New 'Batwoman' First Look Photo: Javicia Leslie Puts On The Cape And Cowl For The CW Show

Ruby Rose stepped down from the mantle of Batwoman after the first season of the series came to an end earlier this year. It was a surprising move from the actress, but it made way for the casting of Javicia Leslie, the first Black actress to take on the role of the DC Comics superhero. But instead of playing Kate Kane, she'll be playing a new character named Ryan Wilder, and we've got a first look at her suited up as Batwoman for the show's second season. Get a look at the new Batwoman photo below.

Here's our first look at Javicia Leslie suited up as Batwoman, as revealed on her own Instagram account:

So the cowl with the red wig is still intact for the time being. But don't worry, Javicia Leslie won't be wearing the old Batwoman suit for a long time. Since Kate Kane is missing when the second season of Batwoman begins, it would make sense that Ryan Wilder has to wear the old suit for a bit when she steps into the superhero role. But as the show goes on, the suit will evolve, and it will reflect Wilder's character more too. Leslie said as much during a recent panel at DC FanDome:

"If we're gonna have a Black Batwoman, she needs to be a sista when she becomes Batwoman. So it's important that the silhouette of her still looks like that. So more of like a natural textured hair and things like that. I think we're still kind of putting things together."

That means we're likely not going to see that sleek, red wig for much longer. In fact, it could end up looking more like the illustration by Jim Lee at the top of this story, which was part of a big poster created for DC FanDome. The suit in general may see some other aesthetic changes too. At the time of the Batwoman panel at DC FanDome, it sounded like details of the new suit were still being worked out, so we'll have to wait to see what other changes are coming to the character's look. If you'd like a look at Javicia Leslie in the full suit, a photo from the set surfaced elsewhere online.

Perhaps the Batwoman suit that Ryan Wilder puts together will be a bit, well, wilder. If her character description comes through in the suit's design, then we'd expect to see a Batwoman suit that's a little more sharp around the edges, at least figuratively. Here's how Wilder was described when recasting Batwoman was first announced:

"She's likable, messy, a little goofy and untamed. She's also nothing like Kate Kane, the woman who wore the batsuit before her. With no one in her life to keep her on track, Ryan spent years as a drug-runner, dodging the GCPD and masking her pain with bad habits. A girl who would steal milk for an alley cat could also kill you with her bare hands, Ryan is the most dangerous type of fighter: highly skilled and wildly undisciplined. An out lesbian. Athletic. Raw. Passionate. Fallible. And very much not your stereotypical All-American hero."

If the new Batwoman isn't a stereotypical All-American Hero, then she probably won't have your typical superhero suit when all is said and done. But we might have to wait until further into the show's second season before we get to see it. The series is back in production up in Vancouver, Canada, and it's expected to return to The CW in January 2021.