Ruby Rose First Look at “Batwoman” Is Here
Ruby Rose, who became the first openly gay superhero upon her casting announcement as Batwoman this summer, has finally suited up as the nocturnal crime fighter. And allow us to say: Wow. In the first image released Tuesday (October 9) by the CW, Rose—who will be portraying the role in various superhero shows, such as Arrow, The Flash, and Supergirl—dons a red-hot wig, black catsuit, black cape, and the iconic black mask, which is a direct callback to the costume originally designed by Batwoman’s artist, Alex Ross. According to The Hollywood Reporter, we’ll have to wait until a December 9 CW crossover episode to see her character officially debut, so pin this photo to your walls in the meantime.
Rose has been vocal about how meaningful it’s been for her to be cast as Batwoman, especially as someone who’s identified as gay throughout the vast majority of her life, with limited role models to look up to. (Her character will also be an “out lesbian” on the CW, adding another layer of poignancy.) “I’ve always had this saying—well, not me, Oscar Wilde—which is ‘Be yourself because everyone else is taken.’ And the second motto when I came into the industry was ‘Be the person that you needed when you were younger.’ So one motto led me to the other, and I kept crying about it,” she recently explained about her role. “I feel like the reason I kept getting so emotional is that growing up, watching TV, I never saw someone on TV that I could identify with, let alone a superhero, you know?”
Sadly, her casting also had a toxic downside: The actor was decided to quit Twitter in August, owing to a never-ending stream of bullying regarding her in the role. It’s safe to say, though, thousands of kids are looking at her photo right now, and thinking, One day, I’ll also be a superhero.