Alba Baptista is Netflix’s Warrior Nun

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Netflix is producing a series inspired by the manga-style comic book Warrior Nun Areala, and they have found the actress they want to play their Warrior Nun.

Alba Baptista (pictured above), who has worked primarily in Portuguese projects up to this point, will be taking on the Warrior Nun lead role of 

Ava, a 19-year-old woman who wakes up in a morgue with a new lease on life and a divine artifact embedded in her back. She discovers she is now part of an ancient order that has been tasked with fighting demons on Earth, and powerful forces representing both heaven and hell want to find and control her.

Ava is tasting freedom for the first time in her young life after being liberated from an abusive orphanage and a prison of her mind and body. As a result, she wants to experience everything at once, and she can be reckless in her ambition.

Netflix also revealed the names of several of Baptista's co-stars and details on the characters they'll be playing.

Toya Turner is Shotgun Mary, "a woman loyal to the sisterhood more than the Church. She escaped family tragedy and was raised with religion but never really took to it fully. Naturally, she has a chip on her shoulder about loyalty. All the nuns know they can count on Mary to have their backs."

Tristan Ulloa is Father Vincent, "the spiritual and strategic leader of the Order of the Cruciform Sword. Behind the Man-of-God persona, he presents a vulnerability that is both disarming and attractive. A veteran of making bad choices, putting on the collar and devoting himself to the Church was trading one addiction for another."

Thekla Reuten is taking on the role of Jillian Salvius, "CEO of a tech startup who has challenged the Vatican’s power directly by making a discovery that could make religion obsolete. They say there’s a fine line between genius and obsession."

Kristina Tonteri-Young will be playing Young Sister Beatrice, "a woman with a quiet Zen strength, Beatrice is a powerful Sister Warrior in her own right. The team’s resident strategist, Beatrice uses her reserved and intuitive nature to analyze everyone and everything around her."

Lorena Andrea's character is Sister Lilith, "born into an elite family, she is a legacy Nun and committed to her beliefs, which causes her to overstep and over-reach in her entitlement."

And Emilio Sakraya is JC, "the charismatic leader of a group of alluring petty criminals, running their game all over Europe, getting into trouble and 'robbing the rich and giving to themselves.' While most members of the gang are aimless souls, JC has real ambition. He has big plans for his life, but for now, he is committed to living in the moments."

Obviously this show, created and executive produced by Simon Barry, isn't a direct adaptation of the Warrior Nun Areala comics created by Ben Dunn, as the comics follow the character of Sister Shannon Masters. Dunn's story begins in 

1066, when a Valkyrie named Auria renounced her pagan ways and turned to Jesus Christ for salvation; ever since then, Auria, now Areala, has chosen an avatar every generation to carry on the mission. In modern times, this has grown to a world spanning organization in the service of the Catholic Church with the current Areala, Sister Shannon Masters as the best and brightest. With her friends beside her, Sister Shannon has led the forces of good against those of evil, ever serving the Lord with faith and humility. 

I'm guessing that Sister Shannon was the previous generation, and now Baptista's character Ava is the new avatar. Ava, avatar, get it?

I don't have any familiarity with the comic books myself, but I'm totally on board to watch a Netflix show about a Warrior Nun.