Anna Daniels
According to Javicia Leslie, the cultural impact that her inclusion in The CW’s “Batwoman” had on people is akin to what Hollywood saw in 2018 with the release of “Black Panther.” She explained in an interview with Digital Spy, “The cultural movement that came after ‘Black Panther,’ what that movie showed was how there is a space for Black superheroes and Black comics. And so coming on the heels of that as Batwoman, we also showed that there’s a space for it in television. There’s a space for it to exist once a week, every week, and there’s a community for it.”
In Leslie’s eyes, her Ryan Wilder character ultimately did the same thing for Hollywood and the show’s viewers that “Black Panther” did for its audiences – and that’s inspiring. The “Batwoman” alum remarked how her character is a multi-faceted one and went on to explain why that’s important: “It allows the community not to have to look like her. It’s just all about her. […] So the doors that were opened from ‘Batwoman’ were really doors to show the higher-ups — the bigwigs — that there is a space for Black superheroes. There’s a space for women superheroes. There’s a space for gay superheroes. There’s a space for all of us. And let’s continue to show that diversity.”
With two CW shows still left standing — “The Flash” and “Superman & Lois” — many fans have wondered if Leslie would be open to possibly returning as Batwoman in one of them, should the network be interested. And, of course, her answer was exactly what you’d expect it to be. She confirmed that if her schedule is open, she’s not opposed to returning to the streets of Gotham.
Written by: Looper
