Batwoman, aka Kate Kane, has been in a relationship with Detective Maggie Sawyer, who has a daughter from a previous relationship. After a marriage proposal, a breakup, and another proposal, it looks like the two may finally be headed to the altar. When Kate proposes the second time, Maggie makes sure to ask, “Will you ever hurt my daughter?” and receive a negative before consenting.
Of course, in Gotham City, a lot could happen between now and the wedding. They could break up again. Maggie could be transformed into an evil menace or have her memory erased by a supervillain. (I’m guessing she won’t die, since she’s actually a long-running character in the DC universe.) And can same-sex couples marry legally in Gotham?
Even if they do tie the knot, it’s still unclear whether we’ll ever see them acting as a family. Maggie has explained that her ex-husband and his new wife have custody of the girl. At the same time, she probably wouldn’t have asked Kate about her intentions towards the girl if she (Maggie) didn’t have some visitation time.
Frankly, I think it will be a cop-out (so to speak) on the writers’ part if they give Maggie a daughter without at some point bringing her into the story. Maggie’s ex could be killed by a mutant criminal mastermind, for example, and custody could shift to Maggie. Or the girl could just spend holidays with Maggie (and now Kate), and somehow discover Kate’s secret identity.
Please, DC, for the love of hummus, show us Maggie, Kate, and the girl as a family sometime. Have to tread carefully there, of course, and not fall into the old trap of “every woman wants to be a mother and we need to give her a mothering storyline.” But moms who also save the city and kick butt offer a new twist on the tale. When done right, these stories can remind us moms that other aspects of our lives and our impact on the world don’t have to stop when we have kids. I also sense that Kate has enough family trauma that she’s be rather conflicted about her ability to be a stepmom, and there’s good story fodder there.
Then again: a lesbian couple, one of whom is a cop with a child from a previous, different-sex marriage? Sounds like the start of The Fosters: Gotham City. Maybe they’ll adopt the Wonder Twins next. . . .
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