Though he isn’t expected to make an appearance anytime soon, it seems Bruce Wayne does exist within DC’s Arrowverse.
That’s according to CW Chief Mark Pedowitz, who confirmed as much during the Television Critics Association press tour (h/t Entertainment Weekly). And so, after fielding questions about Batwoman and the current Arrowverse slate, Pedowitz turned his attention to the Caped Crusader, and explained why he “already exists” in the small-screen universe no thanks to Oliver Queen, who actually mentioned Bruce Wayne by name at one point.
There’s no discussion about a series. Batman already exists in the Arrowverse because last season Oliver Queen mentioned his name at one point. And Batwoman, if the series goes forward, lives in Gotham. There’s no plan at this time to have Batman appear.
If nothing else, Pedowitz’s comments ought to clear things up about the existence of Batman in DC’s Arrowverse, and that’s despite the fact that Arrow‘s Oliver Queen name-dropped Bruce Wayne and not the masked vigilante who spends his nights beating criminals to a pulp with his bare hands in Gotham City.
It’s also worth pointing out that having Bruce appear on Batwoman – or any Arrowverse series, for that matter – would require leasing the character’s rights from Warner Bros., which currently has all hands on deck in preparation of the standalone DC film from Matt Reeves.
The takeaway here? Don’t be holding your breath for a Batman cameo on the newly-announced Batwoman series, which is all about openly gay crime-fighter Kate Kane rising up to become Gotham’s newfound symbol of hope.
