Batman And Catwoman Are Having A Child!
Say hello to the next Batwoman?
DC have big things planned for 2020. A week after DC lifted the lid on their plans for Generation One - an event that rumour dictates will precede another revamp of the publisher's much maligned continuity - former Batman writer Tom King took to Twitter to give fans their first look at an upcoming Batman/Catwoman storyline.
As you may have already spotted (if the sodding great big arrow and text didn't already make it clear), Catwoman is pregnant. So yeah, a BIG DEAL. But what exactly does this mean for the two characters going forward? And who knew the catsuit doubled as pregnancy-wear?
As some readers will know, King is set to write a Batman/Catwoman mini-series with art from Clay Mann later this year - which will also act as the ending to his main Batman run - but the Tweet here features art from Mikel Janin, which could mean it's from a story set to be included in the upcoming Catwoman anniversary special, which'll celebrate the character's eightieth birthday.
Either way, the image is bound to raise a whole host of questions. King is a known fan of alternate universe stories, and just the other year wrote a phenomenal tribute to Batman and Catwoman's romance in Batman Annual #2, which gave readers a glimpse into a potential future where the pair raised a child, Helena, who then became the new Batwoman. However, when taking all the rumours surrounding DC's 5G reboot into account, might it be possible that this potential future actually becomes a part of official DC continuity?
It's too early to tell currently, but that'll be the main question on every fan's lips. With last week's announcement of Generation One and the unveiling of the publisher's Free Comic Book Day plans, it's looking more and more likely that DC are gearing up to introduce a new generation of heroes. The rumour up until now had been that Luke Fox would become the new Batman, but what if the new Batman/Catwoman series a huge part to play, and he's eventually joined by Helena Wayne as Batwoman?
We're deep into speculative territory now, but it's fascinating to consider. Everything we've heard of 5G so far makes it sound like DC's most ambitious revamp to date, and while readers might bemoan a third reboot in the space of a decade (I know I have), if the finished product is anything like what reports have indicated over the last few months, it is going to be new and different.
In pregnancy-adjacent news, Aquaman's Mera gave birth to a brand new Aquababy this week, and it's a girl! There've been plenty of Aquagirls in the comics before, but given how the DCU will ostensibly flash-forward later this year, might it be possible they take inspiration from Batman Beyond's version of the character? Again, purely speculation at this stage, but it would make sense if this genuinely is the direction their comics are heading.
Either way, the future is coming. Here's hoping we learn more when Generation One drops in May.
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What do you make of Catwoman's pregnancy? Do you think it's an alt-universe tale, or do you think DC are fully committing to a new continuity? Let us know in the comments below!