Before her passionate on-screen love triangle in rural Canada, “Sullivan’s Crossing” star Morgan Kohan briefly appeared as a superhero in “Batwoman.” The actress who stars as Maggie Sullivan in the drama series played the DC character Stephanie Brown in Season 2, Episode 13, of The CW’s Arrowverse TV show.
In the 2021 episode “I’ll Give You a Clue,” Stephanie finds herself held captive by her supervillain father Arthur Brown/Cluemaster (Rick Miller) after she rejects his offer to team up following his escape from prison. Stephanie is eventually freed and joins forces with Ryan/Batwoman (Javicia Leslie), Mary/Poison Ivy (Nicole Kang), Sophie (Meagan Tandy), and Luke/Batwing (Camrus Johnson) to take down Cluemaster. Something romantic begins to brew between Stephanie and Luke, though it never has a chance to develop further.
Despite Kohan’s Stephanie appearing in only one episode of “Batwoman,” incorporating the comic book character into the show was a huge deal for writer Natalie Abrams, who devised Stephanie’s live-action debut during a bout of depression amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “For anyone who knows Stephanie’s enigmatic father Cluemaster, writing this script was no easy feat,” Abrams wrote in a thread on X. “But one of my fave moments I’ve ever written is in this episode. Seeing that first photo of @MorganKohan, who is pitch perfect as Stephanie, in costume was an adrenaline rush of joy I’ll never be able to explain. … Stephanie Brown gave me life when I so desperately needed it. And now she’s a real character in the Arrowverse.”
Morgan Kohan’s “Batwoman” character has a fascinating history in DC Comics, and most of it never made it into the show. Stephanie first shows up in 1992’s “Detective Comics” #647. She initially features as the crime-fighting masked vigilante Spoiler, but she assumes other identities later on. Stephanie subsequently appears in the “Young Justice” comic series and even takes part in the DC animated show of the same name. She also becomes one of Batman’s Robin sidekicks — a role that ends with her near-death at the hands of the Black Mask. The 2009 issue “Batgirl Vol. 3” #1 sees Stephanie take on the Batgirl mantle, which she held for two years.
In “Batwoman” Season 2, Stephanie doesn’t don her typical purple and black hooded outfit from the pages of comic books. Instead, she is depicted in a black tank top with code written on her body by Cluemaster. A key member of the Batman Family, Stephanie has been a recurring side character in “Batgirl,” “Batman Eternal,” and other comic series. Since Kohan’s portrayal of Stephanie in “Batwoman,” the hero has been played by Anna Lore in the 2023 show “Gotham Knights” — her only other live-action appearance.
Before “Sullivan’s Crossing” returns for Season 5, viewers can currently stream Kohan’s episode of “Batwoman” on HBO Max.
