On Monday, The CW posted a pair of first-look images of the redesign of Batwoman's suit, after it had been tinkered with to accommodate a new character/secret identity (Ryan Wilder) and the actress who portrays said character (Javicia Leslie).
For those who have been following, Leslie is set to take over as the show's title hero after Ruby Rose (a.k.a. Kate Kane/Batwoman in the series' first season) left the show. In September, Leslie had posted an image showing her sporting red hair and a bat mask, but that wasn't a full shot of what the new redesign would look like. She even teased the full reveal with the caption: "Look out, Gotham, I'm suited up and ready to go...But just wait until Ryan Wilder puts her own spin on the Batsuit."
As for that full reveal, well, exactly a month later here it is:
Variety writes that the outfit will make its debut beginning in the second season's third episode.
“I love the fact that Ryan is becoming her own Batwoman — it’s her style, her swag, and her moment,” said Leslie in a statement. “I felt it was important that viewers could tell by the silhouette that Batwoman was a Black girl. With the form-fitting suit and beautiful Afro, we definitely nailed it!”
The new concept was the result of a collaboration between many different parties. Variety writes that the concept was conjured up by Maya Mani and created by Ocean Drive Leather, the makeup was styled by Cory Roberts, and the wig was created by Janice Workman. Mani adds that the design is an attempt to give a new take on the character, and that it was also intended to show off Leslie's athleticism.
Executive producer Caroline Dries also put out a statement on the suit's new alterations.
“As Ryan embraces everything that makes her special, she adjusts the suit to fit her physically and figuratively,” Dries said. “This meant creating a new body design and new cowl that was undeniably a statement that screamed ‘powerful.'”
Feel free to contrast the Javicia Leslie design with the Ruby Rose edition. The differences would appear to be pretty subtle, but there are probably multiple forums breaking this down to an insane degree if you know where to look:
Anyway, let's cue up some immediate reactions to the reveal:
The show's second season is set to premiere in January 2021.
