Batwoman: “Rule #1” Photos Give Best Look Yet at Black Mask

Batwoman completely shifted its status quo this past week, with an episode that laid the groundwork for some major new storylines in the weeks ahead. In addition to wrapping up parts of the fight against Safiyah Sohail (Shivani Ghai), as well as the Kryptonite injury sustained by Ryan Wilder (Javicia Leslie), the series unveiled a massive new plot twist — that Kate Kane is actually alive, and thanks to some face-swapping shenanigans, she will now be played by Krypton star Wallis Day. While we still have yet to see Day officially in the role of Kate, a new batch of photos just released by The CW tease other aspects of the series going forward, particularly for next week’s “Rule #1.”

For one thing, the photos showcase the best look yet at Roman Sionis/Black Mask, who was confirmed on Thursday to be played by Peter Outerbridge. As Roman Sionis, the head of Janus Cosmetics, he plays the white knight role against Gotham’s corrupt systems by day. But as his Black Mask alter ego, Roman is an evil mastermind with a deep hatred of The Crows and masked vigilantes, willing to destroy the city to get his revenge.

The photos also showcase members of the series’ ensemble having a funeral for Kate Kane, after Julia Pennyworth (Christina Wolfe) confirmed that her remains had washed up outside of Bludhaven. While we now know that that isn’t necessarily the case, that finality of sorts will add a unique layer to the eventual reveal that Kate is alive.

“We do, which we never do on our show, a little bit of a time passage of one month so that we can allow the characters to grieve and have a funeral, and then a month goes by, and we can not have them sobbing in every scene because nobody wants to watch that,” showrunner Caroline Dries revealed in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly. “So, there’s a little bit of sense of moving on and healing, and what’s central to the show now is the Bat Team coalescing, coming together, and Ryan looking at the Batsuit and realizing, ‘Oh, she’s not coming back.’”

“For Ryan Wilder, everything in her life that’s ever been good has been ripped away, and in the back of her mind, she always knew, ‘This is too good to be true, this is going to be ripped away from me,’” Dries continued. “Especially with the notion of Kate still being out there. And then when it’s definitive, Kate’s not coming back, Ryan looks at the suit and is like, ‘I’m Batwoman. What does that mean? What can I do for the city, not just as Batwoman, but as, her journey in episode nine is, as Ryan Wilder?’ Kate Kane gave so much back to the city just as Kate. Bruce Wayne donated so much to the city as Bruce. What is Ryan doing just as Ryan [going] to give back to the city? So she really starts to sort of design her own Bat code, so to speak, and her own rules for the Bat Team, and embraces the job full-heartedly at this point.”

You can check out the synopsis for “Rule #1” below, and keep scrolling to check out the photos from the episode!

“THE CHOICES WE MAKE – Batwoman (Javicia Leslie) confronts Gotham’s biggest foe, while new information forces those closest to Kate to make some difficult decisions. Ryan’s feelings for Angelique (guest star Bevin Bru) puts her partnership with Luke (Camrus Johnson) and Mary (Nicole Kang) at risk, while Alice (Rachel Skarsten) goes on a warped walk down memory lane. Also starring Dougray Scott and Meagan Tandy. Michael Blundell directed the episode written by Nancy Kiu and Maya Houston.”

Batwoman airs Sundays at 8/7c on The CW. “Rule #1” will air on March 28th.

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