We’re looking forward to the return of The CW’s Batwoman, which will launch its second season on Sunday, January 17th. Of course, the big change this year is the replacement of Ruby Rose’s Kate Kane with Javicia Leslie’s Ryan Wilder, who will be taking up the mantle of the titular hero. And with the premiere date coming up soon, we’ve just received a synopsis for the opening episode and a new poster, which you can catch below.
As is to be expected, “What Happened to Kate Kane?” will kick off the sophomore outing for the show by dealing with Rose’s exit and how Wilder takes over as the lead. There’ll also be efforts made to build on the storylines introduced at the end of the first season, including the introduction of Tommy Doyle/Hush, and whatever is now going to happen with Kane’s twin sister Alice.
Here’s how the synopsis reads:
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN – Kate’s friends and family hold on to hope that Kate may still be found, a homeless 25-year-old named Ryan Wilder (Javicia Leslie) stumbles upon Kate’s Batsuit. Focused on no longer being a victim, Ryan takes the suit to use as armor and goes rogue in the streets of Gotham, taking out various members of a new gang called the False Face Society.
Meanwhile, both Jacob Kane (Dougray Scott) and Luke Fox (Camrus Johnson) launch searches for Kate, Mary Hamilton (Nicole Kang) grapples with losing yet another family member, Sophie Moore (Meagan Tandy) struggles with things left unsaid to her first love, and Alice (Rachel Skarsten) is furious that someone got to Kate before she could exact her revenge.
At the same time, “Bruce Wayne” (guest star Warren Christie) returns under the pretense of searching for Kate, but the truth is he wants his suit back and it becomes the clash of imposters as “Batwoman” and “Bruce” square off in the action-packed season premiere.
Based on this preview, it’s difficult to tell how much of Kane’s disappearance will be resolved, although it’s almost certain that the actress won’t be back for a cameo. The showrunners will presumably want to shift focus as soon as possible to Wilder’s different motivations and skillset as Batwoman, and how she’ll build a personal connection to villains established as having close ties to Rose’s character. Teaser images have certainly been stressing the iconic element of the hero, and the latest artwork, shown above, provides another look at the new Batsuit.
From what we’ve seen so far of the series, Leslie has the chops to pull off the superhero side of things, and will be helped by the introduction of many exciting parts of the Batman mythos, including Bruce Wayne (well, at least a physical copy of him). We’ll also be getting Victor Zsasz and Amygdala as additional new antagonists, so there’ll be no shortage of villains for Wilder to face down when fresh Batwoman episodes come our way from January 2021.