Dries, herself a lesbian.
“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.”
A new ‘Batwoman’ show isn’t a done deal. The character will be introduced during the annual crossover event this fall. Unlike last year and the year before, ‘Legends of Tomorrow‘ will not be part of this story, so it will only run for three hours. As of now, ‘Supergirl’ will air on Sunday nights, ‘Arrow’ on Mondays and ‘The Flash’ on Tuesdays. Provided that doesn’t change, that will be the order in which the crossover will air.
Other gay characters in the Arrowverse include ‘Legends’ leader Lance/White Canary (Caity Lotz). While she was initially romantically involved with Oliver Queen, she later went on to have what appeared to be a deeper connection with Nyssa alGhul and is currently seeing Ava Sharpe. The fact that Jes Macallan, who plays Ava has been promoted to series regular for the upcoming fourth season is a sign that things may be looking up for these two. Also joining the ‘Legends’ full time next season is sorcerer John Constantine (Matt Ryan). On ‘Arrow’, Oliver is aided by gay male Curtis Holt/Mister Terrific (Echo Kellum). On ‘The Flash’, Barry and Joe’s boss, David Singh (Patrick Sabongui) is married to a man, Rob. Finally, on ‘Supergirl’, Kara’s sister Alex (Chyler Leigh) went through a coming out process and eventually got engaged to Maggie Sawyer (Floriana Lima) until they broke up.
It’s interesting to note that in the comics, Kate was engaged to Maggie. It should be interesting to see if that storyline will be integrated into the TV universe.
More news from the Arrowverse may be revealed this weekend during San Diego Comic-Con, so check back!
Source: TV Line
