Here’s How Batman’s Absence Will Be Explained In Elseworlds

Batwoman makes her Arrowverse debut in the upcoming “Elseworlds” crossover next month. For the first time, the likes of Green Arrow, the Flash and Supergirl will travel to Gotham City, which is where they encounter Ruby Rose’s dark heroine, but as we’ve already been told, Batman won’t be showing up on The CW anytime soon. That leaves the question, then, of what’s happened to Gotham’s most famous protector?

While speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Caroline Dries – who’s exec producing next year’s Batwoman solo series – revealed the real reason the Dark Knight won’t be in the crossover. According to her, it’ll be explained that Bats hasn’t been seen in three years, with the city becoming even more crime-ridden and corrupt in his absence. Thankfully, though, a new hero’s coming to clean it up.

“Our approach is: What does Gotham look like after the Batman has been gone for three years? So if you have the law and order, protector, and hope gone, what happens as a result?. Some people are thriving in his absence because now they can start to do their own thing without the oversight. A lot of other people are suffering and they’re losing hope, and the city itself and infrastructure is falling apart. So it’s not a happy place. Our guys walk into a grimy, scary Gotham.”

As for how the other Arrowverse heroes will view him, apparently Batman will be seen as something of an urban legend by Oliver and Barry – no wonder they haven’t called in his help in previous team-ups, then.

“Oliver is like,’ He’s not real! They’ve made him up! It’s a hoax just to scare the citizens.’ Barry is flabbergasted by that and all he wants to do in Gotham is meet Batman. It’s a pretty funny scene.”

The idea that Batman has left Gotham to fend for itself for some mysterious reason recalls The CW’s early 2000s Birds of Prey show, which saw Barbara Gordon, Black Canary and Huntress picking up his slack. Funnily enough, WB’s upcoming Birds of Prey movie will work off a similar starting point.

In the Arrowverse’s case, this explanation does raise lots of questions. After all, Oliver referenced Bruce Wayne being in Gotham back in season 6, so it’s not like Bruce has been missing for three years, he’s just stopped being Batman. It’s hard to say why that is, but perhaps we’ll have it explored in Batwoman’s solo series, coming in fall 2019.

In the meantime, you’ll be able to meet the franchise’s newest hero in “Elseworlds,” which airs for three nights beginning December 9th.