This Jan. 2021, there’ll be a new vigilante on the small screen: Javicia Leslie! The 33-year-old actress was announced as the new Batwoman in the The CW series of the same name ahead of its second season, which our sister website Deadline reported on July 8. This is the first time in television and film history that a Black woman is taking on the superhero role. HollywoodLife has reached out to Javicia’s reps for comment.
Javicia was excited about this major step for the Arrowverse! “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,” Javicia said in a statement obtained by Deadline. Batwoman was the first television series in history to revolve on an openly gay character, Katy Kane (Batwoman’s real identity in the show), who was played by Ruby Rose. After Ruby — who is also gay in real life — left the show in May, The CW made sure to cast another Batwoman who would also represent the LGBTQ community. Now, here’s what you should know about the actress filling in Ruby’s shoes!
1. Javicia is actually playing a new Batwoman. Instead of Ruby’s Katy Kane, a new woman will be in the Batsuit — Ryan Wilder! Unlike her predecessor, this new Batwoman is “a little goofy and untamed,” according to a leaked casting call that Decider reported on in June of 2020. However, this new Batwoman is described as the “most dangerous type of fighter: highly skilled and wildly undisciplined” and “very much not your stereotypical All-American hero.” She “spent years as a drug-runner, dodging the GCPD and masking her pain with bad habits” and now “lives in her van with her plant.”
Javicia was beyond happy to make the superhero universe a more inclusive one. “For all of the little black girls dreaming to be a superhero one day… it’s possible!,” she wrote on Instagram after her casting was announced.
2. Javicia is most known for her regular role on God Friended Me. Javicia plays Ali Finer, the sister of Miles Finer, the leading character who receives a Facebook friend request from “God” in the CBS comedy-drama series.
3. She’s no stranger to playing leading roles. Javicia has experience with being the titular character! She led the 2019 romantic comedy Always a Bridesmaid, and also held the leading role in the 2016 TV movie Swim at Your Own Risk. She also plays Paris Duncan in the second season of BET’s The Family Business.
4. Javicia is a graduate of Hampton University. She graduated from the establishment in 2009, and starred in plays like August Wilson’s Seven Guitars and Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls during her time there. She was also crowned as Miss Hampton in the university’s 2008 pageant!
5. The new Batwoman boasts a handful of active hobbies. As one might assume of the new Batwoman, Javicia leads an extremely active lifestyle. She’s trained in Muay Thai (a combat sport that originated in Thailand), boxing, weapons, dance, track and swimming, according to her IMDb bio.