WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Batwoman Season 2, Episode 15, “Armed and Dangerous,” which aired Sunday on The CW.
Those familiar with Luke Fox in the DC Comics Universe know the character takes up the Batwing mantle after his predecessor, David Zavimbe, retires his cape and cowl. All the same, it was somewhat surprising when set photos leaked revealing Luke wearing his Batwing costume for Batwoman Season 2. Prior to that, the Arrowverse show hadn’t really laid any groundwork for Luke becoming a costumed vigilante. He seemed more or less content to remain the Bat-Team’s guy in the chair, providing vital backup for the various Batwomen.
Click the button below to start this article in quick view.
That changed after Season 2’s “And Justice for All,” which concluded with Luke trying to prevent a car robbery only to end up getting shot in the chest point-blank by the Crows’ Agent Russell Tavaroff. Luke spends most of “Armed and Dangerous” teetering on the edge of death in Gotham General, even as Mary works tirelessly to get him the Desert Rose serum he needs to recover from what are otherwise fatal injuries. All the while, Luke’s subconscious imagines he’s in Wayne Tower, watching his late father Lucius stare out the window.
Confused, Luke calls out to his father but doesn’t get a reply. Instead, Bruce Wayne appears, explaining that Luke has to decide whether to return to the world of the living or move on and reunite with his father. It’s a hard decision; between losing Kate and being shot, Luke is in a darker place than he’s ever been since Lucius’ death. He tells Bruce that trying and failing to make the world a better place is just too depressing, on top of the racism he continues to face for merely being a Black man living his life. As a result, Luke chooses to be with his father… only to wake up in the hospital, with Ryan and Mary having successfully saved his life with the Desert Rose serum.
Luke’s decision casts a dark shadow over what would’ve otherwise been a happy reunion. If the trauma and pain from what happened with Tavaroff wasn’t bad enough, the rest of the Bat-Team have no idea that some part of Luke didn’t want them to bring him back. That’s a whole lot for anyone to process and Luke will understandably need time to begin healing from everything that happened. It’s clear this life-changing event will ultimately push Luke in a new direction, spurring him to adapt a more active role when it comes to fighting crime and corruption on the streets of Gotham City. Before he does, however, Luke will have to navigate some treacherous waters.
Fortunately, Luke won’t be on his own. In addition to his Bat-Family, the promo for the next episode of Batwoman, “Rebirth,” shows Luke receiving guidance from what’s presumed to be David Ramsey’s John Diggle. “You stand for justice. You’re going to need anger to win that fight,” Ramsey’s character advises him. Complicating matters, it appears Tavaroff will be going free until Jacob testifies against him in court for shooting Luke without just cause and then altering his body cam footage to protect himself. The question is, will Luke resort to violence in an effort to take revenge against his assailant and would-be killer, or aspire to find closure through other means?
Whatever path he chooses, Luke has a difficult journey ahead of him. As much as Mary and Ryan will know where he’s coming from, having endured their own share of grief and loss, they can only do so much to help him. In the end, it will fall to Luke to make peace with his demons and figure out what he wants to do with his life. If anything, it’s comforting to know ahead of time the character will eventually don a shiny new Bat-costume and, one assumes, fight side by side with Ryan on the streets of Gotham, even if it’s unclear how, exactly, Luke will eventually get to that place.
Batwoman stars Javicia Leslie as Ryan Wilder, Rachel Skarsten as Alice, Meagan Tandy as Sophie Moore, Camrus Johnson as Luke Fox, Dougray Scott as Jacob Kane, Nicole Kang as Mary Hamilton-Kane and Wallis Day as Kate Kane. New episodes air Sundays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.
About The Author