The CW’s “Batwoman” is going into its second season with a brand new character behind the mask. Originally following Kate Kane as Batwoman, the new season is instead focusing on Ryan Wilder as the superhero. Ryan Wilder is a new character created for the show, which means we get to learn a new backstory rather than sit through another reboot.
Ryan Wilder is just getting started as the new Batwoman which means the creatives behind her are just getting started, too. On working with DC, Caroline Dries, showrunner, writer, and executive producer, explained, “They dont have strict rules on what you do with the characters they allow you to use.”
One of the nice things of writing for an already established character is you don’t have to fill in the backstory, the physical attributes, the personality or the relationships that character has. A lot of that work is done for you. All that’s left is a plot. Besides, an established character in comics means audiences will be interested in seeing that character again. The familiarity is security. But you also lose some liberties with prewritten characters.
When it came time to recast the main character, DC offered other names from the comics, but Dries had a different idea.
“I just wanna go start fresh.”
That cushion of using a familiar character is no longer there, but this only makes Ryan Wilder more enticing. We don’t know much about her yet apart from her connection to Kate Kane and her life in Gotham. Who are her nemeses? Who are her sidekicks? What will her take on the costume be? How will she handle the supervillains that come her way?
As for playing a new character, Javicia Leslie has enjoyed developing Ryan Wilder from scratch. She feels there’s no comparison to be made to a comic counterpart.
“We are now laying the foundation for this character that will forever be here,” She said.
This isn’t a first for DC to introduce characters on TV before developing them in comics. The most notable character is Harley Quinn, who appeared in “Batman: The Animated Series” in 1992 before taking on a life of her own.
The CW’s “Batwoman” has now made their own mark in the DC universe with Ryan Wilder behind the mask. Regardless of what happens to her story, she will always be a part of DC.
“Batwoman” is currently airing its second season every Sunday on the CW at 8pm EST.
