Javicia Leslie will replace Ruby Rose as the leading protagonist of The CW’s Batwoman in the second season, but how will her character take up the mantle of Gotham’s protector and join the Bat-Gang?
When Rose announced that she was quitting the show, fans assumed that The CW would just recast someone else in the role. A fair assumption, given the fact that this is what usually happens in a major movie or TV production. But it became apparent that showrunner Caroline Dries had bigger ambitions for the series. So, knowing that Kate Kane would simply be written out instead of being recast, fans started speculating as to how the producers may approach this.
If anything, we’re excited about what Leslie will bring to the role. Even in terms of diversity and representation, she’ll be a great addition to the Arrowverse as a black bisexual thespian. The character she’ll be playing, meanwhile, is completely original and there isn’t any comic book counterpart or precedent.
Here’s how the casting notice initially described the character:
“She’s likable, messy, 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 the GCPD and masking her pain with bad habits. A girl who would steal milk for an alley cat 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.”
This description draws quite a contrast between Wilder and Kate Kane. For one thing, the former started out as a drug dealer, so she isn’t exactly your archetypal hero. According to a new theory, though, the way Batwoman sought to inspire others to serve justice is the key here. As opposed to Bruce Wayne who wanted the city to fear his image, Kate went down the path of the relatable hero, and even came out as a lesbian. Episode 17 even proved that she was mainly successful in this endeavor as demystifying the Bat mythos actually compelled other people to suit up and be heroes of their own.
So, what if the new Batwoman is one of those people who came into contact with Kate and decided to turn her life around? And considering the fact that the showrunner doesn’t want to kill off Ruby Rose’s character, Wilder may even be linked to her sudden disappearance, something that season 2 will have plenty of opportunities to explore as it introduces us to her successor.