'Batwoman': Will Javicia Leslie's Ryan Wilder receive an all-new Batsuit in Season 2?
Ruby Rose's departure from 'Batwoman' took everyone by surprise, which only increased when the show announced that Kate Kane's character would also be leaving the series instead of replacing the same character with a new face. It was recently announced that Javicia Leslie would be playing an all-new character, Ryan Wilder, giving the CW a Black Batwoman. However, that may not be the only change the Batwoman identity will undergo -- a recent 'Batman Beyond' comic might just hint at a new costume for Ryan Wilder as well.
Batwoman's costume took a lot of style cues from 'Batman Beyond', most noticeably the bright red Bat-symbol across the chest. Batwoman, of course, added a red wig and a black cape with a red inner lining to the ensemble, but the design similarities remain, even though the characters have never actually met in the comics. In the current 'Batman Beyond' comics, written by Dan Jurgens, a new Batwoman of the future has appeared: Elainna Grayson, the daughter of Dick Grayson, the former Robin and Nightwing.
Elainna Grayson's costume was largely modeled after the original Batwoman's, but in 'Batman Beyond' #45, she was seen sporting an all-new blue-themed costume, one that honors her father's Nightwing costume more than it did Batwoman's. The suit, drawn by Paul Pelletier, inked by Norm Rapmund and colored by Chris Sotomayor, is sleeker and has a bright blue stylized fastening around the utility belt as well. The suit was originally designed for Nightwing, but with a few minor adjustments, it fit Elainna Grayson just as well.
The new suit might be just the thing to set the new Batwoman, Ryan Wilder, apart from Kate Kane's version of the character. A blue Bat-symbol across the chest could not be any more different from the stylized red and would work great to cement to the criminals of Gotham City that there's an all-new Batwoman in town. Ryan Wilder does not have, as far as we know, any of the familial connections to Bruce Wayne that Kate Kane did, which might make members of the team reluctant to give her Kane's Batsuit.
In wearing a separate costume, Wilder would not only be visually distinct from the old Batwoman, but also step out from both Batman and the former Batwoman's shadow, carrying the legacy of the Bat into new horizons. Though she's taking up the Batwoman name, Ryan Wilder will need to do all she can to avoid comparisons between her and Kate Kane, and a new costume just might be the perfect way to do it.
'Batwoman' Season 2 is set to release in 2021, on the CW.