Kathy Kane

Kathy Kane was the first person to wear the Batwoman mantle. She later became the Headmistress of Spyral.

Pre-Crisis
A wealthy Gotham City heiress and former circus performer, Kathy Kane was inspired by Batman's example to become a costumed crimefighter. Using her acrobatic training, an arsenal of gadgets (many disguised as feminine makeup products and jewelry), and money inherited from a late relative, Kathy debuted as the Batwoman. It was suggested that she was extremely infatuated with Batman to the point that she assumed the costumed identity in order to get close to him and hopefully engage in an emotional relationship with him. It worked but not quite in the way she had hoped, as the Batman wanted her to retire from the role for fear that she would be hurt in her costumed exploits.

Undeterred, Batwoman continued to operate in Gotham. Her dual identity was soon discovered by her niece Bette Kane, who debuted as Batwoman's sidekick, Batgirl. The duo had romantic aspirations towards Batman and Robin and would often attempt to win their affection. After a short career, Batwoman eventually gave up costumed life and any hope of pursuing Batman. She returned to her first love, the circus.

Kathy operated the traveling Kane Circus until she became embroiled in a conflict between Ra's al Ghul and The Sensei. Targeted by the League of Assassins for her past connections to Batman, Kathy re-entered the hero's life. Tragically, while the Dark Knight was busy battling the Bronze Tiger, Kathy was murdered by members of the League.

This version of Kathy Kane was subsequently erased from existence by the events of the Crisis on Infinite Earths. However, she may have been restored by the similarly timeline-altering Infinite Crisis.

Post-Crisis
A version of Batwoman was also known to exist on the world of Earth-Two. Her early history is identical to that of the Earth-One Batwoman.

Kathy would continue to operate in her costumed identity until around the early 1950s when she learned that Batman had become deeply emotionally interested in someone in his unmasked identity. While Wayne never revealed his identity to her, or explicitly told her of his private life, she said she knew of his change in attitude to her and assumed as such. She largely retired from her costumed role soon after this, though she continued to "help out" Batman on occasion, not realizing that Grayson had replaced Wayne in the role.

She learned that Wayne was the original Batman when his costumed identity was revealed to the general public with the death of Wayne's wife, Selina Kyle. It was not revealed if Wayne ever returned her feelings after the death of Selina. It was suggested that he did for she lamented about her feelings for Wayne when the Earth-One Wayne came to Earth-Two suggesting that she and the Earth-Two Wayne had finally revealed their feelings to each other directly. Kane realized that he was not the love of her life reborn, but was a completely new person. She finally realized that her chance at loving Batman was over and retired from the role and settled down to a civilian life.

If she had not died in the intervening years since that meeting with the Earth-One Batman, she was killed along with everyone else on his native Earth-Two in the Crisis on Infinite Earths and completely erased from history.

Post-Infinite Crisis
Though her exploits as Batwoman were erased by the Crisis, Kathy Kane is known to have existed in the post-Crisis DC Universe. Flamebird (Bette Kane, the former Bat-Girl) has made mention of an Aunt Kathy and for a time Kathy's murder haunted the repentant Bronze Tiger.

After the DC timeline was altered once again by the Infinite Crisis, certain aspects of Batwoman's history may have been restored. Batman #682 features a Batwoman in a flashback sequence. The modern Batwoman (Kate Kane) has been referred to as "Katherine the Younger," implying a mother with the same name. Additionally, the new Batwoman has been shown to have a stepmother named Catherine, though it is not yet clear if this is Kathy Kane.

In other media

 * In The New Batman Adventures episode "Animal Act", a character based off Kathy Kane, named Miranda Kane, was an animal tamer at Haly's Circus. She is voiced by Jane Wiedlin. Miranda came from an old circus family, and grew up in the circus with Dick Grayson, whom she addressed as "Dickie". After her parents retired to Sarasota, she took over the show on her own. Upon the Circus' return to Gotham City, she was reunited with Dick Grayson. Mysterious robberies by her animals—gorilla Peaches and bears Dolly and Polly—had gotten police attention on her, and she was eager to find out who really was behind the robberies. She staked out the bear's pen at night, and caught the clown handling the bears. She confronted him, and he revealed himself as the Mad Hatter. He used the snake to capture her, and used his new mind control methods on her. He then locked her in the lion's cage to lure Batman. After Batman and Nightwing saved her, she led them straight for Jervis Tetch. While the Hatter basked in his victory, Miranda took on Nightwing. But the Mad Hatter laughed too soon: in Batman's fight with the circus' fire breather, a stray flame hit the mind control hat. The sudden lack of control rendered all of Hatter's puppets motionless for a moment, enough for Nightwing to throw a net over them. With Mad Hatter's hat destroyed, Miranda returned to her senses. At the request of Dick Grayson, Tim Drake helped her out for the rest of the week.

Behind the Scenes

 * The character Batwoman was introduced to Batman comics in the 1950s as a response to criticisms that Batman and Robin were a gay couple. Both she and Bat-Girl were created to provide female romantic interests for the heroes. However, like many aspects of the 50s Batman series, they were jettisoned by editor Julius Schwartz when he introduced the "New Look" Batman in the 1960s. Ironically the newly revamped Batwoman now shown in the comics is a lesbian.
 * In "Batman Inc.: Leviathan Strikes" the cult of Assassins wear a variation of Kathy Kane's Batwoman costume.