While Supergirl has always nailed the characterization of Kara Danvers and her band of do-gooder friends, the show had a big problem with underdeveloped villains over its first two seasons. This is clearly something the producers have tried to fix this year, though, with Odette Annable’s Reign. It’s still early days, of course, but it sure looks like she could go on to become one of the more layered antagonists of the Arrowverse.
Introduced in the season 3 premiere, ordinary National City citizen Samantha Arias discovered that she had superpowers when she saved her trapped daughter. Thanks to the stinger at the end of the season 2 finale though, we’re well aware that Sam is really Reign, a Kryptonian being known as a Worldkiller. Right now, the character is struggling to find out what she is, which should make it all the more dramatic and tragic when she eventually descends into villainy.
But before that happens, we now have our first glimpse at what Sam will look like once she’s all suited up.
This is an interesting revamp of the character from the comics, who’s much more like a female Doomsday. From the Kryptonian crest on her chest and the cape, it’s clear that Supergirl‘s version will be a dark counterpart to Kara Zor-El. This is a well-worn Arrowverse tradition by now – Dark Archer, Reverse-Flash, Prometheus, Zoom, Savitar – but it hasn’t yet been attempted here, so it should still feel fresh.
It was also a good idea to forego any monster make-up or CGI, as that can often look pretty tacky on a TV budget. At least the elaborate face mask harks back to Reign’s comic book tiara.
Last time we saw Sam, she had been promoted to acting CEO of L-Corp while Lena Luthor concentrated on running CatCo. You don’t need J’onn J’onzz’s psychic abilities to know that giving a Kryptonian villain the keys to the company previously owned by Lex Luthor will not end well for National City.
Supergirl returns tonight with episode 4, “The Faithful,” on The CW.
