A Look Back at Ruby Rose Arrowverse Journey as Rose exits CW’s Batwoman ahead of season 2.
CW Network 2020–2021 line up is not the only thing changing at the network.
Ruby Rose, who stars in the CW’s freshman superhero drama Batwoman, is leaving the DC Comics series after one season. The series was renewed for a second season by the CW on January 7, 2020.
“I have made the very difficult decision to not return to Batwoman next season,” Rose said in a statement “This was not a decision I made lightly as I have the utmost respect for the cast, crew and everyone involved with the show in both Vancouver and in Los Angeles.”
Rose and the Batwoman producers have not spoken to the reason as to why Rose is departing the series. Sources are indicating that her departure is completely unrelated to the stunt injury she sustained during season 1’s production.
Rose’s Arrowverse Journey
With Rose’s shocking exit from the arrowverse, now is the perfect time for reminiscing. Let us take a look back at Rose impact in the arrow-verse as the Scarlet Knight, Batwoman.
It was August 2018 when Rose was casted as the bat themed vigilante. The Orange is the New Black alum was casted only three months after Arrow-verse grandfather, Stephen Amell announced to the DC Comics community that Batwoman would be introduced in the annuel crossover.
Amell’s news also came one month after the CW announced it was developing a Batwoman series.
Rose expressed happiness in a instagram post shortly after.
“I’m also an emotional wreck…because this is a childhood dream.”- Rose stated in her instagram post
October 2018
The CW revealed a first time look at Rose in Costume in Batwoman, and the production on the 2018 crossover “Elseworlds” began in Vancouver, Canada. The three hour/night event served as the origin point for Rose’s Arrowverse path. The three hour event (hopeful) spun off into her own series.
Entertainment Weekly spoke to Rose at the time and she opened up about what portraying the Red-Wigged vigilante meant for her:
“The fact that she is an outwardly gay superhero, which is something growing up I would’ve loved to have seen on my TV, was a big deciding factor as to why I was so passionate about the role,” Rose said. “This [role] just meant a lot more to me because I could relate in so many ways and, at the same time, felt like this was a job that would give me a purpose every day coming into work beyond just getting to live my dream, which is acting, and would be far more rewarding than anything I’ve done in the past.”
Her excitement was mutual among her fellow superhero friends. “ I don’t think there could be a better person for it than Ruby.” Amell said. “We shot a scene with her last night, and her exchange with Grant [Gustin]was just, ‘Oh, okay, this is Batwoman.’ I think people are really going to appreciate it when [they see it].”
December 2018
Amell told the truth as the Arrow-verse fandom was introduced to Kate Kane aka Batwoman in the 2018–2019 Arrow-verse crossover, “Elseworlds.” Rose appeared in all 3 parts of the crossover. Her most prominent moment came in the second hour of Elseworlds, The Arrow hour. She interacted with the arrowverse trinity, Oliver Queen (Amell), The Flash’s Barry Allen (Gustin), and Supergirl’s Kara Danvers(Melissa Benoist) and took part in a major battle scene at Arkham Asylum.
January 2019
In the aftermath of the crossover, The CW and viewers approved of Batwoman, thus the pilot was picked up.
May 2019
The CW network officially ordered a Batwoman series, allowing Rose to lead the cast as the Vigilante herself. She joined the cast along with Rachel Skarsten (Alice), Camrus Johnson (Luke Fox), Dougray Scott( Jacob Kane), Nicole Kang (Mary Hamilton) and Megan Tandy (Sophie Moore), and Elizabeth Anweis (Catherine Hamilton-Kane).
June 2019
Along with the gaining of the Batwoman role came social media backlash. Rose shared what she learned from the backlash.
“I came to the States to get into acting, and I couldn’t even get a manager or agent, so I made a short film based on my life because I had the time to do it,” she said. “I put it online, just to say, ‘This is something I wanted to do,’ and it went viral, which I didn’t ever expect. And then I got an opportunity to audition for Orange Is the New Black because they wanted to have a gender-neutral character. But I’ve also gotten backlash. And that’s when you realize you have to keep up with the terminology. When I got cast as a lesbian in Batwoman, I didn’t know that being a gender-fluid woman meant that I couldn’t be a lesbian because I’m not a woman — not considered lesbian enough.”
She continued by stating: “My initial response was ‘Pfft!’ And then I was like, ‘Wait. Let me just figure this one out. How do I right this wrong, because if someone out there is upset by this, I need to know why and how to fix it.’ That’s when I sort of said, ‘I’m a woman that identifies as a woman. I’m not trans. But if being gender-fluid means that I can’t identify as a woman at any point, then I guess I can’t be that.’ Maybe I need to make up another term, one that doesn’t step on any toes. One where I can be fluid in my gender, but also a lesbian, because otherwise I’m not sure what I am.”
July 2019
July marked the beginning of production for the first season of Batwoman. She went on record stating how her new job had a completely different feel compared to other acting roles she had under belt.
“I wake up and I feel a lot of gratitude and excitement for what’s going to come in the day ahead.” Rose continued “ I feel like up until now I haven’t really been given the opportunity to play a character that has these dynamics of such severe trauma and such heartbreak and betrayal and loss. She’s(Kate Kane) heavy. She has a really heavy heart for a lot of very valid reasons,”
September 2019
Rose made an appearence on the Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon, where she revealed that she sustained an injury and had emergency surgery while filming Batwoman. She told Jimmy Fallon “I broke my neck, basically.”
October 2019
The Batwoman series premiere aired on the CW network on Oct. 6, awhile receiving a full season order two weeks later.
December 2019-January 2020
Batwoman joined her fellow arrowverse friends in the highly anticipated crossover event “Crisis on Infinite Earths.” Rose’s Batwoman played a key role in the event in all five hours of the crossover.
May 2019
Rose’s journey came to an end as she announced she departing the CW Drama after one season.
Season 2 of Batwoman returns to the CW in January.
