Batwoman Season 2 Introduces Stephanie Brown AKA Spoiler With New Image
New images from Batwoman season 2 reveal the show is introducing Stephanie Brown, who is known in the comics as Spoiler. While she may not be a name that casual fans of the Arrowverse know, the character fits with the deep pulls Batwoman has been making from DC's character canon during its run. Plus, devoted fans are sure to recognize Spoiler and know of her long association with the Bat-family.
Stephanie Brown has a surprisingly long 29-year history in the comics. From a heroic origin of taking on the moniker "Spoiler" to foil her supervillain father Cluemaster's schemes, to joining the Bat-family by suiting up as Robin and Batgirl at various times, Stephanie has seen her fair share of action. Throw in a romance with the third Robin, Tim Drake, and joining a superhero team led by Batwoman during DC's Rebirth, and her heroic resume is pretty full.
This week, EW revealed new images from Batwoman that confirmed Stephanie Brown is being introduced in season 2. Morgan Kohan will make her debut appearance as Stephanie Brown on the May 9th episode "I'll Give You a Clue. " In the episode, her father, the Cluemaster, escapes from prison and sets his sights on Sophie, who was in the middle of a spontaneous girls' night with Mary and Ryan. While investigating, one of the dangerous clues leads the ladies to Stephanie. Showrunner Caroline Dries says the idea to bring in Spoiler and Cluemaster happened more or less organically in the writers' room, explaining:
"[Episode 12] was a really dark episode and we wanted something more fun, so girls' night became our high concept, and then to give it conflict we thought, 'Well, they can't have fun for too long, so let's spoil it,' and the Stephanie-Arthur story line popped out of [writer Natalie Abrams'] head and we wove it together."
Aside from her dynamic with Sophie, Ryan, and Mary, it looks like Stephanie and Luke Fox will also develop a connection over the course of the episode. While speaking on the relationship between Stephanie and the characters in the series, Dries said "We try to anchor the characters in what we know of them from the comics, but make them personal to our heroes — specifically Sophie and Luke." With it already implied that Sophie had a hand in putting the Cluemaster in prison, does this mean Luke also has a connection to Stephanie or the Cluemaster's past?
While it does not sound like Stephanie will be suiting up this time around, the idea of Batwoman planting the seeds for more of the extended Bat-family is sure to appeal to many fans. Being in Gotham and not hearing from any of the past Robins or even Barbara Gordan (who is a known entity in the Arrowverse) seems very strange. And adding more deep-cut characters like Stephanie Brown will help avoid the studio entanglements of more prominent Bat-family members that have prevented television appearances in the past.
SOURCE: EW