Black actress to don cape in ‘Batwoman’

LOS ANGELES — A new Batwoman is headed to Gotham.

Warner Bros. Television, the CW and Berlanti Productions announced Wednesday that Javicia Leslie has been cast as the new series lead of “Batwoman.”

Leslie will portray Ryan Wilder, who in Season 2 of the superhero show will take over the Bat-mantle from Kate Kane.

Her casting makes her the first Black actress to portray Batwoman in a live-action production. Similarly, Ryan will be the first Black character to become the caped vigilante in any medium.

“I am extremely proud to be the first Black actress to play the iconic role of Batwoman on television, and as a bisexual woman, I am honored to join this groundbreaking show which has been such a trailblazer for the LGBTQ+ community,” Leslie said in a statement.

In May, just days after the first season finale of “Batwoman” aired, Ruby Rose announced she had “made the very difficult decision to not return to ‘Batwoman’ next season.”

Rose made her debut as the vigilante hero in 2018. It was the first-ever live-action appearance of Kate Kane, Bruce Wayne’s cousin who was revealed to have taken on the Batsuit in the billionaire’s absence. When “Batwoman” premiered last fall, it became the first superhero series with a lesbian title character.