Batwoman's History
Kate Kane is Batwoman, one of many vigilantes who protect Gotham City using the imagery of a Bat. She is both Jewish and an out lesbian, playing a socialite during the day, and working as a vigilante by night.
Origin
Kate Kane and her twin sister Beth were born to prominent colonel Jake Kane and his wife Gabrielle, herself a captain. Both parents were on active military duty, and worked extensively with intelligence organizations. As her parents were promoted, they moved to and from a wide variety of towns and bases, though Jake was often away from home.
Eventually, the Kanes moved from Fort Bragg, North Carolina to Brussels, Belgium, where they worked with NATO. However, when Gabi decided to take the girls out for their twelfth birthday, they were attacked and kidnapped by terrorists. Though military intelligence managed to locate the hostages, Jacob only managed to rescue Kate, as both Gabi and Beth had been killed. He tried to prevent her from seeing the worst of it, but Kate was traumatized by the sight of her mother and sister's corpses.
Jacob was a supportive father, and Kate managed to deal with her grief by emulating his cool-headedness. She excelled both academically and athletically, and was eventually accepted into West Point as a cadet. She continued to excel at the Academy, earning the rank of Brigade Executive Officer her senior year, as well as completing both Air Assault School and the U.S. Army Airborne School and earning prestigious awards like the RECONDO badge and the Superintendent's Award for Excellence. She also began a romantic relationship with Sophie Moore, a fellow cadet.
Shortly after Ring Weekend of Kate's final year at the Academy, she was anonymously accused of homosexual conduct. Though given the chance to stay at the Academy and accept a demotion, Kate instead chose to come out as a lesbian in order to prevent a further investigation, thus protecting Sophie and other closeted cadets. Kate resigned from the Academy and was subsequently expelled under Don't-Ask-Don't-Tell.
The Lost Year
After her resignation from West Point, Kate spiraled into a life of alcohol abuse and promiscuity. She decided to travel the world in an attempt to "find herself" and establish a life outside of the military. During her travels, Kate hit her head on a rock while diving, knocking her unconscious. She wound up on the island of Coryana, off the coast of Malta, and was rescued by the ceremonial leader of the island, a woman called Safiyah.[4][5] Kate and Safiyah quickly struck up a romance, leading most of the population of the island to dislike Kate for distracting their leader from her duties. Safiyah's lover Tahani was particularly resentful of Kate and attempted to kill her on one occasion.
Unbeknownst to Kate, her head wound had been infected with a deadly bacterium that grew in the surrounding ocean reefs. The bacteria began killing the island's native foxes. Due to the bacterium's easy availability, Kate suspected that one of Coryana's warlords had introduced the bacteria in a malicious attack on the island as a way to punish Safiyah for her relationship with Kate. Safiyah accused Maksim, a rogue and troublesome warlord, for the attack, had him executed, though Kate begged her to spare his life. When Kate realized her infection was the real cause, Safiyah told her that she had known all along and sought to save Kate from the reaction of the island's populace if they were to find out. Kate was disgusted at Safiyah's willingness to kill an innocent man and left the island after coming to blows with Safiyah and Tahani.
Becoming Batwoman
Kate returned to Gotham City, where she continued her wild lifestyle. One night, Renee Montoya pulled her over for speeding, and Kate managed to charm her way into a relationship with her. Kate and Renee briefly dated before having a sudden breakup. After a night of drowning her sorrows from this loss, Kate was attacked by a mugger in an alley next to Molly's Bar. She fought the man off and was about to harm him more when Batman appeared. Seeing him in person made Kate realize that she felt alive when she was fighting crime, and that vigilantism could be her new purpose in life.
Using stolen military equipment purchased off the black market, Kate operated as a vigilante for approximately a year before Jacob discovered what she was doing. Though he was initially angry with her, he agreed to support her mission after she convinced him of her dedication; this included organizing an intense training program to hone her skills, conducted by several of Jacob's former special forces comrades.
Kate spent the next three years undergoing fierce training regimens and exposing herself to the worst that the world had to offer. At the end of the third year, Jake gave her one last mission: rescuing a family kidnapped by Russian terrorists and held in the abandoned city of Pripyat, Ukraine. When she found the family, they had already been murdered, and in a rage, she nearly killed the terrorist leader. However, she relented at the last second, and the leader revealed himself as her father. The whole hostage situation had been a ruse, using fake bodies and weapons; it served as a test to prove that she could stop herself from crossing the line and not kill in anger. After that, she was ready to become Batwoman.
Elegy
Batwoman began investigating the arrival of a new leader of the Religion of Crime in Gotham. She briefly met Batman to discuss her findings. Kate demonstrated greater knowledge of the Religion of Crime, and even corrected Batman by saying there were 13 and not 12 covens of the Religion in Gotham. Batman conceded the case to her.
