Following his brief appearance as a gang leader named Sykes in Gotham‘s final season, it looks like Alex Morf (Mindhunter, Daredevil) has been given the chance to return to the DC universe with EW bringing word that he has officially been cast for a guest-starring role in the upcoming second season of The CW’s Batwoman.
Morf is set to portray the role of villain Victor Zsasz who is being described as a “charismatic, skilled hitman with high, unpredictable energy. He proudly carves tally marks onto his skin for every victim he kills.” Interestingly, the DC villain made his first live-action TV debut in Fox’s Gotham and was portrayed by Anthony Carrigan. The character had also made his DCEU debut earlier this year in Cathy Yan’s Birds of Prey film with Chris Messina portraying Zsasz.
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After Ruby Rose’s sudden departure back in May, Javicia Leslie was cast as the new lead of the series and will be become the first Black actress to play Batwoman in a live-action TV or film production. She is set to portray the role of Ryan Wilder, who is described as “likable, messy, a little goofy and untamed” and that she is “nothing like Kate Kane, the woman who wore the Batsuit before her.” The rest of the description reads as follows:
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. 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. An out lesbian. Athletic. Raw. Passionate. Fallible. And very much not your stereotypical All-American hero.
Season 2 will also feature new cast members Shivani Ghai (Dominion) as Safiyah, Leah Gibson as The Whisper, and Nathan Owens as Ocean.
Technically, Kate Kane wasn’t the only character to adopt the Batwoman persona in DC’s comic book universe. Almost 50 years before Kate debuted in 2005, Kathy Kane became the first superhero to use this alias in 1956 during the Silver Age. But since her name is so similar to her modern successor, an appearance by this iteration of the hero was probably never in the cards.
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The first season starred Ruby Rose as Kate Kane/Batwoman, Rachel Skarsten as Alice, Meagan Tandy (Teen Wolf) as Sophie Moore, Camrus Johnson (Luke Cage) as Luke Fox,Nicole Kang (You) as Mary Hamilton, Dougray Scott as Jacob Kane and Elizabeth Anweis as Catherine Hamilton-Kane.
Based on the characters from DC, Batwoman is from Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television with executive producers Greg Berlanti, Caroline Dries, Geoff Johns, and Sarah Schechter. David Nutter and Marcos Siega executive produced the pilot.
Season 2 is still expected for a January 2021 premiere date.
