Mary Hamilton actress Nicole Kang has opened about the friendship between her character and the new heroine Ryan Wilder in a new video previewing Batwoman season 2. With only a few days left until the premiere of the Arroweverse TV-show's sophomore run, fans are eagerly preparing to welcome a new vigilante in Gotham City. Previously, during season 1, it was Ruby Rose's Kate Kane who protected Gotham after the disappearance of her billionaire philanthropist cousin Bruce Wayne. But Rose quit Batwoman last May, paving way for Leslie to step in and assume her mantle as a brand new street-level hero. Now, by the time Batwoman season 2 debuts, Rose's Kate will have gone missing, leaving all her Bat Team allies, including Mary, distressed. However, soon Leslie's Ryan will enter the scene as a ray of hope for the Batcave squad.
Kang's Mary is one character who will likely endure the most pain due to Kate's disappearance. Throughout season 1, it was Mary who stood by Kate the most, even despite the latter's dismissive attitude. Although Mary discovers the secret of Kate's superhero alter-ego early on during the show, she decides to keep mum and continues helping Kate by lending her emotional and medical support. It is only when Kate is too demotivated to suit up that Mary comes clean to her. She uses her relationship with Kate to help her get over her fears and get back to save Gotham. Now Kate's sudden disappearance will leave Mary devastated, but she will work past her grief for the sake of her patients and the unprivileged, and she will also provide counsel to Ryan who has since taken up Kate's duties.
A recent clip shared by The CW highlights the upcoming bond between Kang's Mary and Leslie's Wilder. In the video, Kang says she is very excited to see how the dynamics between Mary and Ryan shape up. According to Kang, Mary will endorse and empower Ryan as the new Batwoman, regardless of the strikingly different backgrounds that the two hail from. This idea of women supporting women, Kang believes, illustrates the real beauty of female friendships.
“I think the disappearance of Kate sends her into a bit of a tizzy. She makes herself integral to the team. Behind the scenes, in the fields so fearless. I’m so excited to see Mary and Ryan’s friendship develop. They come from such different places but I think that’s really the beauty of friendship. Mary empowers Ryan, which is my favorite part of female friendships.”
In Batwoman season 2, Ryan will be facing-off against quite a handful of domineering villains, this includes returning antagonists, like Alice (Rachel Skarsten) and Hush (Warren Christie), in addition to some newer foes, such as Safiyah Sohail (Shivaani Ghai), Victor Zsasz (Alex Morf), and Black Mask. So amid all this hostility and iniquity, it will be nice, if not necessary, for Ryan if she finds a dependable support system in Mary. Previously, Mary has demonstrated her worth as a powerful sidekick. But with Ryan, it appears, that she will be taking a role that is more of a mentor, which is a new and interesting shade for Mary's generally excitable character.
Surely, with Rose's exit, fans will miss the camaraderie that Kate and Mary shared. But needless to say, there is a lot more to look forward to with the new equation that will blossom between Ryan and Mary as season 2 progresses. While Ryan may be the complete opposite of Kate, some of her character traits overlap with Mary's, which means that there is a potential for the two to become ultimate girl pals in Batwoman season 2. Season 1 did an exemplary job exploring sibling dynamics and rivalries in the Batverse. But now that so much has changed since the end of the freshman run, season 2 can definitely benefit from the portrayal of an unbreakable female friendship that gives lessons about feminism from a superhero perspective in a socially-charged era. Hopefully, fans will be able to cherish Mary and Ryan's bond once Batwoman season 2 arrives on January 17, 2021.
Source: The CW