While comic book vigilantes would like people to think they're loners who fight crime in the dead of night with no outside help, that couldn't be further from the truth. Vigilantes often build a team around them. It's often made up of people who discover their identity, their family, their friends, or their tech support. One of the best examples of this in modern superhero stories is actually the Arrowverse. Oliver Queen's family and friends all gradually become a part of his vigilante work in Arrow. The same is true of Kara Danvers in Supergirl. Considering the blueprint for building a superhero family is Batman, it seems only right that the CW's Batwoman series builds their own version of a Bat-family.

So far in the series, only the titular character dons the cowl. Both Kate Kane and Ryan Wilder try to work alone. While Kate initially had Luke Fox as her tech support and the keeper of her secret, her stepsister Maggie Hamilton eventually became a member of her inner circle as well. With Ryan Wilder taking over the role, her help evolved to include Sophie Moore. None of those three characters, so far, have donned their own disguises or taken on their own vigilante alias. It seems like it might only be a matter of time.

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Batwoman Is Part Of The Bat-Family

the batman and the bat family

Though Ryan Wilder is an all-new Batwoman, Kate Kane precedes her as a member of the Bat-Family in DC comics and in the CW's television series. Kate is Bruce Wayne's first cousin, making them actual family. Her decision to take on the cowl and fight crime alone is inspired by his role as Batman, just like so many other members of the comic book Bat-family.

In the comics, Bruce Wayne has a bit of a reputation for taking in young people who need a home. Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, and Stephanie Brown all become his sidekick Robin at different points in his life. Because they are all teenagers when they take on the role, Bruce becomes like a surrogate father to many of them. That's not where the Bat-family stops though.

Stephanie (as well as Barbara Gordon, Bette Kane, and Cassandra Cain) also takes on the mantle of Batgirl. Kate Kane, of course, becomes Batwoman. There are extended members of the family as well that don't last as long with the group. These people come together to solve crime, get justice, and help Gotham, but they also squabble and care for one another like siblings. They almost all go on to "graduate" to becoming solo heroes with new aliases.

Some Batwoman Characters Have Bat-Family Comic History

luke fox, batwing, mary hamilton, and flamebird

Ryan Wilder's world doesn't include several Batgirls or Robins, but it does include comic book characters with some potential Bat-Family ties. Sophie Moore might be a high-ranking member of the Crows in the series, but she only has a handful of comic book appearances under her belt and isn't a member of the Bat-Family. Instead, the characters in Ryan's circle that are include Luke Fox and potentially Mary Hamilton.

Luke Fox, son of Lucius Fox, has ties to Batman in both the comics and television series. While he refuses to work for Bruce Wayne's company in the comics, he does use the company's technology to become a vigilante after his father is attacked. That's not unlike his role in the series in which he becomes Batwoman's tech support. Luke goes by Batwing in the comics. It's only a matter of time before he takes on the role on the screen.

Mary Hamilton, however, is not a comic book character. One running fan theory suggests she might be based on Bette Kane. Bette is often referenced as one of the Kane cousins, though just who her parents are is never mentioned. She follows in Kate's footsteps to become Batgirl, and later Flamebird. Her full name also happens to be Mary Elizabeth; Bette is a nickname. In Batwoman, Mary is Kate's stepsister, but her birth father is never referenced. She's gradually become more involved in the vigilante world with Ryan's Batwoman debut, making fans wonder if she could eventually be the show's version of Bette.

No Arrowverse Vigilante Suits Up Alone

arrowverse characters

Right now, Ryan Wilder's circle of friends is small. Sophie, Luke, and Mary aren't the only ones who know her secret. They are, however, the only ones closest to her likely to also take on vigilante roles in the near future. It seems to be an unwritten rule in the Arrowverse that no vigilante works alone for long.

In the case of the flagship series Arrow, Oliver Queen intends to work alone. His bodyguard, his little sister, her boyfriend, multiple ex-girlfriends, and more eventually don their own masks and train with him to help save the city. He even recruits other vigilantes inspired by him to make a new team. In The Flash, Barry Allen initially suits up alone, but the scientists who help him behind the scenes also end up becoming meta-humans and donning their own costumes to help save the day as well. Of course, thanks to the nature of the speed force and time travel in the series, Barry also gets to meet his future children who happen to be superheroes as well.

Supergirl sees nearly every person in Kara's life become a superhero. Black Lightning makes saving the city a family affair as both of Jefferson Pierce's daughters become heroes as well. The Arrowverse's previous track record makes it incredibly unlikely that Ryan's confidantes won't become vigilantes as well.

Ryan Wilder Needs Her Own Bat-Family

batwoman batfamily

Unlike most of the other members of the Arrowverse, Ryan Wilder doesn't have super powers to take on the Batwoman villains. She didn't live in isolation on an island like Oliver to hone all of her fighting skills either.

While Ryan has a lot of impressive fighting skills and good instincts, she relies extensively on the people around her for help. Mary's medical knowledge gets her out of trouble on a regular basis. Luke knows more about the Batmobile than she does. Sophie's even been sent to retrieve items from the Batcave to help save the day. With this trio, Ryan wouldn't be nearly as successful.

While not all three characters need to wear masks or capes to be heroes, Ryan having someone in the field at her side would only bolster the support system. The audience already knows that Sophie and Luke's fighting skills are nearly as good - if not better in some cases - as Ryan's.

It's unlikely that Ryan will have a Batgirl, Robin, or Nightwing on her team since those names are being used in other properties, but new takes on the extended Bat-Family will be welcomed by the audience.

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