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Highlights from SUPERGIRL’s TCA 2015 Panel: New DC Characters, Superman’s Role, New Trailer and More

CBS held its summer Television Critics Association panel today, and the biggest attraction is its upcoming DC Comics adaptation, Supergirl. Plenty of new details regarding the series were unveiled during the presentation. Which fan-favorite DC characters will appear? What exactly is Superman’s role on the show? What are the chances of the series crossing over with The CW’s DC shows? All that and more are discussed here. Many thanks to The Hollywood Reporter and TV Line for compiling this information.

  • Like Arrow and The Flash before it, Supergirl will feature many DC Universe characters. Three new names were revealed today: Red Tornado, a superhero and Justice League member in the comics; General Sam Lane, the father of Lois and Lucy Lane who comes to town with an “agenda”; and Non, a Kryptonian villain who previously appeared in Richard Donner’s Superman II. The producers said that Supergirl will have a “slightly different take” on Non.
  • While Superman obviously has a key role in Kara’s decision to become Supergirl, he will not make a physical appearance anytime soon. Rather, he will be more of a background character. DC’s Geoff Johns says, “He will be a factor in her life but you won’t see him exactly on screen; he’ll be in the background but he does play a part in her evolution.” Co-showrunner Ali Adler adds, “As much as we respect the history of Superman, it’s very much [Kara/Supergirl’s] point of view.” 
  • Tonally, Supergirl is very much inspired by the classic Superman movies, and executive producer Greg Berlanti hopes that this series will capture that same wonder and fun.
  • Berlanti goes on to say that the key for adapting Supergirl – and other DC characters – to the small screen is to make the characters relatable. This is a particularly tricky task for a world where aliens and superhumans exist. Producer Andrew Kreisberg elaborates, saying that Supergirl is not “all-powerful” like her cousin. “The tendency with Superman is to make him so powerful that there isn’t any danger. Week in and week out, you want to feel like Supergirl may not survive these things.”
  • There have been conflicting reports over whether or not Supergirl will crossover with The CW’s DC shows, Arrow, The Flash and midseason’s Legends of Tomorrow. These four shows have a lot of the same creative team members, but CBS has been rather hesitant about merging these two worlds. Today, CBS’ Nina Tassler reaffirms that there are no plans for these characters to meet up, citing the need to establish Supergirl as her own character right now. “You really have to be respectful and mindful of what each universe says you can and can’t do. Obviously, we’re working very closely with DC, and our [Supergirl] producer, Greg Berlanti, is the poster child for this field. Right now, we’re not doing it [storyline-wise]…. But we’ll always stay open.” However, there will be “promotional crossovers;” aka, ads for Supergirl will air on The CW on vice versa.
In addition, CBS has released a new one-minute trailer for Supergirl. Check it out below, and stay tuned for more as we have it. Supergirl is set to premiere October 26th.

Founder and Editor-in-Chief of WOBAM! Entertainment.