Batwoman: Black Mask Confirmed to Be One of Season 2's Big Bads

We're just a few days away from the return of Batwoman, and fans are undeniably excited to see what Season 2 has in store. In addition to featuring the grand debut of an entirely new Batwoman, Ryan Wilder (Javicia Leslie), the series will be weaving in some epic plotlines and new characters. The season was already teeing up some fascinating villains, both in the form of Safiyah Sohail (Shivani Ghai) and Victor Zsasz (Alex Morf) -- and according to a new report, another fan-favorite antagonist will soon join that list. In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Batwoman showrunner Caroline Dries confirmed that Black Mask will be one of several Big Bads fans can expect in Season 2. This comes after his gang in the comics - the False Face Society - was teased in the synopsis for Batwoman's Season 2 premiere.

"We have a couple big bads this season," Dries revealed. "One, [who] we teed up midway through last season, is this woman Safiyah, and she's sort of Alice's Achilles' Heel. And ultimately yes with the False Face Society, we will see the leader of this gang as Black Mask later on in the season."

In the comics, Roman Sionis/Black Mask is a drug kingpin in Gotham City, who was a reluctant childhood friend of Bruce Wayne. After killing his parents and inheriting their fortune, Sionis ends up ruining his family's cosmetics company, with Bruce offering to help bail him out. Sionis then visits his parents' grave, where he is struck by lightning, an event that he sees as his own personal "rebirth." Sionis then destroys his father's casket, using the pieces to make his Black Mask, and quickly becoming a crime boss. Black Mask was introduced to a whole new audience last year, when Ewan McGregor portrayed him in the film Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn).

While it's unclear exactly when Black Mask will be making his arrival on Batwoman - much less who will be playing him in the series - the idea that he and the False Face Society will be terrorizing Gotham Is undoubtedly interesting. According to Dries, Ryan Wilder will be uniquely affected by the gang's prominence in Gotham City.

"While Ryan never used drugs, she was in a relationship where somebody was using drugs and it's ultimately what got Ryan put away in jail," Dries explained. "So, it's this idea that Ryan is this innocent woman and if she were white, per se, she might not have had the same punishment [that] she, as an innocent Black woman, had to go through. That's a huge piece of her backstory, so that's something we're exploring this year. Batwoman has this particular vendetta against the False Face Society because the idea of drugs permeating the city and nobody taking any responsibility for it strikes at her core."

What do you think of Black Mask being confirmed to appear in Batwoman Season 2? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Batwoman is set to return on Sunday, January 17th at 8/7c on The CW.