‘Supergirl’ spoilers: Will Superman have any actual presence?
While it appears as though Superman is not going to be a significant character in the story of “Supergirl” over on CBS, one thing does appear at least reasonably more clear: The Man of Steel is at least a part of the universe. You see a glimpse of him in the pilot episode (though not his face), and he is referenced often throughout.
Are these clues that the character is actually going to have more of a permanent presence on the show itself? Don’t count on that. Instead, be prepared for a first season where you know he is around, but he is not active in anything that Kara Zor-El has going on. Speaking about this to Entertainment Weekly, executive producer Ali Adler has a good comparison:
“Our prototype is the way the president is seen on Veep … It’s certainly [inspired by] so much of what Julia-Louis Dreyfus’ character goes through. Ultimately, this is a show about Supergirl and we really want to see it through her lens.”
Here is the challenge that the show could run into when it comes to how they handle Superman. Let’s say that Kara is in a life-or-death situation, and Superman is the only one capable of saving her. How do you not justify him not showing up for his cousin? Is he busy dealing with some terrible problems in his own right? That’s at least what we have to be thinking at the moment, since otherwise that question could linger unless Kara is never in that sort of trouble (which seems unlikely).
“Supergirl” will premiere on CBS this October.