A new superhero has swooped into action on The CW this fall in the form of Batwoman [1] (Ruby Rose), a dark, gritty counterpart to the Caped Crusader — and it turns out that Batwoman [2] is an entirely different character in the DC Comics world than Batgirl. Batwoman airs Sundays on The CW; Batgirl's standalone DC movie is in development and will reportedly tie in [3] to the new Robert Pattinson [4] lead Batman film. It seems to be a common misconception that Batwoman and Batgirl are the same person some people even think Batwoman is the grown-up version of Batgirl, which kind of makes sense, TBH. But for those of you not overly familiar with the comics, we're here to give you a crash course on these two kickass superheroes because they have two very interesting but very different histories within the DC-verse.
History
The original Batwoman [5] was introduced in the 1950s as a love interest for Batman. Her real name was Kathy Kane and her utility belt featured weapons disguised as makeup and jewellery because . . . 1950s, ya'll. But this version of Batwoman was retired in the 1960s because Batgirl was introduced in 1961 and quickly became more popular than the senior crimefighter. (Probably because Batgirl wasn't trying to thwart villains with a tube of lipstick.)
Anyway, the first iteration of Batgirl was actually called Betty Kane and was a niece to Batwoman, but that character was completely revamped a few years later to become the modern Batgirl we all know and love — Barbara Gordon, daughter of police commissioner James Gordon. She donned the mantle for over 20 years until, in a highly controversial 1988 storyline [6] called The Killing Joke, Batgirl was shot by the Joker and photos of her naked, injured body were used to torture her father. The shooting left her a paraplegic and Barbara Gordon largely disappeared from the comics.
After that storyline put Barbara out of commission, three other women assumed the role of Batgirl over the next two decades: Helena Bertinelli, Cassandra Cain, and Stephanie Brown. But when DC did a major reboot with The New 52 relaunch in 2011, Barbara Gordon resumed the role.
Meanwhile, Batwoman stayed in retirement for over 40 years until the modern iteration was launched in 2006 — and this is not your father's Batwoman. This superhero is the alter ego of Kate Kane, a wealthy Gotham City heiress who puts her considerable wealthy toward fighting crime, much like her cousin Bruce Wayne does as Batman. Batwoman is also Jewish and a lesbian, making her the highest-profile gay superhero in the DC Comics universe, something star Ruby Rose is really proud of [8].
Batman connections
While Batgirl fought alongside Batman and Robin — and had an on-again, off-again romantic relationship with the Boy Wonder — Batwoman [9] has always been more of a loner.
She is Batman's cousin, but the two superheroes rarely work together. They tend to pair up for short crossover arcs in the comics, but Batwoman has her own comic and her own storylines going on most of the time. Batgirl, on the other hand, was largely a supporting character to Batman, at least until the 21st century dawned. Since then, the character has had a couple of different eponymous comics where she is the lead character.
Personality
Although the modern versions of these characters haven't worked together, it's fair to say that Batman is to Robin as Batwoman [11] is to Batgirl, personality-wise. Batwoman is the brooding loner who lost her mother and sister in a kidnapping gone wrong when she was 12 years old (though the TV show changes that, turning it into a car accident that we don't know much about yet).
Batgirl is initially more of a wide-eyed trainee, even if her trainer is Batman and not Batwoman. She was a much more lighthearted character than the current Batwoman, at least up until her paralysis. When Barbara resumed the role of Batgirl, she was forever changed from the events of The Killing Joke. She underwent surgery and physical therapy to repair her spine but still suffered from terrible PTSD from being shot and paralyzed. Despite the less than stellar origins, with many fans criticizing Barbara's paralysis as the epitome of how comic books treat women and violence against them, the revamped Batgirl was much more nuanced and three-dimensional as a character.
In fact, the modern Batgirl has changed so much from the Yvonne Craig version in the 1960s that she would make a pretty terrific cameo on the new Batwoman series.