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Javicia Leslie Cast as first Black LGBTQ superhero in ‘Batwoman’

July 09, 2020

On Wednesday, July 8th, the CW Network announced that Javicia Leslie will be the new show lead in the season 2 of “Batwoman”. Before Leslie, Ruby Rose acted as the show’s lead, Katherine Kane; however, Rose left the show after just one season. According to CW, the new season will come out in January 2021. Once the show premieres, Leslie will become the first Black actress to play this superhero role in a live-action television show or film production. 

Javicia Leslie

The actress expressed her excitement and pride on her social media. Leslie recalled, “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.” The former Batwoman didn’t show any resentment for losing the role, instead, Ruby Rose applauded Leslie. On her Instagram, Rose said, “this is amazing! I am so glad Batwoman will be played by an amazing Black woman. I want to congratulate Javicia Leslie on taking over the bat cape. You are walking into an amazing cast and crew. I can’t wait to watch season 2. You are going to be amazing!” 

Instead of casting Leslie to replace Rose as Kate Kane, the production team created a new character for Leslie. The new role, Ryan Wilder, is “likable, messy, a little goofy and untamed.” According to CW, Ryan Wilder is “very much not your stereotypical all-American hero.”

However, the appearance of Wilder doesn’t mean the good old Katerine Kane is dead. Some audiences worry that Kate Kane’s death will be another example of “bury your gays” – a trend in which film productions kill off the LGBTQ+ characters in favor or the heterosexual protagonists. Caroline Dries, the writer and producer of Batwoman, said that she’s well-aware of the “bury your gays” trend in tv shows. However, Dries has “no interest in participating in it.” For her, “LGBTQ+ justice is at the very core of what Batwoman is,” and the production team would not throw away such an important core value. Instead, Kate Kane’s disappearance will become one of the mysteries and plot twists of season 2. 

Batwoman was the first scripted live-action TV series that featured a lesbian superhero protagonist. The show received a score of 79% on Rotten Tomatoes, but only a 3.6/10 from users on IMDb. Are you a fan of the show? What do you think of the casting? Comment down below! 

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