Tonight’s installment of “Elseworlds” might’ve been all about – or at least, heavily focused on – the grand debut of Ruby Rose’s Batwoman (who the fans seem to love, by the way), but it was impossible not to notice all the Batman references, nods and easter eggs spread throughout the episode.
Granted, The Dark Knight himself didn’t show up (and we didn’t expect him to), but there was a ton of stuff packed into the hour for fans to pick up on in terms of hints at his presence in the Arrowverse. And not only that, but we also finally got an explanation for why we haven’t seen him yet. You know, aside from the fact that The CW simply can’t use him due to Warner Bros. currently utilizing the character on the big screen.
We were told that in the Arrowverse’s version of Gotham City, the Bat’s been missing in action for three years. Seen as an urban legend by some – including Oliver Queen – it probably would’ve been easy for the hero to disappear, though what’s also curious is that Bruce Wayne vanished from public life around the same time, too. The reasoning for all this remains unknown, but perhaps it’s something which will be picked up on in the Batwoman TV show that we know is in development.
Then again, we wouldn’t hold our breath to see Bats appear in the flesh on the small screen. After all, having him involved would mean leasing the character’s rights from Warner Bros., and seeing how the studio is currently hard at work on Matt Reeves’ standalone film, we can’t imagine them wanting to loan him out in the near future.
The takeaway here? Don’t hold your breath for a Batman cameo in the Arrowverse anytime soon, though as “Elseworlds” has shown us, Gotham City has a new protector anyways, and she’s more than capable of cleaning up the streets.
