Lesbian superpowers unite!

It was announced this week that Rachel Maddow will play Vesper Fairchild, a key character from the Batman comics, on The CW's new Batwoman series. According to The Hollywood Reporter, MSNBC's out political commentator will voice Fairchild in multiple episodes but is not currently expected to appear onscreen.

In the DC Comics series, Fairchild, a TV and radio personality, was romantically linked to Bruce Wayne/Batman. As part of The CW's expanding Arrow-verse, it was also revealed that Fairchild had an intimate relationship with Oliver Queen/Arrow (Stephen Amell).

"I know no one's going to believe this is true, but it's true," the Blowout author tweeted Friday about her Batwoman involvement. "My character is soooo not me; turns out playing her is one of the most fun things I’ve ever done."

Executive-produced by Greg Berlanti, the groundbreaking series stars Ruby Rose, who identifies as lesbian and genderfluid, as Kate Kane/Batwoman, a crime-fighting lesbian superhero.

Maddow has a previous Batwoman connection: She wrote the foreword for the 2010 deluxe hardcover edition of the graphic novel Batwoman: Elegy by Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams.

"We consider Vesper Fairchild to be the sardonic Voice of Gotham," said Batwoman showrunner Caroline Dries in a statement. "In addition to Rachel’s interest in Batwoman, we thought she’d be the perfect casting choice because her own hard-hitting journalism wildly contrasts Vesper’s penchant for snark, gossip and criticism of female superheroes."

Batwoman premieres tonight on The CW.