Audiences were shown a new era of The CW‘s Batwoman on Sunday, when the Season 2 premiere revealed the first chapter in the story of Ryan Wilder (Javicia Leslie). Ryan — an entirely-new character in the DC Comics mythos — decided to take on the Batwoman mantle after discovering the Batsuit in the ruins of a plane crash, one that seems to have led to the disappearance of Kate Kane (Ruby Rose). As the show has already teased, Ryan will soon make the Batsuit her own with the help of a costume redesign — and according to Leslie, it will make a major change both onscreen and offscreen. While speaking to ComicBook.com and other reporters during a recent press conference, Leslie teased that the new costume will bring some significant new elements to Ryan’s story — and to the overall legacy of the Batfamily.
“I felt a shift in myself and my ownership of the character in Ryan’s battle,” Leslie revealed. “The first two episodes, or the first two-and-a-half, you feel like you’re walking in someone else’s shoes. Red hair, a red wig — that doesn’t even look good on me and my complexion. You feel like it’s not you, you’re not comfortable. Before we actually started shooting, [showrunner] Caroline [Dries] had already told me that we were going to design a different suit for Ryan, but it would have to kind of develop naturally. So I started to be fitted for my new suit while filming in the previous suit. It was weird, because I was playing in one suit, knowing that this other suit was getting made. But once that suit was made, I remember the first time I tried it on in the fitting. It just felt like ‘This is it.’ …It’s scary, but it’s super-exciting.”
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“And at the end of the day, the suit represents a legacy,” Leslie continued. “It’s not that only one person can wear the suit — if you look back in old Batman comics and adaptations, [that was the case] with bat-suits past as well when Bruce Wayne went missing. There’s nothing to say that it cannot leave the Wayne family. I think that at the end of the day, it’s not about the last name. It’s about the character of the person. It’s about the morality of the person. And Ryan has that. She may not come from wealth or prestige, but she’s a person that knows what’s right and what’s wrong and will always fight for what’s right.”
Ryan’s new suit is expected to debut in the third episode of Batwoman‘s second season, which is titled “Bat Girl Magic!” You can check out the synopsis for it below.
“NEW HERO, NEW SUIT – As Ryan Wilder (Javicia Leslie) continues to prove herself as Batwoman, she encounters the challenge of every superhero – living a double life. Mary (Nicole Kang) is still Team Ryan, while Luke (Camrus Johnson) continues to have reservations – especially when Ryan makes some alterations and unveils a new Batsuit! Meanwhile, Victor Szasz (guest star Alex Morf) is slashing his way through the city streets, and Commander Kane (Dougray Scott) has The Crows trying to stop the flow of Snakebite through Gotham. Safiyah (guest star Shivaani Ghai) takes notice of Alice’s (Rachel Skarsten) antics and Sophie (Meagan Tandy) finds herself in unexpected circumstances.
Holly Dale directed the episode written by Nancy Kiu.”
Batwoman airs Sundays at 8/7c on The CW.
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