Batwoman boss teases how Ryan Wilder 'puts her stamp' on the Bat legacy

Batwoman showrunner Caroline Dries has shed a bit more light on what we can expect from the CW super-drama's new hero in season 2.

During the Legacy of the Bat panel at DC FanDome, host Nyambi Nyambi (The Good Fight) asked Dries how Javicia Leslie's Ryan Wilder, the new Batwoman, would fit into the larger legacy of the Bat. Dries said that's exactly the story of season 2.

"At first, she doesn't fit," said Dries. "She doesn't fit literally. She makes it fit her. In making it fit her, she makes the Bat accessible to this whole other world of people who normally might not have a hero to look up to. So, she puts her stamp on the legacy."

In May, Ruby Rose, who played Kate Kane/Batwoman in season 1, exited the series. Instead of recasting the role, though, Dries decided to take the show in another direction with the creation Leslie's Ryan. Whereas Kate came from a wealthy family, Ryan is a skilled fighter who currently lives out of her van after spending several years as a drug runner. How she ends up becoming Batwoman has yet to be revealed. However, just because there's a new Batwoman doesn't mean the CW drama will forget Kate. Dries previously said Kate's disappearance is one of season 2's mysteries, and she reaffirmed that position during the panel while also explaining why she decided to create this new character.

"Kate Kane has disappeared in season 2, and it was controversial to the fans because of course they love Kate Kane, so of course we're going to keep her part of the show," said Dries. "But [Rose's exit] also gave us this really unique opportunity to create a new Batwoman. I decided to make up a character named Ryan Wilder who is the opposite of Kate Kane. Ryan Wilder is a character that Batwoman needs to protect. It just provided a new rich storytelling device for us."

Leslie, who is the first Black woman to play Batwoman, also appeared on the panel and opened about what her casting means to her and she hopes everyone else. "What I love about DC, what I love about WB, what I love about [Greg] Berlanti is that you have these iconic characters, and they've done this amazing job of making them so many different ethnicities and shapes and sizes, and things that weren't as typical as you may have imagined when you were a kid," said Leslie, who also appeared on the BAWSE: Females of Color Within the DC Universe earlier that day. "They've showed us you can be anything no matter what the color of your skin is."

Batwoman will return in 2021 on The CW.

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