Batwoman star Javicia Leslie compares show to Black Panther: "There's a space for all of us"

Javicia Leslie as Batwoman — (Image credit: The CW)

Batwoman star Javicia Leslie has compared the DC show's cultural impact to that of Black Panther's, suggesting that it did for TV what the latter did for movies.

In a new interview with Digital Spy, the Ryan Wilder actor recalled the Marvel flick's overwhelming success, saying that it proved "there is a space for Black superheroes and Black comics."

She continued: "Coming on the heels of that as Batwoman, we 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. And that community doesn't all look like Ryan.

"That's what I love about Ryan. She has so many boxes that she checks. It allows the community not to have to look like her. Like, I've had conversations with fans that have grown up in the foster care world, and I've had fans tell me something else that's very similar to Ryan that equates to their life.

"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. Let's continue to show that diversity."

In April 2022, The CW announced that it was cancelling Batwoman after just three seasons. Leslie came onboard in its second chapter, taking over the title role from Ruby Rose's Kate Kane.

Addressing the cancellation on Instagram, Leslie wrote at the time: "I spoke this role into my life, and what an honor it has been to watch it play out exactly how it was meant to. Family, this Bat team is ours... HERstory was made and it can never be taken."

Missing Batwoman already? Check out our roundups of the best TV shows and the best superhero movies of all time for some viewing inspiration.

I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things TV and film across our Total Film and SFX sections. Elsewhere, my words have been published by the likes of Digital Spy, SciFiNow, PinkNews, FANDOM, Radio Times, and Total Film magazine.