Will ‘Batwoman’ Make Mary A Superhero? Nicole Kang Reacts To Fan Theories

“Batwoman” was not Nicole Kang’s introduction to Gotham. The actress, who currently plays Kate Kane’s stepsister Mary Hamilton on The CW drama, revealed that she grew up loving Batman and even collects vintage Bat-merch, so it’s easy to see why she was excited when International Business Times asked her if Mary could become a superhero one day.

“Oh my gosh. I mean, I will argue she already is,” Kang laughed to IBT in a phone interview. “That would be enough, and of course, I would love to see that happen. I think I would freak out.”

Kang’s Mary Hamilton could take the path of DC Comics’ Mary Elizabeth Kane, Kate’s cousin who went on to be Batgirl on Earth-One and Flamebird on New Earth in the comics. The 26-year-old certainly wouldn’t mind suiting up, but she knows that her version of Mary isn’t quite there yet.

READ: ‘Batwoman’ Star Nicole Kang Talks Gotham’s Most Complicated Sisterhood

“I do not think Mary's ready right now. I hope it's done carefully and I hope it's earned,” she said. “I think fans love seeing people suit up for sure, but I think they love it even more when--if they're anything me--when it's based on an amazing origin story and Mary doesn't expect it at all and the fans don't expect it, and it's like, wait, what and why? It's sort of this phoenix, right? It's usually out of a moment of ashes, and then something rises, it's epic in its nature. So, of course, I want to explore that high of stakes and all I can think of is dreaming about the story around it and all of those things.”

The excitement in her voice made it clear that it’s not just about being employed. She genuinely loves all the Bat-things, from movies to merchandise. She grew up watching films like "The Dark Knight" on repeat as a teenager with her father, and even her “Batwoman” co-stars like Ruby Rose (Kate/Batwoman) and Camrus Johnson (Luke Fox) want to check out her cool finds.

“I'm a huge Batman, Batwoman, Gotham fan,” Kang shared. “I collect—famously in my cast—and [I’m] constantly thrifting Batman jean jackets from the '90s, I have Batman boxers and my lunch box and just really dope vintage embroidery, things that were Warner Brothers original merch and stuff that. It's like I'm on a sports team or something…I hang out on eBay, I bid for things. I'm very intense about it. In fact, like Camrus or Ruby will see me on set and they'll be like, ‘Is that another one? ...That's so dope.’”

The CW was forced to wrap production on “Batwoman” earlier than planned due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The season was intended to be 22 episodes, but episode 20 will have to serve as the finale now. That means that she didn’t get to give her castmates the presents she’d been looking for ahead of the finale.

“So maybe I'll keep it a secret from them, but I’ve been collecting stuff for each of them that have really reminded me of them and stuff like that too,” the actress revealed. “That's one of my big joys because I feel like we're on this amazing team, and I think it's really a dope thing to collect. So I guess that's all to say that I'm a huge fan.”

Kang stars as Mary in “Batwoman” on Sundays at 8 p.m. EDT on The CW. The finale is expected to air Sunday, May 17.