After Ruby Rose abruptly left The CW’s Batwoman, many fans wondered what would become of the caped crusader. We knew Kate Kane wouldn’t be recast, but would the new Batwoman still be a lesbian? Great news! She will be!
Out bisexual actress Javicia Leslie will take on the role as Ryan Wilder and become the first Black actress to play a live-action Batwoman. In fact, Leslie stated she was “extremely proud to be the first Black actress to play the iconic role of Batwoman.”
Kate Kane has a hefty comic book backstory and is pretty well known. But Ryan Wilder is a completely new character. We know nothing about her. But, the CW has helpfully released this official description:
Ryan Wider is about to become Batwoman. She’s likable, messy, and a little goofy and untamed. She’s also nothing like Kate Kane, the woman who wore the Batsuit before her. With no one in her life to keep her on track, Ryan spent years as a drug runner, dodging GCPD, and masking her pain with bad habits. Today, Ryan lives in her van with her plant. A girl who would steal milk for an alley cat and could also kill you with her bare hands, Ryan is the most dangerous type of fighter: highly skilled and wildly undisciplined. An out lesbian. Athletic. Raw. Passionate. Fallible. And very much not your stereotypical all-American hero.
Aside from the fact that they would refer to a grown woman, a superhero no less, as a girl, the description gives Ryan a lot of potential to be a relatable, sympathetic character. But viewers already spent the first season watching Kate Kane’s origin story. Will the CW be able to do Ryan Wilder justice and give the viewers something that will keep their interest? Hopefully. It’d be a damn shame to lose Batwoman and Black lesbian superhero. Black Lightning’s Anissa Pierce, aka Thunder, is out and proud. The Flash’s Nora Allen-West was only hinted at being a lesbian, and she was gone before she had the chance to come out. Hopefully, Ryan will amend that. However, we are left with another quandary. How will they address Kate Kane’s sudden disappearance? Apparently, this will be a major plot point in the second season.
The next season of Batwoman is expected to drop in January 2021. And you know AfterEllen will have you covered with recaps.
