The last episode of SUPERGIRL introduced fans to “Mike”, Mon-El’s human identity, as he settled in to life at CatCo. That didn’t end well (although it was amusing) and the alien will find himself struggling to carve out an identity for himself on earth. The show also dropped a bombshell about a Luthor-Cadmus connection.
During a recent visit to the SUPERGIRL set in Vancouver, Melissa Benoist (Kara Zor-El), David Harewood (Hank Henshaw/J’onn J’onzz), and Chris Wood (Mon-El) spoke to journalists about what’s next for their characters.
The Luthor-Cadmus Connection. The realization that the leader of Cadus is actually Lena Luthor’s mother was a big cliffhanger at the end of the last episode. How will this play out going forward? For one thing, Benoist said that it’s clearly going to be conflicting for Kara. “I mean, should anyone ever trust a Luthor? I think that’s just going to be the looming question overall. Lena and Kara have such an awesome relationship. I love the scenes with Katie McGrath, and Katie McGrath is awesome and perfect in that part. But there’s just going to be… It’s inevitable. I don’t think Kara is ever going to be able to truly know if she’s being honest, or if it’s something she shouldn’t be suspicious of. But there is a true friendship there and a mutual respect.”
Mon-El’s Next Steps. We saw Mon-El take a job at CatCo and then decide that wasn’t the life for him. But what’s next for the alien? “I think Mon El’s first sort of thing he wants to do is find a job that makes him excited,” Wood said. “I don’t know if he has it in him to seek something that involves working very hard because he like fun and partying. So he has to find something that fits a little niche. And Kara also has to approve obviously, so there’s a bit of an exploration going on for him after [the last episode].” Wood went on to say that “Mike’s a fun guy. He’s so uncomfortable in the bow tie and glasses that Kara sort of forces on him that I think it’s fun going forward to watch his evolution away from that and which part of it stick and which part of who Kara wants him to be in the world register to him as something he could do. And which things he drops and sort of pursues other covers.”
Kara will continue to Mentor Mon-El. “The mentor-mentee relationship is sort of how she first opens up to not just hating [Mon-El] because he’s Daxan,” Wood explained. “And I think from there it’s nice that they whatever their differences are sort of fade away and they find their similarities that they can cling to and they become friends. But she’s definitely still someone he looks to as an example because she’s got it all figured out. She has the same powers which are more honed and developed. And she also has this great sense of right and wrong which Mon-El doesn’t really understand. He didn’t grow up with that. He wasn’t taught that exact moral compass, so his journey [is] of finding his place.”
Not Joining the DEO…Yet. As Mon-El continues to adjust to life on earth, the goal won’t necessarily be getting him into a superhero costume right away. Wood explained that “I think when we see him on the next episode, the focus is more– let’s get you out in the world and get the normal you first. That’s get that figured out because that’s easy to screw up. And once we have Mike figured out, we can come back and see what part of you will fit into the DEO level, if any. He’s never had to think about that before, so he’s coming from a life where he had a job and he did that and now he’s here and someone’s telling him he’s gotta sorta figure it out for himself and he’s never really had to do that. I think with time we’ll see him find which part of what Kara does inspires him and try to hold on to that as a common force to hopefully join up with them.”
Supporting Her Sister. As Alex explores her sexual orientation, Benoist thinks that Kara will be very supportive. She said that “Season 1 serviced the purpose to get Kara on solid ground herself. So now that Alex is kind of going off on her own path and learning something about herself, I think Kara will be there with just an open mind and an open heart. You know, those two are inseparable. Their bond is unbreakable. So whatever happens, Kara’s going to be there no matter what.”
The Father-Daughter Bond. Since season 1 of SUPERGIRL we’ve seen Hank/J’onn care for both Kara and Alex. We haven’t seen that explored as much this season and J’onn is coming to realize that there are aspects of his life that make him lonely. Harewood pointed out that “It’s quite difficult [to see that bond] in this season, because the scripts are exploring our individual characters, which I think is great. Alex is exploring her own self, which I think is wonderful…We laid the groundwork that although yes, he’s their father figure and they’re almost surrogate daughters, there’s a part of even that relationship that doesn’t fulfill J’onn J’onzz and his loneliness — [the loss of] his wife and children. There are moments in the episodes of us together, but I think we’re trying to explore the characters this season.”
Embracing his Alien identity. As J’onn starts to find ways to combat his loneliness, we’ve seen him embrace his alien side more. Harewood explained that he’s been “playing that [J’onn has been] been suppressing the alien part of himself for so long, he’s almost forgotten that alien part of himself. I think this season he’s had to come to terms not only with his own alien self, but the fact that there are other aliens out there, some good, who are just trying to live peaceful lives. I think he’s getting used to the idea there are normal aliens living amongst us, and doing so with relatively little struggle and trouble.” One of the aliens helping him is his new friend, M’gann M’orzz, who we recently learned is actually a White Martian (the enemy of J’onn’s people). How long until he finds out the truth? We don’t know, but Harewood teased that “They get close. I think she gets herself into a difficult position. The closer we get, the closer I get to her secret.” If J’onn finds out the truth, Harewood doesn’t “think he’ll react very well. But what’s wonderful about it is he’s obviously conflicted, because he likes her and reminds him of home. It’s a bit of a double-edged sword. I think he’s struggling with the idea he could like a White Martian.”
A New Relationship? We saw Jimmy and Kara try to make a go of it last season, but the pair have opted not to pursue a relationship. Benoist hinted, however, that something else may be on the way. “What I love that we’ve explored thus far this season is that Kara… she learned how to be Supergirl last season. It was all about her trying to find her comfort zone as a superhero and how she wanted to be. And now she’s learning how to be Kara, personally and professionally. I think it’s so important for her to just feel like she can truly stand on her own. So I love that she’s not pining after anyone right now. But there are things on the horizon. It’s really lovely the way they pan out.”
Don’t miss an all new episode of SUPERGIRL tonight (November 14) at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on The CW (U.S.) and Showcase (Canada).
