After the announcement of Ruby Rose‘s exit as Kate Kane in from Batwoman on The CW, it was assumed that the iconic role would be recast and we would get a new iteration of the eponymous character.
However, it seems that the show has decided to take a different path for the lead character, and instead will replace Kate with an original character. Details for this new character come from a leaked casting call found on the Batwoman subreddit reported by Decider.
The casting call names the character as “Ryan Wilder” and searches for a “female, mid-late 20s, any ethnicity. Ryan Wilder is about to become Batwoman. She’s likable, messy, a little goofy and untamed. She’s also nothing like Kate Kane, the woman who wore the batsuit before her.”
The name is likely a stand-in, and there seem to be few similarities between the new Batwoman and the former. What Ryan does have in common with Kate is her identity as an out lesbian. The call encourages performers who identify as LGBTQ to audition. As one of the most iconically gay superheroes in comics, Kate’s sexual orientation and also Batwoman’s sexual orientation played a role in her season one story arc.
But this is where the similarities stop. A far cry from the rich daughter and cousin to Bruce Wayne, Ryan has a past as a drug-runner, “dodging the GCPD and masking her pain with bad habits.” And although she is sober, Ryan’s home in her van is nothing like the headquarters of Wayne Enterprises. With all the makings of an anti-hero, it will be interesting to see how Ryan interacts with the existing cast of characters who all seem intricately tied to Kate.
Because so much of season one of Batwoman involved Kate’s story with Alice, how will the show handle Kate Kane’s departure? The new lead will be joining Dougray Scott, Rachel Skarsten, Meagan Tandy, Nicole Kang, and Camrus Johnson. Scott plays Kate’s father, Skarsten plays her twin sister, Tandy plays her ex-girlfriend, Kang plays her younger sister, and Johnson plays her superhero confidant. How much will the storyline change in order to accommodate Ryan as the new Batwoman? Only time will tell. Batwoman Season 2 is expected to debut in January 2021, however, it could likely be delayed due to COVID-19.
I’ve already seen it speculated that ‘Ryan Wilder’ might be a placeholder name for Holly Robinson who, in the comics, briefly replaced Selina Kyle as Catwoman. This at least seems plausible, though starting over with an entirely new Batwoman seems awkward to say the least.
It’s such a stupid decision. All of the ongoing and unresolved stories revolve around Kate not Batwoman, and the entire supporting cast consists of her family, friends and (ex)lovers.
This is part of the same property that had three actors play Batman in movies that shared the same supporting cast of actors. I really don’t know why the allergy to recasting exists here. Simon’s right; this completely upends the dangling plot lines of the first season of Batwoman and leaves the supporting cast completely adrift. I will no longer be watching this show when it returns (it’s only been one season, so that’s probably going to stick).
Am I the only one thinking that those sister/father shenanigans were tedious, repetitive and somewhat boring. Not a replacement for decent storytelling, TV writers! Now they can move on to something more compelling that’s good.
I mean, I won’t deny that Alice has worn out her welcome and I don’t particularly care one way or the other about Jacob or Sophie, but I don’t see how you outright replace Kate at this point in time. Prove me wrong, Arrowverse. You’ve done it before (and maybe I jumped the gun earlier).
Not enough was made of the fact that she was injured during filming, which contributed a lot to her stepping back from the role.
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