The CW have found a replacement for Australia’s Ruby Rose. Javicia Leslie will be taking over, but she looks like a drag queen.
Up until recently Javicia Leslie has been on the celebrity C-list, but now that the focus is mainly on black lives, lesser known artists of colour are getting their chance to shine.
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Javicia Leslie has snagged the role of Batwoman, previously played by Aussie’s favourite lesbian actress, Ruby Rose.
Ruby Rose played the part of Kate Kane in CW’s Batwoman. A caped crusaderess who fought on the side of social justice. Despite terrible ratings and poor reception CW’s Batwoman was renewed for another (two?) season, but just moments after… Ruby Rose announced her departure from the show.
Why did Ruby Rose quit Batwoman?
Ruby Rose’s agent hinted that the show was “beneath her” seeing as the 34-year-old Australian actress was booking major roles in Hollywood Blockbuster films. However, later Ruby Rose revealed that the workload was simply too much for her, and she had seriously injured herself doing a stunt for CW’s Batwoman, revealing that she had been experiencing “chronic pain” for months.
Ruby Rose left CW’s Batwoman after needing emergency surgery for failed stunt.
CW were desperately searching for a replacement and eventually decided to go with a lesser known actress of colour, Javicia Leslie.
Javicia Leslie may be a massive downgrade but the producers were adamant that a LGBTQ+ actress had to replace Rose. Strangely, though, Javicia Leslie is not reprising the role of Kate Kane, but will instead play Ryan Wilder.
Who is Ryan Wilder?
Ryan Wilder (now played by Javicia Leslie in CW’s Batwoman) does not exist in the DC comic book universe; she is a completely new character written specifically for the show.
Bi-sexual Javicia Leslie takes over CW’s Batwoman as Ryan Wilder.
So, why did the new Batwoman actress need to be an LGBTQ+ person, too? Since Leslie is not replacing Kate Kane, you’re guess is as good as ours.
Why does the new Batwoman have a boy’s name? The name literally translates to “little king” which may indicate that the new Batwoman is, in fact, a transgender male.
So, the new Batwoman is a boy… a trans boy?
We know very little about the Javicia Leslie except for the fact that she’s bisexual and has been in a few low budget films and television series. But considering that the producers persisting in catering specifically to the LGBTQ+ community, we can assume that Ryan Wilder may be a transgender boy.
The new CW’s Batwoman Ryan Wilder looks a little like the famous drag queen, RuPaul.
That might explain why the show’s costume department made no efforts of adapting the costume to Javicia Leslie’s fierce aesthetic and are still using that crimson red undercut wig for the character. Sadly, it makes Javicia Leslie look more like a drag queen, a la RuPaul, than a badass superhero.
Perhaps that’s the goal? We also know very little about her character “Ryan Wilder” because they are unique to the CW’s Batwoman series.
It’s all a bit strange, really. It’s going to be somewhat interesting to see how the show deals with this sudden and confusing change and whether the top dogs at CW will pull the plug after a few episodes considering the CW’s Batwoman lost their biggest star.