Who is Ryan Wilder? Kate Kane's replacement may give Batwoman a chance to stop living in Batman's shadow
Ruby Rose's departure from 'Batwoman' has caused a lot of buzz for fans of the show. Everyone is wondering who is next in line to play Batwoman, but one thing is for sure — nobody is going to be playing Kate Kane. It's a rather big decision for the show to be making, but in the end, it might just be the best thing.
It should be noted, right off the bat (no pun intended), that not having another actor replace Kate Kane pays a lot of respect to the journey Ruby Rose made with the character. While the first season of 'Batwoman' had its ups and downs, Rose's performance was always on point and it only grew as the series went on. To have someone else replace her character would erase that journey entirely, and Rose deserves better than that.
One of the biggest problems with the 'Batwoman' series, however, has been how much it leaned on 'Batman' to make it work. Not even 'Supergirl' had as much reliance on her distaff counterpart when her series was introduced, and Supergirl was much closer to her cousin in the comics. Batwoman has always been one of the most independent members of the Batfamily in the comics, and the TV show ought to reflect that.
On The CW series, Kate Kane inherited the Bat's legacy. Her personal connection to Bruce Wayne inspired her to carry on protecting Gotham in the way he wanted — meaning she took on his costume, his gadgets, his cave and even his villains. Aside from Alice (Rachel Skarsten), Batwoman was always treading territory well established by her more famous cousin. It's an unfair comparison, given Batman's legendary status as a superhero icon — that long shadow gave Batwoman very little opportunity to shine on her own. A brand new character has the chance to change all that.
The brief for the new character "Ryan Wilder" reads: "She's likable, messy, a little goofy and untamed. She's also nothing like Kate Kane, the woman who wore the batsuit before her... With no one in her life to keep her on track, Ryan spent years as a drug-runner, dodging the GCPD and masking her pain with bad habits. A girl who would steal milk for an alley cat could also kill you with her bare hands, Ryan is the most dangerous type of fighter: highly skilled and wildly undisciplined. An out lesbian. Athletic. Raw. Passionate. Fallible. And very much not your stereotypical All-American hero." Of course, while this could simply be a placeholder description for casting, it suggests a new kind of Batfamily character, a type that we usually only get to see in sidekicks like Harper Row.
Having a new character not so deeply tied to the legacy of Wayne opens up a whole new host of opportunities. A backstory unburdened by decades of comic book and familial history is exactly the kind of thing that 'Batwoman' needs to forge a new path. With a new character comes the opportunity for new enemies, new allies and new connections with a cast that had already begun to grow a little stale. 'Batwoman' needed a serious direction change after its first season and Ryan Wilder is its best opportunity to do so.