Black Queer Actress Javicia Leslie has Been Cast as the New ‘Batwoman’ Following Ruby Rose’s Departure

When the CW announced that the producers of Batwoman planned to replace actress Ruby Rose and her character Kate Kane, fans were shocked. The casting of Ruby Rose a prominent lesbian/queer actress for the role of the gay superhero engendered much fanfare.

We now know who will be replacing Rose on the series.

According to Variety, “Javicia Leslie [is] set to step into the cape and cowl for the show’s upcoming second season on The CW. “I am extremely proud to be the first Black actress to play the iconic role of Batwoman on television, and as a bisexual woman, I am honored to join this groundbreaking show which has been such a trailblazer for the LGBTQ+ community,” Leslie said.

Leslie will portray a new character on the show named Ryan Wilder. She is described as likable, messy, a little goofy and untamed. She’s also nothing like Kate Kane (previously played by Ruby Rose), 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. 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. She is an out lesbian, athletic, raw, passionate, fallible, and very much not your stereotypical All-American hero.

Batwoman is scheduled to return in January on Sunday nights on The CW.