#supergirl 2021

[argoscity]

SUPERGIRL: WOMAN OF TOMORROW (2021) #4 written by Tom King art by Bilquis Evely

#kara zor el #supergirl #comic: supergirl: woman of tomorrow (2021) #panels #infinite frontier

[angst-is-love-angst-is-life]

Hadn’t looked at these in forever but I kinda went off ngl (aside from the horrendous over-saturation)

#couldn’t find a good png with Olie’s face💀 #also if you recognize these (HIGHLY unlikely) I had an arrowverse fan account on instagram in 2021 #posted them there #edits #my edits #my posts #arrowverse edits #oliver queen #arrow #kara danvers #supergirl #sara lance #white canary #barry allen #the flash #ughhh #I just went in and took Barry’s saturation down /slightly/ and it looks so much better😭 #he blends with the background too much tho so as much I hate it— past me made the right call #ah. #back when I was still abnormal about these shows but in DEEP denial about it #(especially and specifically regarding Barry)

[cyclone-rachel]

Winn finding out about Brainy's pet spider in the future

Winn wanted to give Brainy…

Well, another chance- he’d lost count at this point, especially after learning Brainy had put a listening device in the dirt he’d given him, if not after all the insults he’d had to endure from Brainy during the time they’d been forced to work together.

But after hearing his story, once he’d come back- seeing the tired look in his eyes, the change in his demeanor, the way he carried himself, all so different from the arrogant dickhead he’d first met when he woke him up on the Legion ship-

(Kara could argue all she wanted to the contrary- she didn’t see what had happened when she left for Fort Rozz with Imra. She had no idea how rude he could really be, and Winn suspected that Brainy didn’t want to show her, due to his obvious crush on her.

He’d been in that position before, assholery aside. He noticed.)

The point was, Winn felt his resolve breaking while Brainy explained what had happened when he returned to the future. He wanted to help Brainy, against his better judgment, save the lives of his people alongside the Legion. Wasn’t this what he’d been asking for? How could he say no, even if the offer was coming from Brainy of all people?

So he agreed. He’d forgiven Brainy, and given him that chance.

After finally landing in the thirty-first century, and seeing his room (or rather, the lab he considered a room- there was nothing he’d consider a bed in here, he’d have to fix that), he was seriously considering taking it back.

“How come neither of you told me he had a pet spider?” he demanded, holding the cage up while Mon-El and Imra both held back laughter.

Neither of them had an answer for him.

He just hoped Brainy would believe him, whenever they met again, and Winn would inevitably have to confess that his spider was one of the casualties of the plague.

(He’d work on that last part)

#papa don't look #supergirl #winn schott #supergirl season 3 #minifics #rachel answers questions #anon #gosh this one is from 2021 i think #again very sorry and i hope you like this!

[dailydccomics]

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (2021—2022) cover art by Bilquis Evely and Mat Lopes

#kara zor el #kara danvers #dc comics #supergirl #bilquis evely #mat lopes #dc #cover art #woman of tomorrow #comics #my edit #cover edit #one of my fave series in recent memory i say begrudgingly

[richardgrimes]

Kara + purple SUPERGIRL (2015-2021)

#karadanversedit #dcedit #supergirledit #usermarissac #dcmultiverse #supersgirls #userdahlias #tuserabbie #dcfilmblr #dcfilms #tuserpurple #kara danvers #supergirl #mine #my gifs #* #she barely wears any purple i had to DIG for these #also i promise the last one is purple it said it was plum

[soranatus]

Supergirl/Kara Zor-El’s + Science/Medical Knowledge

Power Girl (2023) Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (2021) Harley Quinn (2019) Supergirl (2016) Supergirl (2011)

#dc comics #supergirl #Kara Zor-El #kara zor el #superman #supergirledit #comicedit #my edit #dcmultiverse #dcladies #comicswomen

[lands-of-fantasy]

Modern DCTV

(Most) Live-action series from 2000-present (2024)

SUPERMAN MYTHOS: Standalone Superman-related series

Smallville (2001-11)

Krypton (2018-19)

Superman & Lois (2021-) | The series is a spin-off of the 2015 Supergirl series, but it is set in its own continuity, on a different Earth. A different version of the titular characters, as played by the same actors, can be seen in the Arrowverse.

BATMAN MYTHOS: Standalone Batman-related series

Birds of Prey (2002-03)

Gotham (2014-19)

Pennyworth (2019-22)

Gotham Knights (2023)

ARROWVERSE: These series share continuity, each having their own separate storylines but also periodically connecting for a joint one.

Arrow (2012-20)

The Flash (2014-23)

Supergirl (2015-21)

Legends of Tomorrow (2016-22)

Black Lightning (2018-21) | The series joined the Arrowverse mid-season 3, and while it is affected by the events of the crossover of that year, it remained mostly independent.

Batwoman (2019-22)

"TITANSVERSE": These series are independent but Titans features its own version of the Doom Patrol (same cast, different universe) and has a Stargirl cameo.

Titans (2018-23)

Doom Patrol (2019-23)

Stargirl (2020-2022)

THE SUPERNATURAL: Standalone series centered on supernatural characters and events

Swamp Thing (2019)

Constantine (2014-15) | After the series' cancellation, the actor reprised his role as John Constatine in the Arrowverse, eventually joining the main cast of Legends of Tomorrow.

From the pages of DC Vertigo/DC Black Label:

Lucifer (2016-21)

The Sandman (2022-)

OTHER SERIES

Watchmen (2019)

Peacemaker (2022-) | This series is a part of the DC Extended Universe, taking place after the events of The Suicide Squad (2021) movie

See also: Marvel TV

#dctv #arrowverse #smallville #superman and lois #gotham #dcu titans #dc stargirl #lucifer tv #the sandman #swamp thing 2019 #doom patrol #syfy krypton #pennyworth #nbc constantine #birds of prey 2002 #peacemaker #watchmen #cw gotham knights #arrow #the flash #supergirl #legends of tomorrow #black lightning #cw batwoman

[devine-fem]

I wanted to talk about Damian’s sexuality.

That comes out weird, I know but this is prompted more so because I saw someone post about how he’s always been straight and op didn’t understand how people were so surprised when he started dating Nika. Then someone took a jab at Damijon + another person who said they didn’t understand the concept of Damian not understanding queerness.

I think that Damian doesn’t understand queerness but I’ll get into it toward the end of the post.

This will be put in two parts. One for Damian and how he feels about his sexuality and Damian’s internalized homophobia.

Let’s start with his canon love interest; Flatline. Flatline unlike his other attempted love interests was supposed to be taken seriously and didn’t suck. Compared to the others on this list, we should be rejoicing at Flatline.

Then this person used panels where it suggested that Damian had a sexual interest in a woman.

Almost every single person Damian has been interested in has been treated like a joke and not taken seriously. Some women are much too old for him and just awful picks.

Katana… why… stop please. Another example of them only doing it as a joke. This is so weird considering she’s much older.

Supergirl. Another joke. And much older.

Djinn… I don’t even know why…

Cassie Sandsmark… in a Earth, nice one Tom Taylor.

He has a couple more one off ones that weren’t taken seriously as well.

I know he got a cheek kiss from Emiko. He also dated Raven in an animation but I feel it was more a plot device. Also there are a lot of sexual jokes about Damian and I hate because he’s supposed to be ten by that time… there were some weird sexual impilcations when he teamed up with steph and I don’t know why writers do that instead of exploring the potential of their characters together and relationship…

Now let’s get into how Damian personally feels about his sexuality.

He jabs at romance and the concept of it a lot.

In Robin 2021 he also was very against romance but it was more as a way to sheild himself from his feelings. The only real confirmation that Damian is attracted to woman is Nika. So thank you, Nika. Anything other than that is just comphet to me at least.

This is also why he’s hc as Aro, Ace or Demi because he literally shows no interest in romance and the only times he does it feels like the writer has forgotten his personality.

TW: SEXUAL ASSAULT.

People don’t talk about that time Damian was kind of drugged/mind controlled and sexually assaulted… I’m not sure if people don’t perceive it that way but it seemed like SA to me.

She’s much older than him. He’s a ten year old. The way she’s speaking… her being naked. Damian telling her he doesn’t like it. Him not being in his right frame of mind… it reads this way to me.

Listen, I don’t understand how you can interpret Damian as any sexuality anyway when he’s so young. Only when he’s thirteen/fourteen can it truly be explored.

Although, Damian saying he won’t/can’t feel that way also proves my case.

He’s never really shown a whole bunch of interest in anyone.

—— End of trigger.

Now for the internalized homophobia.

So, the arguement is “he’s too smart not to know about queer culture…” What? What part of not knowing about queer culture makes you stupid?

Damian grew up in a very controlled environment where he was taught how to survive, taught how to lead and how to feel. What part of his schedule would fit in learning about queerness?

Internalized homophobia is in no way a bad thing and personally, as others do as well, see it as another way to queer code because its something a lot of queer people experience. This doesn’t negate the attraction to woman by the way but that doesn’t mean Damian can’t be interpreted as some other type of queer.

There’s also people who like to negate and ignore this part of Damian’s character but… why? These moments are part of important comics with his character. Damian was young and didn’t know much about well, anything. If you’re not personally queer yourself then you have no real incentive to learn about queerness.

There’s nothing really wrong with it. Even if Damian used gay as more of an insult. I doubt he knew what being queer was outside of “When boy likes boy.”

Also, he makes some comments often that come off… not the best.

I still really don’t think its bad and can be interesting if explored.

This also coupled with his culture shock, probably adds to his confusion on certain cultures.

I mean, he doesn’t know all that much. He’s not exactly mister super genius when it comes to real life things as well.

He doesn’t know what laffy taffy is… come on.

All this evidence doesn’t even matter anyway because it’s confirmed that when he does go to pride that knows literally nothing about it and has to be EXPLAINED by a friend about how it came about and how it works but people get so upset about that.

I don’t know what Damian’s sexuality could possibly be but I just don’t personally think he knows either and that has nothing to do with Damijon or any ship, but with canon.

I wanted to go more indepth to this but yeah, internalized homophobia Damian is very close to me.

#damian wayne #damian wayne meta #batfam #dc comics

[argoscity]

SUPERGIRL: WOMAN OF TOMORROW (2021) #8 written by Tom King art by Bilquis Evely

#kara zor el #supergirl #comic: supergirl: woman of tomorrow (2021) #panels #infinite frontier

[captain-hen]

@lgbtqcreators creator bingo — [7/10] lgbtq characters: alex danvers from supergirl (2015-2021)

#supergirl #supergirledit #sgedit #* #alex danvers #alexdanversedit #wlwsource #wlwgif #dailytvwomen #alielook #userrsun #userchibi #userkarolina #useralyssas #*pridebingo #userlgbtq #*userlgbtq

[forsapphics]

Chyler Leigh as Alex Danvers in season 6 of Supergirl (2015 - 2021)

#alex danvers #chyler leigh #supergirl #supergirl tv #wlw #sapphic #lesbian #bisexual #bi #sapphics #women #dailywomen #arrowverse #dc comics #cbs #the cw #the cw network #tv shows #tvedit #gifs #gifset #animated gif #television #televisongifs #supergirledit #dailytvgifs #tvandfilm #tvandmovies #cinemapix #dailytvwomen

[bakanokiwami]

TOP 10 TV SHOW FANDOMS ON AO3 BASED ON NUMBER OF FANWORKS (2009-2022)

To make these bar chart race, all series titles in the TV Show Category on November 29 (or the closest date to it) of every year were copy-pasted from Wayback Machine to Google Sheets, rearranged according to number of fanworks, and then inputted to Flourish to turn into a bar chart race.

Locked fanworks aren't included in the count because Wayback Machine can’t view those, only Ao3 users can.

Unspecified means that it doesn’t say in its title whether it is an “All Media Type” type tag or not. There’s a possibility that this tag only shows up in the TV Show category, or maybe in multiple categories, like in Movies and Comics too.

It doesn’t appear in the bar chart race, but for some reason Original Work was in the TV Show category in November 2021, and then removed by 2022.

The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types was actually in the top 10 from 2012-2014, and was removed from the TV show category from 2015 onwards so I’ve excluded it from the bar chart.

The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom was also in the top 10 from 2012-2020, but then was reduced to 5% of its 2020 total fanworks in 2021 onwards because The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types and The Avengers (Marvel Movies) was removed from its subtag list. I’m excluding it from the bar chart since it means it shouldn’t have been in the top 10 in the first place.

Jossverse was in the top 10 from 2010-2014 (Top 2 in 2010 and 2011). In 2018, it was removed from the TV Show fandom list and works tagged with it show up in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV) instead so I’ve excluded it from the bar chart.

89% of the Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms fanworks in 2022 are tagged with Sherlock (TV).

Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a subtag of Marvel and Marvel is a metatag for all Marvel works of various media, including comics and movies. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV) is the only TV show that appears in the top 10 fandoms listed in Marvel and MCU’s fandom filter in 2022, and it’s only 5% of the fanworks in the Marvel tag. Half of the Marvel tags’s top 10 fandom filter list are movies, and there are also 2 All Media Types tags.

As for DCU, 6 of the top 10 fandoms listed in DCU’s fandom filter in 2022 are specifically TV shows: 13% of its fanworks are from Supergirl (TV 2015), 9% are from The Flash (TV 2014),  8% are from Arrow (TV 2012), 5% are from DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), 4% are from Smallville and 4% are from Gotham (TV).

As for Batman - All Media Types, none of the top 10 fandoms listed in its fandom filter in 2022 are specifically TV shows: 5 of the fandoms listed were comics fandoms. 2 were all media types and 1 was the Nolan movies.

Maybe it would have been better to do a bar chart with fandoms that only appear in a single category (In this case, the TV Show category.). Some of the fandoms that ranked have popular other media outside of TV Shows that boosted their rankings. It would take more effort to filter out, but let me know if you’re interested in seeing a bar chart race like this. If there’s enough interest, I might get motivated enough to work on it, haha.

Thanks for understanding and hopefully I didn’t mess up anywhere! 🙏

#archive of our own #ao3 #supernatural #sherlock #bbc sherlock #teen wolf #doctor who #star trek #stargate #glee #buffy the vampire slayer #angel the series #due south #battlestar galactica #torchwood #smallville #stargate atlantis #stargate sg1 #this post wont show up in the tags lol rip #its definitely not the text since i tested it in another blog and it appeared in the tags #so it must be the video lol #tumblr plz

[cazzam]

THE NEW AND IMPROVED CASSANDRA CAIN READING GUIDE

Cassandra Cain is the daughter of assassins David Cain and Sandra Wu-San (better known as Lady Shiva), and was raised by Cain. She is an expert hand-to-hand combatant, and able to read body language to the point of interpreting complex thoughts, but learning to communicate better through speech and text. She has operated as a vigilante under the names of Batgirl, Kasumi, Black Bat, and Orphan, and is currently sharing the title of Batgirl with Stephanie Brown and Barbara Gordon.

Basic Reading

Batgirl (2000)

Batman: Gates of Gotham (2011)

Detective Comics (2016) #934-987

Batman and the Outsiders (2019)

Batgirls (2021)

Spirit World (2023)

Birds of Prey (2023)

Cassandra's major appearances are listed in chronological order (mostly) under the cut. My favorites are bolded.

No Man's Land

All issues collected in Batman: No Man's Land (2011) vol. 2-4. I recommend reading the entire event.

Batman (1940) #567 [first appearance]

Detective Comics (1937) #734

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #120 [Cassandra takes up Batgirl mantle]

Azrael: Agent of the Bat #56-57

Batman (1940) #569

The Batman Chronicles #18

Azrael: Agent of the Bat #60-61

Robin (1993) #73

As Batgirl

Issues that are part of events may be confusing out of context.

Batman: Gotham Knights #2, 5

Batman: Gotham City Secret Files and Origins [first story]

Batgirl (2000) #1-2

Young Justice (1998) #21

Batgirl (2000) #3-11, 12 [Officer Down start]

Birds of Prey (1999) #27

Catwoman (1993) #90 [Officer Down end]

Batgirl (2000) Annual #1, #13-19

Harley Quinn (2000) #10

Robin (1993) #88 [first meeting with Stephanie Brown]

Batgirl (2000) #20, 21 [Joker: Last Laugh start]

Joker: Last Laugh #3

Supergirl (1996) #63 [transphobia cw, Joker: Last Laugh end]

DC First: Batgirl/Joker

Batgirl (2000) #22-23, 24 [Bruce Wayne: Murderer? / Fugitive start]

Robin (1993) #98

Batgirl (2000) #25-29

Batman (1940) #605 [Bruce Wayne: Murderer? / Fugitive end]

Batgirl: Secret Files and Origins

Batgirl (2000) #30-32

Batman: Gotham Knights #33, 35

Batgirl (2000) #33-38

Batman: Family #7

Detective Comics (1937) #782 [backup], 790

Nightwing (1996) #81

Superboy (1994) #85 [first meeting with Kon-El/Conner Kent]

Batgirl (2000) #39-44

Batman: Gotham Knights #42, 45-46, 48-49

Robin (1993) #119

Batgirl (2000) #45-47

Superman/Batman #5

Batgirl (2000) #48-50

Birds of Prey (1999) #61, 63

Batgirl (2000) #51-53

Solo #10 [third story]

Detective Comics (1937) #796 [backup]

Robin (1993) #127-128

Batgirl (2000) #54

War Games

All issues collected in Batman: War Games (2015). I don't recommend reading the entire event.

Detective Comics (1937) #797

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #182

Nightwing (1996) #96

Batgirl (2000) #55

Batman (1940) #631

Batgirl (2000) #56

Nightwing (1996) #98

Batgirl (2000) #57

Batgirl in Bludhaven

Robin (1993) #132 [Fresh Blood start]

Batgirl (2000) #58

Robin (1993) #133

Batgirl (2000) #59 [Fresh Blood end]

Batman Allies: Secret Files and Origins 2005 [third story]

Batgirl (2000) #60-73

With the League of Assassins and Deathstroke

I don't recommend reading anything in this section except Batgirl (2008) #6.

Robin (1993) #148-151, 161-162

Supergirl (2005) #14

World War III #2

Teen Titans (2003) #43-46

Batman and the Outsiders (2007)

Batgirl (2008) [recap of this era. Bruce adopts Cassandra]

As Black Bat

Battle for the Cowl: The Network

Batgirl (2009) #1 [Cassandra gives Batgirl mantle to Stephanie]

Red Robin #17

Batman Incorporated (2011) #6

Red Robin #25

Batman: Gates of Gotham

As Orphan

The New 52 reboot changed Cassandra’s origins, personality, and relationships with other characters. Rebirth was a soft reboot that kept New 52 canon but brought back elements from the previous continuity.

Batman and Robin Eternal #1-9, 11-14, 17-26 [New 52]

Detective Comics (2016) #934-940 [Rebirth]

Batman (2016) #7 [Night of the Monster Men start]

Nightwing (2016) #5

Detective Comics (2016) #941

Batman (2016) #8

Nightwing (2016) #6

Detective Comics (2016) #942 [Night of the Monster Men end], 943-962

Red Hood and the Outlaws (2016) #15

Detective Comics (2016) #963-964

Batgirl and the Birds of Prey #15-17

Detective Comics (2016) #965-981, 983-987

Batman and the Outsiders (2019)

DC: The Doomed and the Damned [seventh story]

Batman: The Joker War Zone [second story]

Batman (2016) #104

Return of Batgirl

The Infinite Frontier reboot considers all past continuities canon.

Infinite Frontier #0

Batman Secret Files: The Signal

Batman: Urban Legends #3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 14

The Joker (2021) #3-4, 7, 11-12, 15

Detective Comics (2016) #1038 [backup], 1049, 1052, 1057

Batman (2016) #112 [main], 115-116 [backups]

Nightwing (2016) #85-86

Batman (2016) #117 [backup]

Batgirls #1-6

Task Force Z #8

DC Pride: Tim Drake Special

Robin (2021) #15

Detective Comics (2016) #1061

Batgirls #7

Catwoman (2018) #45

Batgirls #8-12

Batman One Bad Day: Two-Face

Tim Drake: Robin #4

Batgirls Annual 2022, #13-19

Lazarus Planet: Dark Fate [fourth story]

Spirit World (2023)

Birds of Prey (2023) #1- [ongoing]

Other Appearances

Ghost/Batgirl [Dark Horse Comics crossover]

Batman: Outlaws #2

Batman: City of Light [not recommended]

Justice League Elite [as Kasumi]

Wonder Woman (2006) #600 [second story]

Batgirl (2016) #50 [third story]

DC Festival of Heroes [first story]

Truth & Justice #6 [#16-18 digital first]

Alternate Universes

Tiny Titans #33, 39, 43, 45

Batgirl: Futures End

Convergence: Batgirl

Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey (2020)

DCeased: Unkillables / Dead Planet #5 / War of the Undead Gods

Shadow of the Batgirl [YA graphic novel]

Dark Knights: Death Metal Robin King [backup]

Future State: The Next Batman #2, 4 [second stories]

Batman: Wayne Family Adventures [webtoon]

DC vs. Vampires

Dark Knights of Steel #9

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Last updated: May 16, 2023

#dcedit #comicedit #cassandra cain #batgirl #batgirls #wayne family adventures #batgirl 2000 #black bat #orphan #reading guide #reading list #reading order #batman

[morgana-pendragon]

@heroeddiemunson’s THREE YEAR GIFMAKING ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION DAY TWO — skill: layout | colour focus: green and/or pink | other: character/person profile ↳ katie mcgrath as lena kieran luthor in supergirl (2015-2021) (in/sp.)

#supergirl #supergirledit #lena luthor #lenaluthoredit #abbie.gif #abbie.gfx #dc #dcedit #dceuedit #dcmultiverse #dcladies #dailytvwomen #femalescharacters #userannalise #useralyssas #usercharlieb #usermaguire #usermarissac #userroza #atangela #MY GORL!!!!!!!!!!!!11 MY BEST GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #sorry for filling your tag with sg kai kjhwefuhwf it's </3 who i am </3

[the-truth-is-there]

All tv and movie Supermans

Kirk Alyn - Superman(1948)/Atom Man vs Superman(1950)

George Reeves - Adventures of Superman(1951-1958)/Superman and the Mole-Men(1952)

Christopher Reeve - Superman(1978)/Superman II(1980)/Superman III(1983)/Superman IV: The Quest for Peace(1987)/Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut(2006)

John Haymes Newton - Superboy(1988-1989)

Gerard Christopher - New Adventures of Superboy(1989-1992)

Dean Cain - Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman(1993-1997)

Tom Welling - Smallville(2001–2011)/Crisis on Infinite Earths - CW(2020)

Brandon Routh - Superman Returns(2006)/Crisis on Infinite Earths - CW(2020)

Henry Cavill - Man of Steel(2013)/Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice(2016)/Justice League(2017)/Zack Snyder's Justice League(2021)/Adão Negro(2022)

Tyler Hoechlin - Supergirl(2016-2021)/Crisis on Infinite Earths - CW(2020)/Superman & Lois(2021-present) Nicolas Cage - The Flash (2023)

#superman #clark kent #smallville #superman & lois #superboy #kal el #dc comics #dc universe #george reeves #kirk alyn #henry cavill #tyler hoechlin #tom welling #superman returns #man of steel #Christopher Reeve #John Haymes Newton #Gerard Christopher #dean cain #Brandon Routh

[therealrainbowmadness]

The downfall of media representation: a look at the massive cancelation tide of queer-woman-led shows of 2022

A little more than a year ago, I published a piece on what I called “the queer renaissance” where I reminisced on Lexa’s legacy (The 100) and showed optimism on the representation scenario given the variety of shows airing or to be aired with queer woman among their characters, and the grand amount of WLW couples in committed relationships that had on-screen marriages between 2020 and 2021. But even then, when things were still looking up representation-wise, I pointed that a cloud of worry was coming due to the end of many beloved shows that featured queer characters. There, I mentioned Black Lightning (Grace and Thunder), The Bold Type (Kat and Adena), Supergirl (Alex and Kelly), Brooklyn99 (Rosa), Atypical (Casey and Izzie), Genera+ion (Riley and Greta), Dickinson (Emily and Sue), Motherland Fort Salem (Raelle and Scylla) and Killing Eve (Eve and Villanelle). Little did I know that my optimism was foolish and that the worry brought by the end of the above-mentioned shows would only grow stronger after a very disturbing 2022.

The first cancelation tide came in April. When rumors started regarding the selling of The CW, queer fans immediately started worrying for their beloved shows, specifically for DC Legends of Tomorrow and Batwoman. Turns out they had a reason to worry because even before the network was sold by Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery to Nextstar, The CW axed a long list of names from their portfolio. The shock was evident since The CW traditionally renewed their shows and allowed departing series to have a final “goodbye” season, as they did with Supergirl. But what called everyone’s attention was the fact that Legends of Tomorrow last-airing season (the seventh of their run) had done great regarding to critics and ratings. It also had more views than shows that would get renewed, like Riverdale. Media outlets later revealed that the apparent cause for cancelation was that the uncertain future of the network at that point led Warner Bros. to not want to commit to another long-term lease on the sound stages in Vancouver. The fact that they also did not renew their deal with Netflix for distributing content largely affected their revenues as well. Not to say that any of these issues did not play major parts on the future of our beloved shows, the fact remains that series that were in similar conditions, that is, also shot in Vancouver, also distributed by Netflix, and with similar or lower ratings and approval from critics, were renewed. In contrast, Legends of Tomorrow and Batwoman were not. The difference between then and the ones that got renewed: both were led by woman who loved other woman. And one of then was led by a black woman.

           It was not easy moving on from such losses and being left without a proper ending to beloved characters and couples. But the cancelation wave did not slow down. Gentleman Jack was canceled in July by HBO. Despite BBC’s desire to move forward with the show, they still needed HBO as a co-producer and global distributor. It was hypothesized that the gap between the first and second seasons, caused by the pandemic, led to lower ratings and, thus, cancelation. But the untold reality was that HBO somewhat sabotaged the show by changing its time slot to air in the US and not pushing as much publicity for season 2. This kind of approach reminded me of the way Nickelodeon treated The Legend of Korra, constantly changing its time slot and ultimately moving it to streaming for the fourth and final season. Korra was a pioneer in queer representation for animated series.

The Wilds was canceled after a second season mostly focused on new male characters instead of the group of girls that led the first season, including the couple Shelby and Tony. Some shows had briefer runs, like Prime Video’s Paper Girls and Netflix’s First Kill. So short indeed that it makes me believe that genre TV for sapphics is the ultimate streaming queerbaiting. It is worth mentioning that many people, including LGBTQIAP+, stated that these shows were better off being canceled since they were poorly scripted and had terrible CGI. Addressing these issues, I have to say that poor visual effects never stopped series from getting renewed (just see Supernatural) and shows with really horrible scripts are constantly made and renewed by streaming platforms (Netflix’s Elite is a perfect example). However, I do not agree that they are badly scripted at all. Despite heavy criticism, First Kill had an expressive number of views and ranked well in Netflix’s Top 10 in many countries, also showing great numbers on socials which were at least comparable to Heartstopper (already renewed by Netflix).

But it was not enough for Netflix to cancel First Kill, and the news about the cancelation of Warrior Nun hit colder than ice. Warrior Nun was already a beloved show that grew its audience during the pandemic. Although some had reservations for the first season because of a possible queerbaiting, this possibility was erased by season 2 and the beautiful slow-burn romance between Ava and Beatrice. The momentum the show gained by the launch of its second season was impressive and it was impossible to go through the Twitter timeline without seeing some post or photo related to the show or Avatrice. The impact was so big that made people go back and watch the first season as well. Rotten Tomatos season 2 critic ratings were 100% and audience score was 99% with 7925 reviews. In fact, season 2 had the highest Netflix audience rating ever. The audience, already aware of Netflix MO, grew the engagement of the series on social media, despite Netflix showing zero effort for advertising the new season whatsoever. And again, despite the great ratings, views and engagement, the show got axed without much explanation, leaving a passionate audience with multiple unsolved cliffhangers.

Netflix, having one of the largest portfolios among networks and streaming platforms, is naturally the home of many shows with LGBTQIA+ characters. It does not feel like a coincidence that these shows, especially the ones featuring lesbian and bisexual woman, are the main targets for cancelation. The cycle continues: platforms pick up shows with a queer character for producing to fill the diversity box; they offer little to no support for the people involved on the actual making of the show, offering lower budgets compared to other equivalent series; besides the low production value, they also put little effort on advertising these series, making very hard for the show to do well outside the queer bubble; still, some audience, specially queer woman, sign to that platform to watch the series, grow attached to the characters, ship the couples, engage on social media, and do what they can for it to get to as many people as possible, since the network or streaming is doing virtually nothing in this regard; ultimately, the show either performs poorly as far as visualizations, mostly due to the sabotage of their own producing platform that offered a low production and advertising value, or performs well, but never well enough to them. In the latter case, it feels like woman-led shows are always held to a much higher standard than the male-led ones, having to do so much better to get same recognition. Misogyny and lesbophobia are the two words that come to mind describing this heartbreaking cycle.

At the end of the day, what we are left with? Series that give terrible endings to their sapphic characters, like Killing Eve. Series that are giving us kind of a bad type of representation, like The L Word Gen. Q season 3 (destroying character evolution and pushing outdated plots). Series with great representation which we are so afraid to get attached to just so we’d be disappointed again (like A League of Their Own and Sex Live of College Girls). And series that we will never even know the ending (choose any of the above-mentioned series). It is worth pointing out that all the fandoms are fiercely fighting for their shows to get pick up by other platforms and find new homes, as they should. A great example that the fight is worth fighting is Wynonna Earp. The show was canceled after its third season, leaving the audience with many cliffhangers. The fans fought hard and SyFy pick up the series for two more seasons. Ultimately, season 5 never happened, and its only owned to the creator Emily Andras, who did not want to make the same mistakes as season 3 and leave multiple loose ends, that we got a satisfying beautiful ending at season 4. But even with only one extra season, it was so worth it. And one final season could be all we needed to feel a sense of closure for all these falling series.

It is worth highlighting that LGBTQIAP+ representation is so important for so many people to recognize themselves in the characters and feeling less alone in this world, for helping people accept themselves, come out to their families, and just to normalize in general the existence of LGBTQIAP+ people in all sorts of environments and genres. We are currently seeing undoubtedly a major regression on how media approaches representation in general. We started back then being either sexualized or straight up killed, evolved into great characters with diverse well-thought-out plots, only to now have our shows canceled. And, although we are all exhausted, we cannot go down without a fight. A unified fight with all fandoms from canceled shows. As we did in 2016 after Lexa’s death, we need to make our points to major media outlets, go after the sponsors of the platforms, make a fuss in social media, look for alternatives. I still hope that, together, we have the power to make a difference if not for the series that were already canceled, to at least avoid that the shows that are still running or just starting to have a similar fate.

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