Batwoman Showrunner Confirms Season 2 Will Be About Race Politics While Clarifying Ryan Wilder’s Connection With Drugs

Batwoman

The CW’s Batwoman showrunner Caroline Dries recently confirmed the upcoming second season of the show will be about race politics while clarifying Ryan Wilder’s relationship with drugs and how the storyline will be explored in the second season of the show.

A description from Variety’s Joe Otterson, which appears to be based on information he received from The CW, described Wilder as a drug runner.

He wrote, “She is described as likable, messy, a little goofy and untamed. She’s also nothing like Kate Kane (previously played by Ruby Rose), the woman who wore the Batsuit before her.”

Batwoman

“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,” he added.

Otterson then went on to detail, “Today Ryan lives in her van with her plant. A girl who would steal milk for an alley cat and could also kill you with her bare hands, Ryan is the most dangerous type of fighter: highly skilled and wildly undisciplined. She is an out lesbian, athletic, raw, passionate, fallible, and very much not your stereotypical All-American hero.”

Now, speaking with EW, Dries is clarifying just what Wilder’s relationship with drugs is.

Dries first states, “While Ryan never used drugs, she was in a relationship where somebody was using drugs and it’s ultimately what got Ryan put away in jail.”

She then went on to confirm the show will address race politics, “So, it’s this idea that Ryan is this innocent woman and if she were white, per se, she might not have had the same punishment [that] she, as an innocent Black woman, had to go through. That’s a huge piece of her backstory, so that’s something we’re exploring this year.”

Dries continued, “Batwoman has this particular vendetta against the False Face Society because the idea of drugs permeating the city and nobody taking any responsibility for it strikes at her core.”

Not only will she be facing off against the False Face Society, but Dries also confirmed that Batwoman will be facing off against Black Mask. 

She stated, “We have a couple big bads this season. One, [who] we teed up midway through last season, is this woman Safiyah, and she’s sort of Alice’s Achilles’ Heel. And ultimately yes with the False Face Society, we will see the leader of this gang as Black Mask later on in the season.”

As for what kind of drugs the False Face Society will be peddling, the official season 2 synopsis calls it Snakebite.

The synopsis begins, “In season two of BATWOMAN, when Ryan Wilder (Javicia Leslie) first discovers Kate Kane’s Batsuit, she has no idea how drastically her life is about to change. A sassy, smart lesbian with a difficult past, Ryan sees the suit as her chance to finally be powerful and no longer a victim as she survives in the tough streets of the city.”

“While Ryan goes rogue in the shadows, Gotham grapples with their missing hero, believing Batwoman has fled the city after a public stand-off with Commander Jacob Kane (Dougray Scott) and the Crows. But Kate Kane’s disappearance hits hardest at home where Jacob, Sophie (Meagan Tandy), Luke (Camrus Johnson), Mary (Nicole Kang) and even Alice (Rachel Skarsten) each struggle with the devastating news in their own way,” it continues.

It then reveals the inclusion of the False Face Society and Snakebite, “Meanwhile, the False Face Society tightens its grip on Gotham, distributing a perilous new drug known as Snakebite, “Bruce Wayne” (Warren Christie) finds his way home to wreak havoc, Safiyah (Shivaani Ghai) surfaces with plans for revenge, and a new set of villains descends on the city.”

The synopsis concludes, “It’s not long before Ryan realizes how much the symbol on the suit means to Gotham, launching her on a personal journey that takes her from fledgling substitute to confident caped crusader, from living in her van with her plant to chasing villains in the Batmobile. Ryan Wilder becomes a very different Batwoman than Kate Kane – her own Batwoman – but with the same understanding of what it means to be a hero.”

Batwoman premieres on The CW on Sunday, January 17, 2021.

Are you surprised Season 2 of Batwoman will be extensively exploring race politics?

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