Batwoman season 2 to introduce legendary long-forgotten Batman villain

Batwoman season 2 will see Ryan Wilder go up against a new version of a classic Batman villain in their Arrowverse debut.

It isn’t long until Batwoman season 2 makes its long-awaited debut on screens. The latest Arrowverse series is returning to The CW with a new leading lady as Javicia Leslie replaces Ruby Rose as the Scarlet Knight. Leslie won’t, however, be playing Kate Kane and will instead play a new character named Ryan Wilder.

Leslie will debut in the season 2 premiere as the new character stumbles along Kate Kane’s Batsuit and vows to use it to make a difference in Gotham City. However, it appears that this new quest will take her face-to-face with a modern interpretation of a classic Batman villain.

A classic Batman villain will debut in Batwoman season 2

As the episode’s synopsis reveals, the season 2 premiere episode, titled “What Happened To Kate Kane?”, will see the Bat-Family emotional at the sudden disappearance of Kate. While that is happening, Ryan Wilder’s Batwoman will face off against “a new gang called the False Face society”.

Long-time Batman fans might recognize that name as the False Face Society could be inspired by none other than the classic villain False Face from the 1966 Batman TV series – which starred Adam West as the Caped Crusader and Burt Ward as the Boy Wonder, Robin.

More from Arrowverse

• The 9 best (and 8 worst) Arrowverse characters
• 27 best fighters in the Arrowverse, ranked
• All 8 Black Canary actresses ranked from worst to best
• 11 things nobody wants to admit about the Arrowverse
• The 7 best (and 6 worst) Arrowverse villains

A master of disguise, False Face was capable of blending into crowds by using masks that resembled other people’s faces. He originally appeared in the comics in 1958 and appeared just once, before surfacing in the TV show eight years later (in which he also appeared only once in the show’s 120 episodes), showing up in the first season with his trusty sidekick Blaze (Myrna Fahey). He was portrayed by  Malachi Throne.

The character then later appeared in episodes of animated shows Batman Beyond and Batman: The Brave and the Bold.

Granted, in the comics The False Face Society has been used to describe Black Mask’s gang – a character that is occasionally compared to False Face – but the notion of False Face works pretty well in Batwoman considering that Alice and Tommy Elliot/Hush have been recreating people’s faces to disguise their allies in, so it will be interesting to see if they have any ties to the False Face Society.

Nonetheless, it’s pretty exciting to see this new version of a classic Batman villain show up on Batwoman.

Are you looking forward to seeing Batwoman season 2? Do you think the False Face Society is inspired by False Face? Let us know in the comments below!