Season 2 of Batwoman is quickly approaching! With all the craziness of the last year, it feels like ages since we've had the The CW superhero shows in our lives. Batwoman will be the first of the Arrowverse suite to return, with Superman & Lois, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and Black Lightning returning later this year. Supergirl will be headed back for its final season... later. For now, Melissa Benoist (Supergirl) is focused on being a momma!
Obviously, there are going to be a lot of big changes in this upcoming season of Batwoman. With Ruby Rose unexpectedly stepping away from her role as Kate Kane after Season 1 of the series wrapped, human ray of sunshine Javicia Leslie was cast as Gotham's newest caped crusader. We got a little bit of insight on Leslie and her character during the Batwoman panel at DC FanDome last year.
When will 'Batwoman' Season 2 premiere?
"What Happened to Kate Kane?" will premiere on The CW on Sunday, January 17th. The official synopsis of the Season 2 premiere explains that Leslie's Ryan Wilder will stumble upon Kate Kane's batsuit while her friends and family desperately hold out hope that they'll find their lost loved one.
Where Can I Stream 'Batwoman' Season 2?
Batwoman will air weekly on The CW during its regular season. Outside from the normal mid-season break and random off-weeks the network is prone to - dates TBA - the series will occupy the Sunday at 8PM EST slot until Season 2 concludes.
For those who don't have cable, you can watch each episode the day after it airs on The CW App. It's not the best app on the block, but it'll get the job done. If you're more of a binge-watcher, the second season will be available in full on HBO Max once it finishes its live run.
What's 'Batwoman' Season 2 About?
In short? New beginnings.
With Kate Kane missing, Ryan Wilder will be the new Bat in town. So far, we know that Wilder is much different from her predecessor. The woman we meet at the beginning of this new season lives in a van, with a plant as her most prized possession. When asked by Variety about how she wanted her Batwoman would differ from Ruby Rose's, Javicia responded with the below:
"The writers and the showrunner already did a great job at that, so I didn’t have to intentionally try to be different. The writing allowed this character to stand out on its own and, of course, we’re two different individuals so my natural energy coming into it is already going to be different. I think my only job is to show up and have fun, and play in the storyline that’s already been created."
In an interview with TooFab, she expanded on what becoming a hero will mean to her character, and why it matters.
"The journey of her becoming her own Batwoman is really important, because I think that the representation of Ryan is really the representation of all of us watching the show and how it shows anyone can be a hero. But you do need to put your own pride aside, you have to put your own vengeance aside and that's the journey she has to go on. When she starts to realize, while Kate is missing, it's important that she fill the shoes of Kate Kane, she starts to realize that the only way for her to fully do this at the best of her ability is to do it her way. She is not Kate Kane, she is her own person and she has to find her own way to do her work, save people, but do it the way representative of herself."
Season 2 will also actively focus on race, with the trailer already showing us a confrontation between Ryan Wilder and Alice where the hero rightfully points out that if Alice were a Black woman she'd have been dead long ago. A big part of Batwoman's character is her queer identity, which will carry on with Ryan as well.
Who's in 'Batwoman' Season 2?
While the mantle of Batwoman has shifted from Ruby Rose to Javicia Leslie, we'll still be seeing a lot of familiar faces heading back into Season 2. Here's a look at the players - both new and old - that we'll meet in the first episode of the new season.
- Javicia Leslie (Ryan Wilder)
- Meagan Tandy (Sophie Moore)
- Nicole Kang (Mary Hamilton)
- Camrus Johnson (Luke Fox)
- Rachel Skarsten (Alice)
- Dougray Scott (Jacob Kane)
- Shivaani Ghai (Safiyah Sohail)
- Alex Morf (Victor Zsasz)
Given that this is the Arrowverse, expect plenty of surprises in the coming season whether it be in Gotham City or when Ryan Wilder inevitably meets the rest of the Super Friends.
I don't watch the rest of the Arrowverse. Should I watch 'Batwoman'?
Absolutely! The CW superhero universe might not be perfect, but they've still done a good job ensuring that you don't need to watch all of its properties to understand what's happening in the overall universe. There's an annual crossover, but anything that you need to know from the other shows will typically be explained prior to the episode or organically in the story.
With Supergirl ending after its upcoming season, and Green Arrow and the Canaries not getting approved for a season order, Batwoman is one of the last female focused stories on the channel. Javicia Leslie has proven to be a ray of sunshine throughout the pre-season process, and we're loving what we're seeing in the trailers for the series. Give the premiere a shot on January 17th if you're on the fence!
