All the chatter regarding Batwoman’s second season has justifiably been on the departure of Ruby Rose and her subsequent replacement by Javicia Leslie. But there are plenty more roles to fill ahead of another 20+ episode run.
According to a new rumour, in fact, one of Gotham City’s most disturbed denizens could be introduced in Batwoman’s sophomore year. CBM claim that a casting call has been put out for “Jacob Zsasz,” a part that comes with this description:
“[JACOB ZSASZ] Male, Mid 20s-Late 30s, Open Ethnicity, Skilled Hitman.
Charismatic. Think Jason Statham. Someone with high, unpredictable energy. Proudly carves tally marks onto skin for every victim he kills. Must be willing to buzzcut hair or go bald/shave head.”
That bio is very similar to that of Batman villain Victor Zsasz, a wicked serial killer and ever-present in the Caped Crusader’s rogues gallery. The only slight confusion here is the name change.
Now, it’s possible Victor Zsasz’s appearance in Birds of Prey, where he was played by Chris Messina, has created a need to formally separate the characters. Which is complete nonsense, as audiences are smart enough to distinguish the Arrowverse version and the DCEU version of Zsasz without name changes. To give the benefit of doubt, though, it could instead be intentional plotting. Is Jacob Victor’s brother? There’s a free fan theory for you.
Anyway, whatever the reasons behind the alteration, it sounds like we could be seeing “Mr. Zsasz” battling Leslie’s Batwoman in the new season. He’s already cropped up in Gotham, Birds of Prey, Batman Begins, Arkham Asylum (and City) and for such a secondary villain, he’s evidently got a lot of cross-media appeal. Guess he helps fill out the sparer spots of their worlds.
If you’ve got any thoughts of your own on this potential addition to Batwoman’s criminal roster, leave a comment below and as always, watch this space for more.