Check Out the First Trailer With Javicia Leslie as Our New Batwoman!

She’s here! After a few teases, set clips and a look at the new costume, we have our first trailer for the new season of Batwoman which will see Javicia Leslie as the new character Ryan Wilder who will take on the mantle of Batwoman following Kate Kane’s mysterious disappearance. And, friends, fellow Batfam … I love this.

As you may or may not remember, season one of Batwoman ended with a cliffhanger. Even though the final episode wasn’t meant to close out the season and became the finale thanks to production shutting down due to the pandemic, the way it ended, with Kate Kane’s (Ruby Rose) fate unknown was a perfect opportunity for the show to introduce a new mystery and a new Batwoman when Rose left the show.

The trailer picks up with that mystery and introduces us to Ryan. The characters we’ve come to love mourn and worry for Kate, and Gotham cries out that they need Batwoman. I do like the touch that there are rainbow bat signs at some sort of vigil, given that in this version of Gotham Batwoman is an out celebrity. Kate Kane isn’t dead though, and her disappearance will be an on-going mystery.

It’s not clear how Ryan finds the Batsuit or how she gets in touch with someone who she’s asking to give her a chance to wear it. I assume that’s Luke (Camrus Johnson) and he seems pretty committed to the idea that Kate is Batwoman and no one else. But Ryan gets herself in that leather anyway with the pep talk “Time to be powerful” and we’re off to the races! In a Batmobile!

Ryan looks like she’s having more fun than Kate ever did in her cape and cowl, and that seems extremely exciting for Alice (Rachel Skarsten). And, uh oh to Luke telling Ryan (maybe?) that Batwoman doesn’t kill. That’s gonna continue to be an issue since Alice certainly does and she’s, of course, up to something nefarious. But at least Luke won’t object to Ryan’s updates to the suit, because they’re amazing.

I’m really excited by this trailer because just in the few seconds we see of her, Ryan Wilder seems pretty amazing. Leslie is engaging and charismatic and emotive in a way that’s different from Rudy Rose, whose approach to the character was often a hurdle for me and others who really want to love this show. It doesn’t look like we’ll have that issue with Leslie, and I’m so excited to see a queer, Black woman as the hero of this story.

Batwoman returns to The CW on Sunday, January 17th.

(image: The CW)

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