Batwoman season 2
Bgcolour
  1. 24202A
Season number2
Starring
Num episodes18
NetworkThe CW
First airedJanuary 17, 2021
Last airedJune 27, 2021
Episode listList of Batwoman episodes

The second season of The CW series Batwoman premiered on January 17, 2021. The series is based on the DC Comics character of the same name and set in the Arrowverse continuity. Caroline Dries, who developed the series, returned as showrunner for the season. It is the first season to star Javicia Leslie as Ryan Wilder, a vigilante who succeeds Kate Kane in the role of Batwoman. The main cast also features Rachel Skarsten, Meagan Tandy, Nicole Kang, Camrus Johnson, and Dougray Scott returning from the previous season.

The season was ordered in January 2020 and production began in September. Before the beginning of production, season one star Ruby Rose announced that she would not return to the role of Kate. The character Ryan was created by the series to become the new Batwoman, with Leslie being cast in July. The role of Kate was later recast to Wallis Day, justified in-narrative as Kate being caught in a plane crash and being given plastic surgery to resemble Circe Sionis, the deceased daughter of Black Mask, while also being hypnotized into being her.

Episodes

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Cast and characters

Main article: List of Batwoman characters

Main

Recurring

Guest

Production

Development

In January 2020, The CW renewed the series for a second season.[10] Caroline Dries returned as showrunner.[11]

Writing

In May 2020, ahead of the season one finale, Caroline Dries announced that Safiyah Sohail would be the Big Bad of season two. Though the character was referenced multiple times in season one, Dries said they "didn't want to waste her or blow out her character in Season 1 when there are all these other hijinks happening", so it was decided to preserve her debut in season two.[11] As the last two planned episodes of the first season could not be filmed due to the COVID-19 pandemic causing production to be shut down, they were changed to be part of season two. Dries said the scripts of those episodes may undergo tinkering.[7] Dries later announced that the season would have another Big Bad in the form of Black Mask.[12]

Casting

Main cast members Rachel Skarsten, Meagan Tandy, Nicole Kang, Camrus Johnson and Dougray Scott reprised their roles as Beth Kane / Alice, Sophie Moore, Luke Fox and Jacob Kane.[2] In May 2020, Ruby Rose, who portrayed the title role of Kate Kane / Batwoman in the first season, announced she would be leaving the series ahead of its second season; no reason was initially given for her departure.[13] It was mutually decided between Rose, the studio, and the network for her to leave.[14][15] In August, Rose called being the lead of a series "taxing" and stated her back surgery following an on-set accident in 2019 was a contributing factor in deciding to leave, saying it was "time for me to take a break to fully heal and then return" to acting. Spending time in isolation because of the pandemic also allowed Rose "to just think about a lot of different things and what you want to achieve in life and what you want to do," which allowed her "a great opportunity to have a dialogue about a lot of things" with the producers.[16]

In June, Dries said it was discussed to replace Rose as Kate Kane, as "it would be seamless" for some of the episodes already written. However, with guidance from Greg Berlanti, it was decided to move forward with an entirely new character invented for the series as Batwoman, which would "also respect everything that Ruby put into the Kate Kane character." Dries also felt by using a new character, "it helps the audience" so the writers would not have to "address the elephant in the room".[17] She also revealed Kate would not be killed and her disappearance would be a key storyline during season two.[18] Immediately after Rose's departure, the producers reaffirmed their commitment to the series and finding a new actress of the LGBTQ community to lead future seasons.[13] In July, Javicia Leslie was cast as Ryan Wilder, the new Batwoman.[19]

In September 2020, Shivani Ghai was cast as Safiyah Sohail,[20][21] Leah Gibson was cast as Tatiana / The Whisper, and Nathan Owens was cast as Ocean, all in recurring roles.[22] In December 2020, David Ramsey was revealed to be reprising his Arrow role of John Diggle in the season.[9] On March 21, 2021, Wallis Day was announced to replace Ruby Rose as Kate Kane with a new face.[5]

Filming

Filming for the second season began on September 3, 2020.[23] By September 29, filming was shut down because of delays in receiving COVID-19 test results for the cast and crew,[24][25] but they were given clearance to resume filming a week later.[26] Filming concluded on May 10, 2021.[27]

Broadcast

The second season premiered on January 17, 2021, on The CW in the United States.[28] Episodes continued to be released weekly on Sundays until June 27, 2021.

Reception

Ratings

No DVR ratings are available before the ninth episode.

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the season holds an approval rating of 86% based on 21 reviews, with an average rating of 7.25/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Batwoman's second season survives a soft reboot, maintaining the show's excellence while giving Javicia Leslie plenty of room to spread her wings."[29]

Notes

  1. ^ Only credited for his respective episode appearances.
  2. ^ Despite the character being dead since the season one finale, Sam Littlefield was still credited for his corpse portrayal of the character in the first two episodes of this season.

References

  1. ^ Hatchett, Keisha (June 8, 2021). "Batwoman First Look: Camrus Johnson Suits Up as Batwing in Season 2 Finale". TVLine. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  2. ^ Anderson, Jenna (May 14, 2020). "Batwoman Season 2 Synopsis Teases New Villains and Romance". Comicbook.com. Archived May 16, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  3. ^ "Batwoman Star Bevin Bru Opens Up the Secret Life of Angelique Martin". CBR. 14 March 2021. Archived March 16, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  4. ^ "'Batwoman' Casts Peter Outerbridge As Black Mask". Deadline Hollywood. 25 March 2021. Archived March 25, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  5. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (March 21, 2021). "'Batwoman' Sets Wallis Day As New, Altered Kate Kane In Big Reveal". Deadline Hollywood. Archived March 22, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  6. ^ Leonte, Tudor (2021-04-16). "Russell Tavaroff Makes His Debut in Batwoman Episode 2.11 Pics". SuperHeroHype. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  7. ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (May 18, 2020). "Batwoman Boss Talks About Ending Season With That Bat-tastic Reveal, Supergirl 'Cameo' That Didn't Happen". TVLine. Archived May 20, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  8. ^ Agard, Chancellor (7 May 2021). "Exclusive: New 'Batwoman' photo reveals Stephanie Brown's debut in girls' night episode". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  9. ^ Petski, Denise (December 1, 2020). "David Ramsey To Direct, Return As John Diggle & Mystery Character In the CW's Arrowverse". Deadline Hollywood. Archived December 1, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  10. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 7, 2020). "The CW Renews 13 Series Including 'Batwoman', 'Nancy Drew', 'The Flash', 'Riverdale' & 'All American'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived January 7, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  11. ^ Anderson, Jenna (May 10, 2020). "Batwoman Showrunner Confirms SPOILER Will Be Season 2's Big Bad". Comicbook.com. Archived May 13, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  12. ^ Agard, Chancellor (January 12, 2021). "'Batwoman' boss confirms Black Mask is season 2's other big bad". Entertainment Weekly. Archived January 13, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  13. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 19, 2020). "Ruby Rose Exits the CW's 'Batwoman', DC Series To Recast Iconic Lead Role For Season 2". Deadline Hollywood. Archived May 20, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  14. ^ Ausiello, Michael (May 20, 2020). "Ruby Rose's Batwoman Exit: The Story Behind Her Shocking Departure". TVLine. Archived May 21, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  15. ^ Otterson, Joe (May 20, 2020). "Why 'Batwoman' Star Ruby Rose Left the CW Series". Variety. Archived May 21, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  16. ^ Cordero, Rosy (August 11, 2020). "Ruby Rose explains how the pandemic played a role in her decision to leave Batwoman". Entertainment Weekly. Archived August 14, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  17. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (7 June 2020). "'Batwoman' Showrunner On Introducing New Character Instead Of Recasting Following Ruby Rose's Exit – ATX". Deadline Hollywood. Archived June 7, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  18. ^ Agard, Chancellor (June 10, 2020). "Batwoman boss reveals Kate Kane won't be killed off: 'We'll never erase her'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived June 12, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  19. ^ Otterson, Joe (July 8, 2020). "'Batwoman' Casts Javicia Leslie as New Series Lead". Variety. Archived July 9, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  20. ^ Ausiello, Michael (September 10, 2020). "Batwoman Casts Dominion Alum as Alice's Nemesis, Safiyah". TVLine. Archived September 10, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  21. ^ Agard, Chancellor (September 10, 2020). "'Batwoman' casts 'Dominion' alum as the villain Safiyah from Alice's past". Entertainment Weekly. Archived September 12, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  22. ^ Petski, Denise (September 23, 2020). "'Batwoman': Leah Gibson & Nathan Owens To Recur in the CW Superhero Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived September 24, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  23. ^ Anderson, Jenna (September 3, 2020). "Batwoman Stars Begin Production on Season 2 in New Video". Comicbook.com. Archived September 4, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  24. ^ Aurthur, Kate (September 30, 2020). "'Riverdale,' 'Batwoman' Shut Down Over Testing Delays in British Columbia". Variety. Archived September 30, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  25. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (September 29, 2020). "U.S. TV Production in Vancouver Largely On Pause Over COVID-19 Test Results Delays". Deadline Hollywood. Archived September 30, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  26. ^ Andreeva, Nellie & Patten, Dominic (October 7, 2020). "'Riverdale', 'Batwoman' & 'Maid' Latest Series To Resume Production In Vancouver, But Concerns Over Testing Remain". Deadline Hollywood. Archived October 7, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  27. ^ "DGC BC Production List". Directors Guild of Canada. August 21, 2020. Archived from the original on August 21, 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  28. ^ Ausiello, Michael (October 29, 2020). "The CW Sets Delayed Premiere Dates for Flash, Superman & Lois, Riverdale, Charmed, Batwoman and More". TVLine. Archived October 29, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  29. ^ "Batwoman: Season 2 (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived January 22, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 12, 2025.