After replacing Ruby Rose, Javicia Leslie is gearing up for a “long journey” as the first Black Batwoman, and we couldn’t be more excited!
Javicia Leslie likely didn’t anticipate that her life was going to change this drastically over the course of a few months. It’s been that kind of year, I suppose, but in this case, it’s something that puts a smile on our face.
After Ruby Rose’s unexpected departure from The CW’s Batwoman, the network was tasked with finding a replacement for its title character. They landed on Javicia Leslie, who will play Ryan Wilder, a new character who we’ll see become Batwoman.
This casting comes at a moment when calls for diversity and inclusivity are louder than ever, and this moment is Leslie. “This really had nothing to do with me and everything to do with my people and with little Black girls,” she told The Hollywood Reporter.
I’m excited to see is what Leslie’s Batwoman brings to the Arrowverse, and what kind of relationships she’ll have with the characters in it. There was a lot of crossover between Supergirl and Batwoman in the last season, and I’d love to see Leslie mix it up with Melissa Benoist’s Supergirl.
Based on what we know so far, Javicia Leslie seems to be a perfect match for Batwoman. She says the two share a “quirky but ‘I’m a boss if I have to be’ type of mentality.”
She also has the kind of fitness regimen you need if you’re going to protect Gotham City. “I’m very active in my personal life, so being able to allow that to be my work, that’s heaven for me. I do Muay Thai. I do fitness training. I run. Anything that’s active I’m always down for, so this is going to be like playing on the playground every day.”
Leslie has yet to see and try on the new Batwoman suit, but we have a lot of reason to be excited. “This is a great beginning to what I’m sure will be a very long journey,” she said.
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