Batwoman: Javicia Leslie and Caroline Dries Tease Season 2's New Costume at DC FanDome

The CW's Batwoman will be headed into uncharted territory in its upcoming second season, with Javicia Leslie stepping into the series' titular role. After Ruby Rose departed as Kate Kane/Batwoman shortly after Season 1's finale, Leslie will be making history as the first Black actress to portray Batwoman, in the form of a new character named Ryan Wilder. With filming on Season 2 just beginning days ago, fans are eager to see what Leslie will look like suited up in Batwoman's iconic red and black costume. While the show's panel at DC FanDome: Explore the Multiverse did not provide that first look, Leslie did hint at what she hopes to accomplish with the new suit.

"We're also talking about how important it is that, if we're going to have a black Batwoman, that she needs to be like
a sister when she becomes that," Leslie explained. "It's like the silhouette of her like that. So more of a natural texture hair and things like that. So I think we're still kind of like putting things together. I can't wait. I actually have no idea. I've just been sending her fanart like 'Oh my gosh look at this!'"

Batwoman showrunner Caroline Dries echoed this sentiment, teasing that Ryan Wilder's Batwoman costume will be "an evolution" throughout the beginning of Season 2, as Ryan tries to embrace her unique take on the mantle.

"She had already come out of the closet as Kate, but she now wanted Batwoman to come out of the closet. And that was like a huge story arc that we applied to season one, because it felt like so stifling that this girl who's out is hiding her identity. And likewise, and I wanted to tell that same story with Ryan. That's what she and I have been talking about is: how can we make sure that Ryan isn't hiding what makes her awesome with the suit? It's going to be a little bit of an evolution. We're going to see this evolve early on in the season."

Ryan is described as likable, messy, a little goofy and untamed, she's also nothing like Kate Kane, 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. An out lesbian. Athletic. Raw. Passionate. Fallible. And very much not your stereotypical all-American hero.

Are you excited to see Javicia Leslie suit up as Batwoman? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Batwoman's second season is expected to premiere in 2021 on The CW.