Screenwriter John Ridley’s highly anticipated Batman run will feature a person of colour taking up the mantle of the Dark Knight.
Announced at DC FanDome, Ridley plans to reinvent the iconic superhero in his new project. While Ridley and DC have not attached an identity to their Batman, Ridley told fans, “I think it’s a pretty safe bet that if I’m writing Batman, it’s probably a little better than a 47% chance he’s going to be a person of colour.”
Fans were left to speculate that the Dark Knight would be connected to the beloved character of Lucius Fox, with the 12 Years a Slave screenwriter stating “[Lucius] has a family and this is a family that has secrets, has kept secrets from one another. It’s a little bit different dynamic than the Batman that we’ve always seen.”
In addition, DC announced that the new Batman would not replace Bruce Wayne, with both existing in likely alternate universes or timelines.
With it still being a rarity for people of colour to portray these iconic roles, this is a big step in the comic book world for representation in our heroes.