Season 3 of The CW series Batwoman premiered in January, and its star Javicia Leslie has gotten her stride in the title role. This is her second year as the femme fatale.
Leslie assumed the role when white Australian actress Ruby Rose left the series after the first season. The actress’ appearance as the first Black Batwoman was monumental. As she told NBC News, “I was like, ‘Oh, my God, this is bigger than just me being excited to become a superhero, or me being excited to even have a role.”
She also insists that there is room for more Black superheroes.
In the series, Batwoman’s real identity is Ryan Wilder– a young, gay Black woman who grew up in foster care and recently became CEO of Bruce Wayne’s multimillion-dollar company. This season shows her tracking down weapons used by supervillains. Wilder also juggles her personal life while fighting bad guys. She connects with her birth mother for the first time since she entered the foster care system.
Leslie loves her character not only for the visibility she’s giving to Black people in the superhero world but also to all the other groups her character represents as well.
“The amazing part about Ryan, there’s so many different communities that she represents just in her existence,” said Leslie, who is bisexual. “She’s gay. Yeah, she’s Black. She’s a woman. She’s also a foster kid.”
The star is one of several Black actors currently playing heroes adapted from comic books or historically white superheroes. Other actors include Camrus Johnson, “Batwing,” Cress Williams, “Black Lightning,” and Kaci Walfall, “Powerhouse.”
The success of Black Panther in 2018 opened many opportunities on the big screen for Black superheroes. A sequel to “Black Panther” is slated for release later this year. While the late Chadwick Boseman’s starring character will be recast, actors Letitia Wright, Danai Gurira and Lupito Nyong’o will reprise their roles.
