'Batwoman' namedrops Safiyah, possibly hinting at a story arc involving the Many Arms of Death
Spoiler alert for Season 1, Episode 7 of 'Batwoman.'
While it seems like the show so far has been building Alice (Rachel Skarsten) up as the season’s Big Bad, the latest episode of ‘Batwoman’ seems to imply that there’s someone orchestrating an even larger scheme behind the scenes. Alice procures the Batsuit-piercing gun not for herself, as it turns out, but for another employer. No mention of this employer’s identity is mentioned, however, until her lieutenant, the Rifle (Garfield Wilson) blurts out the name “Safiyah,” triggering Alice’s wrath.
There’s obviously a history there, but if there is, then Safiyah is a character who may differ greatly from her appearance in the comics. The character of Safiyah is a relatively new one to the DC universe. She’s revealed to have been the leader of the pirate island of Coryana and someone Kate Kane spent a year in a romantic relationship in her early years as Batwoman. Safiyah later went on to take charge of an organization dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kali, known as the Many Arms of Death.
Besides Alice, Safiyah is one of the few enemies of Batwoman who has no ties to any of Batman’s other villains. The show has borrowed heavily from Batman’s gallery of rogues, but with the introduction of Safiyah, the show will be able to carve out its own niche in the Gotham mythos. The Many Arms of Death proved to be one of Batwoman’s biggest challenges, but fighting them did allow her to team up with Alice against them. Given that Alice has just betrayed Safiyah to save her sister’s life, the show might just be building up to a Batwoman & Alice team-up - or at least, a temporary truce in the face of a larger threat.
The next episode of ‘Batwoman’ airs December 1, on the CW.