Gallery: 8 Characters We Want To See On Supergirl

This fall, Supergirl will premiere on CBS. The series will not immediately tie in to any other DC Comics series or films though, meaning that the future for the Last Daughter of Krypton is an open book. While Supergirl herself doesn’t have the kind of rogues gallery or supporting characters that her more famous cousin does, she still has a few friends and adversaries that could show up in her series (some of which she can borrow from Supes if necessary). Here are 8 such characters that we’d like to see on the show…

Livewire, who was created by Bruce Timm for Superman: The Animated Series, may not be a major DC Comics villain, but she’d make a great fit for Supergirl. And, judging by shows like Arrow and The Flash, she’s just the kind of villain-of-the-week that producers Andrew Kreisberg and Greg Berlanti like. Before being struck by lightning and gaining electric and magnetic powers, Leslie Willis was a popular and controversial radio host in Metropolis, who liked bashing Superman. Because the Man of Steel was present at the time of the accident, she blames him for it and her newfound abilities, and vows to take him down. Switching Supes out for Kara in the Livewire equation would be simple enough, and introducing a radio show like Willis’ would fit right at home on the series, which will already have a heavy media presence thanks to Kara’s job at CatCo.

Sure, the prospect of Supergirl crossing over with any of the CW DC shows seems bleak at best, but this is a list about who we WANT to see, not who we EXPECT to. And if we’re playing by those rules, The Flash definitely makes the cut. The Flash and Supergirl have partnered (and even faced off) a lot in the comics, and there’s no denying that Barry Allen would feel right at home on Supergirl (more so than Oliver Queen, at least). Seeing the two team up on the small screen would be the Justice League tease we’ve all been waiting for, and could lead to an excellent hour of television. It may be a long shot, but hey, if The Flash is going to explore the Multiverse next season, maybe there’s a chance these two cross paths!

Despero, the red-skinned, Kalanoran alien, has long plagued the Super family and the Justice League. The Supergirl pilot teases his existence by showing a red alien on a screen at Hank Henshaw’s facility, so perhaps we’ll see him arrive to wreak havoc on Kara somewhere down the line. Despero could be quite the foil for the new heroine, as his superhuman strength, genius intellect, psychic abilities and power of mass manipulation make him a formidable foe – just the kind of “Big Bad” every superhero TV series needs.

Anti-Monitor, the gigantic, matter-destroying robotic being from the Antimatter universe, is perhaps more befitting for the big screen, but considering his history with Supergirl, SOME tribute to him should be payed on the CBS show. Anti-Monitor is responsible for the original Crisis On Infinite Earths, and the death of Supergirl. He may be a bit too outlandish for a television series, but if The Flash can pull of Gorilla Grodd, anything is possible. Perhaps they can use Anti-Monitor in the same way Smallville utilized Darkseid in its final season, with a less-is-more, mostly offscreen approach?

At first glance, Brainiac seems like the kind of villain best suited for the big screen. While that would certainly do the character justice, Smallville proved that he can be handled well on television, and he could be just the kind of big threat that the Supergirl TV series needs. There have been several versions of Brainiac in the comics, one of the most popular being that he’s a self-aware artificial intelligence from the planet Krypton. Seeing as Superman himself will be largely absent from Supergirl, introducing another Kryptonian character like Brainiac would be a great way to play around with Kara’s origin. Add the bottled city of Kandor into the mix, and you’ve got yourself one compelling story about a girl who grew up on Krypton and has access to one final piece of her homeworld – she just has to get through Brainiac first. A future version of Brainiac, Brainiac 5, even strikes up a relationship with Supergirl, something that the series could allude to.

Metallo is one of the most famous and recognizable Superman villains, and could easily go through a bit of a revision in order to show up on Supergirl. John Corben is a journalist involved in a near-fatal accident, who’s brought back to life by becoming a cyborg with a Kryptonite power source. One could easily see Corben joining Supergirl as a fellow journalist at CatCo, striking up a relationship with Kara, and, over the course of the series, becoming the villain we all know as Metallo. That, or he can simply enter the series fully formed, trading the Superman-dominated Metropolis for Supergirl’s home turf, National City.

H’el is a fairly new character, having debuted in the pages of DC’s New 52 relaunch. H’el is a clone created from the cells of countless Kryptonians, who believes – thanks to false memories – that he was once the prized student of Superman’s father, Jor-El. H’el becomes the first Kryptonian test pilot in centures and, on his maiden voyage, is lost in uncharted space. H’el winds up on Earth, 27 years after Krypton’s destruction. He then vows to go back in time and stop the destruction of his homeworld, even if it means destroying Earth in the process. Bringing him into the story could add a great deal of drama to the Supergirl series, as it would force Kara to choose between her homeworld and Earth – the planet she has just sworn to protect.

So far, it doesn’t look like Kara’s Kryptonian cousin will have much of a presence in the series. He delivers her to the Danvers, but takes a hand’s off approach from there, in order to allow her to choose her own path. However, ignoring him altogether will only last so long, and though the majority of the series can simply focus on Kara, there are some instances that may require Supes’ help. After all, can Kara ever REALLY be in danger if Superman is just a phone call away? It’s a slippery slope, yes, but one that the show has to navigate regardless. Plus, who wouldn’t want to see Supes team up with Kara for a big superhero brawl down the line?