Some details about the new Batwoman rumored to be named Ryan Wilder are emerging and The CW may have an actress in mind. Be warned, if you care, because there are potentially heavy spoilers.
Tape of the audition leaked and, with it, the script, which someone anonymously posted to 4Chan. The post, despite being archived, can still be retrieved.
Related – Batwoman: EP Caroline Dries Addresses Replacing Ruby Rose and Kate Kane
According to the leak, Wilder steals the Batsuit after Kate Kane dies. It doesn’t tell us how Kate supposedly kicks it or how she comes into contact with Wilder.
The young upstart then proves herself an asset to “the Bat-Team” and thus worthy of carrying on the legacy of Batwoman, the appointed Paragon of Courage.
“She ends up helping the Bat-Team and they decide to let her take the mantle and keep Kate’s legacy alive,” says the post.
Wilder’s connection to Batman (or rather his rogues) is through Scarecrow who killed her mother “when she was a child.” Driven by revenge, she takes the Batsuit so she can have the tools to kill Jonathan Crane.
Related – Report: The CW Will Replace Ruby Rose’s Batwoman With A New Character
Before proving herself, Luke finds Ryan and tries to get the suit back. Ryan then explains her vendetta against Crane. The following dialogue allegedly comes from the scene where that unfolds:
“LUKE: Hello.
RYAN: Me?
LUKE: Yes, you. Literally the only other person in this parking lot. You have something that belongs to us.
RYAN: I don’t have much, so you’re going to have to be specific.
LUKE: Batwoman’s suit. And save whatever story you’re about to make up. The suit is basically a computer, and we traced its GPS here, where you are the only person around, Mrs…?
RYAN: Wilder. Ryan. And who do I have the pleasure to be interrogated by?
LUKE: Just give us the suit.
RYAN: I don’t even know who you are.
LUKE: I’m part of the team.
RYAN: Wait, there was a whole team?
LUKE: Look, the suit is meant for someone specific. Someone worthy of wearing it. No offense, but you’re not that person.
RYAN: You mean I’m not Kate Kane. Yeah, I know. I saw the whole thing. Put two and two together. Look, I’m sorry. For everything.
LUKE: Kate was our friend. We’re not about to let someone undo all the good that she has done for this city by rewriting her legacy.
RYAN: I’m not trying to rewrite it, I’m trying to finish it.
LUKE: It’s finished. The story is over.
RYAN: Not for me. Or for Jonathan Crane.
LUKE: What?
RYAN: Jonathan Crane killed my mother. And he is out there somewhere, just getting away with it. Like my mom’s life didn’t matter.
LUKE: I’m really sorry about your mom, but that suit means a lot to us.
RYAN: My mom died in my arms. And the only way I have been able to get my ass out of bed in the morning is to lie to myself and say that one day I will be strong enough to ruin his life the same way that he has ruined mine. You want to know what that suit means to me? It means that I don’t have to lie anymore. Now, you can fight me for it, which I promise you will end badly for both of us… Or you can have it back when Crane is dead.”
Related: Batwoman Star Ruby Rose Addresses Her Decision To Leave The Show
The next scene sees Ryan in action for the first time and being coached by Luke and Mary from the Batcave over the cowl’s communication system. Ryan clearly is running when she should be walking:
“YAN: Nobody saw that.
LUKE: Yeah, you need to use the cape to slow your descend.
RYAN: Copy that.
MARY: Okay, now… Look heroic.
RYAN: Huh?
MARY: You know, like the embodiment of courage, hope and justice.
RYAN: Just to be clear, I’m zero percent of any of those things.
LUKE: Just pose!
RYAN: Okay, how’s this?
MARY: Good. Now, straighten the back, lose the hands on the hips – overkill –, clench the fists, chin up and handle the cape so it catches the wind. Great. Now… “There she is!”
RYAN: Huh… Citizens of Gotham, you need to get out of here immediately! Seriously, guys, you need to get the fuck out of here!
LUKE: And that’s Batwoman’s first public F-bomb.
RYAN: Sorry, I… Holy shit, guys, did you see that?!
LUKE: Gunfire reported outside of Robins Tower. You need to get there, it’s two and a half kilometers from your position.
RYAN: Metric system, really?
LUKE: Just go!”
If authentic, the F-bomb and the S-word won’t make it into the show. The writers are either trying to push the envelope and don’t care about standards and practices or they don’t understand the difference between broadcast and cable TV or streaming.
Yes, it’s also from 4Chan so apply the salt as needed.
The post also claims The CW is keeping the casting in-house and looking at Riverdale actress Vanessa Morgan who’s played Toni Topaz on the hit Archie drama since 2017. Other news sites are reporting this claim so there might be some truth to it.
But the wrinkle is the showrunner Caroline Dries denies Ryan Wilder will replace a dead Kate Kane. Dries recent remarks led people to believe Kate was being killed off.
The EP issued a statement on Twitter to clarify plans for season 2 saying in part Batwoman won’t literally “bury” its gays, as some shows do. Instead, Kate will disappear in one of the season’s big mysteries.
Dries posted to Twitter, “As a lesbian who’s been working as a writer for the past fifteen years, I’m well aware of the “Bury Your Gays” trope and I have no interest in participating in it.”
She continued, “That’s why it’s important to me as the showrunner to clarify any misinformation out there about Kate Kane and recasting Batwoman. Like you, I love Kate Kane – she’s the reason I wanted to do the show. We’ll never erase her.”
Dries added, “In fact, her disappearance will be one of the mysteries of season two. I don’t want to give away any of our surprises, but to all our devoted fans, please know that LGBTQ+ justice it at the very core of what Batwoman is and we have no intention of abandoning that.”
A note from me on behalf of The Bat Team… pic.twitter.com/V6iXjaCrA5
— Caroline Dries (@carolinedries) June 10, 2020
Batwoman returns in 2021.