Javicia Leslie steps into the role of Batwoman after Ruby Rose's abrupt departure from the Arrowverse series.
Our new Batwoman has been revealed! After a slightly disappointing image of Javicia Leslie in Ruby Rose's old costume was revealed last month, we now have official images of Ryan Wilder's take on the iconic suit.
Compared to Kate Kane's suit in Season 1, the new outfit has more red highlights due to the arm gauntlets, as well as an updated utility belt with Batwoman's logo. The biggest change is the cowl, though, which has gone from having sleek red hair to a brown Afro with red highlights. Ryan Wilder will have straightened hair in the show, so it looks like she's continuing the Batwoman tradition of incorporating a wig into the cowl to throw people off the scent of her identity.
Ruby Rose departed Batwoman earlier this year, after the first season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. She was reportedly unhappy with the long hours on set, but also suffered an injury that almost left her paralyzed earlier in filming.
The second season of Batwoman is handling Rose's departure by replacing Kate Kane, Bruce Wayne's cousin, with the original character Ryan Wilder. Like Kate before her, Ryan will start out by wearing her predecessor's suit before making it her own in the third episode. Batwoman is well-known for being an LGBT+ superhero, and Ryan will be keeping that aspect of Batwoman intact as she is also a lesbian. However, the similarities stop there. Unlike Kate, who comes from a wealthy family with ties to Batman, Ryan is a former drug runner who lives out of her van and views becoming Batwoman as a way to break out of the system that oppresses her. She has personal experience with Gotham City's failings, much like Mary, Kate's adoptive sister, who runs an underground clinic that helps people overlooked by Gotham's elitism.
While I thought the first season of Batwoman was just okay, I'm very excited for Season 2. Ruby Rose isn't a great actress in my opinion, and while she was a decent Batwoman, she was uninteresting as Kate Kane and was the most boring part of the show. Javicia Leslie looks like she's going to inject so much energy and enthusiasm into the role, and with her position as an LGBT+ superhero of color, she's breaking new ground for superhero TV. I'm particularly excited to see someone like Ryan Wilder become part of the Bat Family, since she's far removed from people like Bruce Wayne, Kate Kane, and Barbara Gordon.
I wasn't happy when Rose quit, especially since it's been blamed on long production hours. She signed on to be a major part of the Arrowverse and Kate Kane has quickly become a major player, even becoming part of the Justice League formed in the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover last season. Batwoman and Supergirl had a fantastic dynamic, and with Kate Kane gone, the relationships on Batwoman become much more confusing. After all, the main villain is her twin sister, her father runs the security company trying to capture her, the love interest is her ex-girlfriend from her military days, and one of her closest allies is her adoptive sister. Inserting a brand-new original character into the same supporting cast seems like it's going to be a hard sell.
What do you think of the Arrowverse's new Batwoman? Will you be watching the second season? Comment below!
Source: Entertainment Weekly