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Alice has been a favorite among fans of The CW‘s Batwoman since season 1. For some reason, the villain is intriguing to viewers. This is most likely because Alice is very complex, and she didn’t start as a villain. There’s no doubt that Alice’s declining mental health contributed to her murderous tendencies. And, finally, in Batwoman Season 3, the series will dive deeper into Alice’s mental illnesses.

'Batwoman' Season 3 actor Rachel Skarsten, in character as Alice, sits with her legs crossed in the Batcave. She wears a yellow coat, a white vest, brown skirt, and white tights.
Rachel Skarsten | Photo: Katie Yu/The CW

Showrunner Caroline Dries promises that ‘Batwoman’ Season 3 will explore Alice’s mental health

During an interview with TVLine, Batwoman Season 3 showrunner Caroline Dries discussed Alice’s storyline in upcoming episodes. Dries said, “As she’s not one to sit around journaling her problems, she’s struggling with how to cope with these problems, and who to talk to, and if she even wants to admit her problems.”

The showrunner continued, “A lot of our theme for this season is mental illness and mental health, and Alice is a great representation of somebody dealing with a mental health problem and the s**ty ways that they’re treated, and her fear around the taboo of that… Arkham is one of the biggest crimes to humanity, so it’s not really helping her with her problems.”

According to Dries, the Batwoman Season 3 writing staff pondered “the psychotic villains who are massive serial killers and have some psychological illness” in the comics. They wanted to address the stereotype that “crazy people are bad.” Dries added, “We don’t have any solutions to it, but we bring it to the surface. Like, you can’t just call somebody crazy and assume they’re a bad guy.”

What happened to Alice?

Batwoman Season 1 revealed that the new villain terrorizing Gotham, Alice, was actually Kate Kane’s twin sister, who was believed to be dead. Alice’s real name is Beth Kane. August Cartwright kidnapped Beth after a car crash that included her, Kate, and their mother. Unfortunately, their mother died. And after Catherine Hamilton made it look like a skull fragment in the woods belonged to Beth, she was presumed dead, too.

August kept Beth in his basement, where she befriended his son, Johnny. She experienced abuse and many different traumas throughout her time there. Eventually, she adopted the persona of “Alice.” Years later, after killing August’s mother, she and Johnny escaped.

After spending time on Coryana with Safiyah, Alice returned to Gotham and formed the Wonderland gang. She became a notorious villain in Gotham, but her sister betrayed her and locked her up in Arkham. Of course, Alice escaped. And when Kate went missing, Alice was determined to find her and kill her for her betrayal. But, before Batwoman Season 3 began, Alice saved her sister and helped her regain her memories.

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Alice is working with the Bat Team in ‘Batwoman’ Season 3

In the finale of Batwoman Season 2, the police arrested Alice and took her to Arkham. In the premiere of Batwoman Season 3, though, she struck a deal with Renee Montoya that allows her to get out of Arkham and help the Bat Team find the missing Batman villain trophies.

The Bat Team is not too thrilled to have Alice in their Batcave. But, they have to work with Alice to ensure that Montoya doesn’t reveal Ryan’s identity to the world.

Alice could be very helpful in finding the villainous items, though. She has the mind of a villain, after all. And that’s probably how the topic of her mental health will come up in future episodes.

Batwoman Season 3 airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on The CW.

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