Batwoman Boss Reveals How The CW Series Will Introduce Hush Without Bruce Wayne

It was revealed at San Diego Comic-Con that The CW’s upcoming show Batwoman would introduce an iconic Batman villain. Tommy Elliot, known to many DC Comics fans as Hush, will arrive in Batwoman’s first season. That’s exciting news, but it’s also a bit confusing. After all, Hush has such a personal connection to Batman, as a childhood friend-turned-enemy of Bruce Wayne’s and Wayne isn’t on the show.

Speaking to GameSpot at the TCA press tour showrunner Caroline Dries cleared up exactly how the show will tackle the character. “In the comics, he’s obsessed with Bruce Wayne, and you get to understand a little tease of that relationship. And what helps us is that Kate and Tommy knew each other from growing up, because Kate was intimately engaged in Bruce’s life,” Dries explained. “And so Tommy is the perfect villain for the time of the series, which [is when] Kate put on the [Batman] costume. People are just seeing little snippets of this person, and they think it’s Batman. That’s great for people who love Batman [because] Batman is back. But if you’re a Batman villain, you’re thinking, ‘Is that good?'”

The arrival of Batwoman, bringing a familiar Batman vibe back to Gotham City, is sure to catch the eye of several notable villains. Tommy, though, having such a close connection to Bruce, and by extension Kate, should prove to be interesting. According to Dries, it should also serve as a bridge between Kate and her cousin.

“Tommy, as you’ll see the way the story unfolds, is sort of the perfect marriage between a Bruce Wayne/Batman/Kane Kane story,” she said.

Hush won’t be the only familiar Batman character making an appearance on Batwoman. It was also revealed at San Diego Comic-Con that Burt Ward, who played Robin on the original Batman TV show, would take part in the upcoming Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event. He’ll be joined by Kevin Conroy, the Batman: The Animated Series star, who has been cast as an older version of Bruce Wayne.

Batman premieres October 6 on The CW.