Javicia Leslie, known for God Friended Me, has been cast in the titular role on Batwoman. She’s stepping into the role vacated by Ruby Rose who played Batwoman/Kate Kane in the first season but recently announced that she would not return to the show.

“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,” Leslie said in a statement.

In addition to playing Ali Finer on God Friended Me, Leslie has been in MacGyver, The Family Business, and Always a Bridesmaid.

Leslie will portray a new character under the cowl named Ryan Wilder, who is described as the opposite of Kate Kane. The official description reads, “Ryan Wilder is about to become Batwoman. She’s likable, messy, a little goofy and untamed. She’s also nothing like Kate Kane, the woman who wore the Batsuit before her. 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.”

Though a new character will take the superheroine name of Batwoman, the show will not forget about Kate, according to showrunner Carline Dries.

“As a lesbian who’s been working as a writer for the past 15 years, I’m well aware of the ‘Bury Your Gays’ trope and I have no interest in participating in it,” Dries said in a statement. “That’s why it’s important to me as the showrunner to clarify any misinformation out there about Kate Kane and recasting Batwoman. Like you, I love Kate Kane – she’s the reason I wanted to do the show. We’ll never erase her. In fact, her disappearance will be one of the mysteries of season two. I don’t want to give away any of our surprises, but to all our devoted fans, please know that LGBTQ+ justice is at the very core of what Batwoman is and we have no intention of abandoning that.”

Batwoman is expected to return in January 2021.