In these past few years, a lot of new superhero shows and movies have been coming out across the world, and we have been here for it. The leading companies producing these films and t.v. shows, DC and Marvel, have really been giving many of their fans the content we so desperately love to watch on the screen. Even if some of the acting is cheesy and maybe a little cringy, there is something about it that we can’t help but eat up most of the time.
This being said, there is one thing that many of these protagonist superheroes have in common, they’re all straight. Now this isn’t a bad thing, I am not shaming straight superheroes in any way. However, being a gay woman who loves the superhero plot lines, I have long been waiting for content in which our leading superhero is part of the LGBTQ+ community. And as of October 6th this year, we were given just that.
Ruby Rose (my all time celebrity crush) just came out with a new television show on the CW, in which she stars as Kate Kane, a woman who takes over Batman’s mantle as Batwoman years after Batman has disappeared from Gotham. And here’s the best part, she identifies as a gay woman. COMPLETELY GAY!!! There is no chance of a man getting with muh girl Ruby in this show, and I love it, because I am all for watching a gay angsty superhero love plotline.
Now before you decide to give this show a watch, let me warn you, it is going to need some time to get better. Like many shows, its pilot episode is a little rough and sort of cheesy, but given a little time and a growing viewer count, I have faith that it will get better. However, even with this viewer criticism, many are still saying that they enjoyed the show, and are very happy with the representation that many superhero plotlines have been lacking.
Representation, in my opinion, is so important in the movie and t.v. industry, mainly because it’s nice to relate to the characters we see on screen. When announcements are made, such as the one about a gay Batwoman or a black Little Mermaid, people who normally don’t get to see themselves as the hero or the main protagonist of such widely known stories, finally do. And it may not seem like it’s that big of a deal when you are constantly represented in every storyline there is, but it does mean a lot to those who aren’t. So here’s to the hope that this kind of trend continues as movies and t.v. shows continue to be made to represent those who we normally don’t see on the screen, but deserve to be.