Supergirl-Season-2-Superman-Tyler-Hoechlin

Lots of fans have been curious about why the people behind ‘Supergirl’ have chosen to officially cast her famous cousin Superman this year, and whether or not it had anything to do with the show making the movie over to the CW. Sure, one might say Superman’s presence was already felt a lot during Season 1 of ‘Supergirl,’ but we never actually saw him on screen, or even heard his voice. Now he is set to appear in the first two episodes of the season, and we have questions, especially in regards to what the show had to go through in order to be given permission to use Superman in the second season. Fortunately, there are answers coming, and from a very reliable source.  According to Executive Producer Andrew Kreisberg during a recent conversation with IGN:

“I think people would love to hear that we had to promise our children and there was a blood right, and a goat was sacrificed, but the truth is we’re all partners, and we all want what’s best and so it really wasn’t a tough sell. We had our plan, and we presented it to Warner Bros. and to DC and they were totally supportive of it. It was more once they actually said yes, it was like, ‘Oh crap, now we have to do Superman!’ We have to find the right actor, and we have to write the best scripts. We have to make the suit. That was the stuff that gave us [headaches]. Actually pulling it off. But behind the scenes, everybody at Warner Bros. and DC and the CW, we’re all growing in the same direction.”

The next question, of course, is why not just bring in Superman in Season 1, which Kreisberg explains basically by saying that Season 1 let her come into her own as a hero first, so we and her would know she is an equal to Superman, and not his sidekick.

“I think we’ve spent a year establishing her, and the year ended triumphantly with her saving the world, so there wasn’t any sort of doubt that Supergirl couldn’t do it on her own. It felt like you weren’t bringing him in to save the day. It was bringing him in the same way that the crossovers with Flash and the Arrow… it becomes about a partnership. It becomes about deepening the characters’ relationships, not “Well, Arrow couldn’t do it alone!” or “Flash couldn’t do it alone!” So that’s why it felt right…We were planning this when we were still going to be on CBS, and it just felt like, with the beginning of Season 2, you want to come out of the gate strong, whether it was getting people who would watch the show who had given up on it, or people who’d watched the show all year and said, “Great, I’ve had enough.” You’re starting Season 2, how do you get people to come in and check it out and watch? This felt like the best way to do that. We felt like we had an interesting, unique take on Superman because our show is viewed through the prism of Supergirl.”

It also sounds like a lot of thought went into the relationship between the two Kryptonian cousins, resulting in some fun situations where Kara is overshadowed by her cousin, and is not particularly pleased by it.

“When Supergirl and Superman walk into the room, everyone gets really quiet about him. And her reaction is, “Oh, please…” We sort of liken it to if your brother was a famous rock star, or a famous movie star, all you remember is a lifetime of growing up and fighting over who’s sitting in the backseat, and sharing a bathroom, and he pulled my hair. And then you go to a restaurant, and people are sending him drinks, like, ‘Oh, right this way…’ and that’s sort of Kara’s interaction. People have asked us how do you make sure that Superman doesn’t overwhelm the lead of your show? Rather than shy away from that, we’re embracing it. It’s kind of the idea like, yeah, he is more popular than she is. How does she deal with that? That’s our take on that dynamic that’s between them.”

For now, we know that Superman is going to appear in 2 episodes this season, but fans are hungry to know whether he will continue to pop up in Season 2, and what plans the show runners have for him in the future.

“That’s going to be up to Warner Bros., DC, and the audience, quite frankly. He so much a part of [this world], but the show is called Supergirl. It’s about her. If it turns out as well as we hope, and the audience responds, then we’ll see what happens down the road.”

What are your thoughts on Superman swooping into ‘Supergirl?’ Is it just a gimmick? Or a legitimate way to advance the show and the character of Kara? Share your opinions in the comments below!

Source: IGN

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Nick is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles, who belongs to the privileged few who enjoyed the ending to ‘Lost.’ For more of Nick’s thoughts and articles, follow him on Twitter.