So far in 2023, superhero fans have seen two “live-action” iterations of DC’s Kryptonian savior Supergirl, with Ezra Miller’s The Flash introducing audiences to Sasha Calle’s Kara Zor-El, while also featuring a digital iteration of Helen Slater’s character from the 1984 film. But considering the film completely ignored the Arrowverse’s Barry Allen and other characters, that meant fans didn’t get to see Melissa Benoist back in costume for possibly the final time. But the actress herself sounds as if she’s willing and able to return to the role in the future, which has me very hopeful Kara Danvers will make an appearance on Superman & Lois before that series is all wrapped up.
As the WGA writers strike and SAG-AFTRA actors strike continue to shake up the entertainment industry, seemingly more celebs than ever are finding alternate ways to bring in funding, and Melissa Benoist is one of many who started up a Cameo page to send personal messages to paying fans. And bless her fan-pleasing heart, she immediately sparked speculation about a potential return as Supergirl, saying:
I love playing her, and that’s so cool you grew up watching the shows. They were really, really fun to work on, and who knows if I may put on the suit again? We’ll see. I have one that I sneakily took when we ended the show. Don’t tell anyone. This is a secret. A big one, actually. [Laughs.] But yeah, I do have a suit in my attic, and I would love to play the character again. We’ll see what happens.
To play devil’s advocate right out of the gate, Benoist is a professional and is known to be a very kind-hearted person, so it only makes sense that her initial Cameo posts would fall on the side of being more open and positive about possibly bringing her pants-donning Supergirl hero back for another round in some capacity. With upcoming projects such as Netflix’s The Girls on the Bus and the animated series Masters of the Universe: Revolution (for which she replaced Sarah Michelle Gellar), she’s probably not actively seeking out avenues to play Kara again, and might have trouble completing such a task even if she was 100% dedicated to returning.
Now with all that out of the way, we can allow for a rise in optimism, which can be applied entirely to Melissa Benoist’s vibes. Because she’s probably as aware as anyone that the Arrowverse is no more, with Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch’s Superman & Lois serving as one of The CW’s few original series to survive the Nexstar buyout. And with the reworked DCU’s co-head James Gunn gearing up for his own Man of Steel tale via 2025’s Superman: Legacy, there’s not exactly a ton of canonical room for Benoist’s Supergirl to exist in.
I admittedly sound like I’m still dishing out woeful caveats, but my point there is more that the Glee vet could have very logistically said, “There’s not much of a chance of it, but who knows?” without getting anyone’s hopes up too much. But by saying “We’ll see…” in the same breath that she copped to still having a Supergirl costume in her attic, she’s leaving that attic door open for fans to wonder whether the Arrowverse’s Kara could somehow appear within Superman & Lois’ continuity during Season 4.
Even that seems like a bit of a stretch, considering The CW’s vastly smaller production budgets required Superman & Lois to pare down its cast of series regulars, with some stars being cut altogether. But it’s possible that plans to bring Melissa Benoist back into the superhero fold were already in mind before those cuts were announced. I think it’ll be worth keeping an eye on her hair color in these Cameo videos.
So while I’m not exactly convinced that Benoist’s Supergirl will return to screens big or small in the near future, I think it’s awesome that she’s keeping fans’ faithful, even the ones who aren’t getting happy birthday wishes. While waiting to see if anything further comes from this, all episodes of Supergirl can be streamed with a Netflix subscription.
