The first look at Javicia Leslie as Ryan Wilder is presented by the cast photos of Batwoman season 2. As season 1 of Batwoman wrapped up, viewers were met with a surprising cliffhanger, which set up an exciting season 2. However, the Arrowverse was thrown for a loop when Ruby Rose, who had played Batwoman lead Kate Kane since Elseworlds, the crossover event of 2018, quit the newest Arrowverse broadcast.
Since then, Rose has spoken about her exit, explaining the pressure that the role placed on her. There was a lot of anticipation as to who would be cast as the next Kate, but when they heard that the next Batwoman would be a totally different character, viewers had another surprise.
In July, Leslie was publicly cast as the next lead for Batwoman and soon received help from Rose and fellow Arrowverse actor Grant Gustin. Best known for her roles in shows such as God Friended Me and The Family Company, Leslie will play Ryan Wilder, an original character who has been described as Kate’s opposite.
This will be Leslie’s first appearance as a superhero, and fans are very excited to see how Ryan is going to step into Batwoman’s universe. Season 2 development started earlier this month, and viewers will now get their first taste of Leslie in play.
After Ruby Rose, who played Kate Kane / Batwoman, left the show after the end of the first season, Leslie took over as the series lead. When healing from an on-set injury, Rose attributed her departure to the pressure of becoming a series lead. The casting of Leslie was revealed in July.
The official casting call described Leslie’s character:
She’s likable, she’s dirty, she’s a little silly, she’s untamed. She’s nothing like Kate Kane, the lady who was wearing a batsuit before her, either. As a drug-runner, Ryan spent years avoiding the GCPD and masking her pain with destructive habits, with no one to keep her on track in her life.
Ryan is the most violent type of fighter: extremely trained and wildly undisciplined: a girl who can steal milk for an alley cat might also murder you with her bare hands. A Lesbian Down. Just athletic. Huh. Raw. Only passionate. Real. Fallible. And not the stereotypical All-American hero, either.
