Ruby Rose, who? Batwoman fans are going wild over Javicia Leslie’s debut as Ryan Wilder

Javicia Leslie’s first appearance as Ryan Wilder is well-received by fans

Javicia Leslie as Ryan Wilder

The Arrowverse officially returned to The CW on Sunday night with the much-awaited season 2 premiere of Batwoman. It was the first episode of the series without Ruby Rose’s Kate Kane and marked the debut appearance of its Javicia Leslie’s Ryan Wilder.

When the show announced last year that it was introducing a new character that would take up the mantle of Batwoman following Rose’s exit, a lot of fans were against the idea. But now that the first episode of the new season has aired, fan reactions on social media seem to suggest that most viewers are actually loving Leslie’s performance and her character.

Naturally, there are some fans who can’t help but compare Leslie’s Ryan to Rose’s Kate, and it looks like more viewers prefer the newcomer over the OG.

Last Sunday’s episode, titled What Happened to Kate Kane?, opens with Ryan witnessing a plane explode in the air, and amidst the wreckage is the Batsuit. She thinks it’s just what she needs to get revenge on Alice (Rachel Skarsten), whose Wonderland gang is responsible for the death of her adoptive mother. So when Ryan comes face to face with Luke Fox (Camrus Johnson) and Mary Hamilton (Nicole Kang) for the first time, Ryan refuses to give the suit up.

Ryan’s emotional soliloquy about why she’s worthy of keeping the suit is the highlight of the episode, and it’s one of the scenes that make several viewers realize that the show made the right decision to introduce a completely new character to step into the role of Batwoman rather than recasting the character of Kate.

Though Ryan returns the Batsuit to Luke and Mary after facing off against Tommy Elliot (Warren Christie) at the end of the episode, the synopsis and the trailer for next week’s episode reveal that it won’t be long before Ryan wears it again. Check out the synopsis and the trailer for Prior Criminal History below:

“After her quick spin in the Batgear, Ryan Wilder is back to facing the daily challenges of life as herself. Meanwhile, Alice has a new, devious plan to get the attention of both Gotham and Safiyah (Shivaani Ghai). With Kate still missing and the city in an uprising, Luke and Mary are desperate to find a stand-in. In a pinch, Ryan dons the suit again and comes face-to-face with Alice for the first time. Back at Crows Headquarters, Sophie and Commander Kane try to uncover who may have had a vendetta against Kate.”

Batwoman | Season 2 Episode 2 | Prior Criminal History Promo | The CW

Batwoman season 2, episode 2 airs on Sunday, January 24th at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.

Sources: ComicBook.com, The Futon Critic
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