Batwoman (Kathy Kane)

Batwoman (Katherine "Kathy" Kane) is a fictional superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created as Kathy Kane by Edmond Hamilton and Sheldon Moldoff, first appearing in Detective Comics #233 (1956). She is the original Batwoman. She acted as a female counterpart to Batman and romantically pursued him.

Fictional character biography

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In the original Pre-Crisis continuity, Kathy Kane, a wealthy Gotham City heiress and former circus performer, decides to use her skills and resources to become a costumed crime-fighter. This is partly out of altruism and partly to attract the romantic attentions of Batman. During the Silver Age of Comics, Batwoman guest-starred occasionally in Batman stories published from 1956 to 1964. While Batman wished for Kane to retire from crimefighting due to the danger, she remained his ally, even when she temporarily became a new version of Catwoman.

Batwoman was the mentor to the original Bat-Girl, her niece Bette Kane. In the Modern Age, it was revealed that Kane was her married name, having married Batman's uncle Nathan Kane, although she was a widow by the time she had an interest in Batman. She was thought to have been killed by Bronze Tiger, but this was actually a ruse. In The New 52, it was retconed so that "Kathy Kane" was an alias, with her real name being Katrina Netz. Batwoman has been a member of the Batman Family and Spyral.