So, now this new Ryan Wilder character will be Batwoman. We know nothing about this character thus far. It is a completely original character that has not appeared in comics before, any attachment will have to be earned.
This makes no difference. The fact is, comic books' readership is a tiny fraction of TV shows' viewership, a matter of thousands or tens of thousands for the former and millions or tens of millions for the latter. So the vast majority of
Batwoman's TV audience had no prior familiarity with Kate Kane either, except from
Elseworlds. If she'd appeared in
movies before, then you might have a point, but mass-media versions of superheroes have always dwarfed the audience size of the original comics. (Which is why comics so routinely follow the lead of mass-media adaptations by adopting their characters, concepts, and approach, ever since
Superman adopted Jimmy Olsen, Perry White, and kryptonite from the radio show.)
They've been promised a TV show about Kate Kane in a shared TV universe that rarely leaves any major character behind, certainly not the title character (and yes, Kate was the title character, she was Batwoman), and now they are told that no, she's gone, here's a totally new character you know nothing about who will take over the show.
And you want to go and tell these fans to shut up and like it? Shame them as inflexible and irrational? Really?
It's not about shaming (at least I hope not), just about encouraging them to keep an open mind. "Try it, you might like it" is not an attack. And I say that as someone who's been reluctant to try new things since childhood. So yes, I understand the resistance, because it's part of my own nature. But because of that lifelong experience, I also understand that such resistance to novelty is a weakness rather than a strength, because it's kept me from trying things that I ultimately found I enjoyed.
There's no harm in trying something you're wary of. At worst, your doubts will be proven right and you can drop it and move on. At best, your doubts will prove unwarranted and you'll find something new to enjoy. But if you don't try it at all, you'll never know. (I was very wary of
Harley Quinn because I didn't like what I heard about the ultraviolence, but when I tried it after all, I found it's a fantastic show. I still don't like the violent parts, but the rest is terrific, and I can just avert my eyes when I need to.)
Will Kate be killed off? Will she vanish like Bruce? I Suppose it would be easy enough to have a stunt woman in the costume who gets blown to hell in the first 5 minutes.
The showrunner tweeted some time ago that the mystery of Kate's disappearance will be one of the major story arcs of season 2.
