It's fitting that DC would debut Ryan Wilder in a Batgirl comic ahead of her first TV appearance. The publisher actually introduced the Barbara Gordon version of Batgirl in a similar way. Though the Barbara Gordon version of Batgirl was technically conceived for the 1966 Batman TV series by producer William Dozier, the character was first fleshed out by editor Julie Schwartz, writer Gardner Fox and artist Carmine Infantino in the Batman comics. Barbara first appeared in 1967's Detective Comics #359, several months before Yvonne Craig's Batgirl debuted on the TV series.
This debut certainly suggests DC Comics has big plans for Ryan Wilder alongside Batwoman: Season 2. But given that Batgirl #50 is also a series finale, it may be a few months before readers really learn what that entails. Kate Kane is still currently active as Batwoman in DC's comic universe, so DC may not necessarily be positioning Ryan to take over that mantle. But given that the publisher will be devoting the entirety of January and February 2021 to Future State, a storyline that explores the state of the DCU a decade in the future, perhaps we'll see Ryan take over the role of either Batgirl or Batwoman there. We already know Future State will introduce a new Batman and Wonder Woman and feature Jon Kent taking over the mantle of Superman.Arrowverse fans got their first look at Leslie in the Batwoman costume in September, as the actress posted a screenshot from a costume test on Instagram, along with the message, "Look out, Gotham, I'm suited up and ready to go... But just wait until Ryan Wilder puts her own spin on the Batsuit."
How do you think Ryan Wilder will fir into the Batman comic franchise? Let us know in the comments below. Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.