The second season of Batwoman has already been chock-full of surprises, but the re-casting of Kate Kane and the introduction of Black Mask promises to up the drama for Javicia Leslie’s Ryan Wilder. During the show’s WonderCon panel, showrunner Caroline Dries and the cast discussed the new additions to the series, emphasizing that Kane’s return will shake up the established status quo in season two.
After Ruby Rose exited the series as Kate Kane, the character had only been mentioned off-screen while Wilder filled the role as Batwoman. However, as the season developed, so did the mystery regarding Kane’s disappearance. It’s been confirmed that she is still alive, but here’s the catch: Krypton star Wallis Day will play an altered version of the character. The audience learned of the news in the last episode, but Wilder and her friends have no clue what is about to hit them. Here’s what Dries had to say about the stunning development:
“There’s this tragic irony happening, where our characters have been looking for Kate desperately, and now they believe she’s dead, and so as they’re moving on with their lives, the audience is privy to this huge piece of information that Kate’s actually alive. So moving forward, Kate’s in for a bumpy road...That’s all I’ll tease, and our characters, of course, are eventually going to be looped into this huge piece of news. But it’s pure drama from here on out, and it’s going to affect every character directly, just the way her disappearance affected every character differently.”
Despite Kane’s return under the cowl remaining uncertain, it’s clear the show has big plans for the character this season. However, this is Wilder’s time to shine as Batwoman, especially as she is about to confront a popular DC Comics villain head-first. Peter Outerbridge (Nikita, The Expanse) will be playing Roman Sionis, better known as Black Mask, who runs Janus Cosmetics by day and a criminal organization by night. Wilder will cross his path directly when her ex-girlfriend Angelique (Bevan Bru) gets involved with the criminal enterprise. The showrunner brings up a valid question, “How does she ease her friend out of his horrific situation?”, teasing that Wilder “becomes sort of Enemy #1 to Black Mask.”
Kate Kane’s return begs the question that if they were going to recast her all along, why not do it from the get-go? The accident that disfigured her face and forced her to get surgery does help to justify the recast, but perhaps audiences would be understanding of the situation without a direct explanation for her new look. Whatever the answer may be, fans have embraced Leslie’s Wilder wholeheartedly. The repercussions of Kate’s return will certainly shift the drama up a notch, and the inclusion of Black Mask only ensures the rest of the season will take advantage of the unique situation the show finds itself in.
The second season of Batwoman premiered on January 17, with new episodes airing every Sunday on The CW. Watch the full WonderCon panel below.