2021 Arrowverse Roundup - Week 01

After an extended hiatus, the Arrowverse is back! Some new faces join the universe, and one of those debuted this week, which put things off to a good start!

Below is a breakdown of all of the Arrowverse stuff that aired this week. It is part review, part speculation, part analysis, and part rambling. It is organized in the order they aired throughout the week, so feel free to scroll down to whatever ones you watch. If you want to get caught up, you can use my Arrowverse Viewing Order guide to help you navigate!

Batwoman - Episode 2.01 - What Happened To Kate Kane?

Recasting a lead in a successful series is always tough, especially when it was an abrupt an unplanned exit. But the folks over at Batwoman did the impossible. When it announced that Ruby Rose was leaving, the natural course of action, would be to of course just recast the character of Kate Kane. Get someone else in to play the same character. But instead, they opted for a brand new direction - one that I thought would be a mistake. But instead, it was a breath of fresh air and fit into the story perfectly.

Javicia Leslie is instantly likable as Ryan Wilder. She has all the heart you'd expect from an Arrowverse lead, and is completely endearing. Her story intersects with the Bat Family in interesting ways that fuel the rest of the season. All of the other supporting characters are back, so its fun to see the new dynamics at play. Some of them will take elevated or slightly different roles, but maybe that is what is needed to make them blossom into their full potential.

Seeing a fake Bruce Wayne brought in the real Batmobile, and it was an awesome way to welcome Ryan Wilder into the Bat Family and the larger Arrowverse. They keep getting closer and closer to being able to use the Bruce Wayne and Batman in a substantial way, and that will be a great moment when and if it happens.

The premiere made me excited for the future of the show, and it was a perfect primer to get ready for the rest of the Arrowverse! Supergirl, Legends, Black Lightning, Superman & Lois, The Flash, and Stargirl don't premiere for a while yet so it is just Batwoman holding it down at the moment. I think they found the person for the job to do that.

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