After a few fake-outs last season, Supergirl fans were glad to hear that Superman would actually be making appearances in Season 2. And, now, we know how the younger super cousin will relate to her even more famous family member. Executive producer Andrew Kreisberg has given us an idea of how that relationship will work.
When Supergirl and Superman walk into the room, everyone gets really quiet about him. And her reaction is, "Oh, please..." People have asked us how do you make sure that Superman doesn't overwhelm the lead of your show? Rather than shy away from that, we're embracing it. It's kind of the idea like, yeah, he is more popular than she is. How does she deal with that? That's our take on that dynamic that's between them.
Well, well. That is an intriguing dynamic that I wasn't quite expecting. It looks like Andrew Kreisberg and company have set up a familial relationship that is a bit more complex than Supergirl fans might have been thinking of at first, according to his interview with IGN. Since Kara grew up knowing Clark, it makes a bit of sense that she wouldn't fall all over herself whenever he's around, even given his considerable good deeds. But, it also makes sense that she would feel a bit jealous of his fame and how he was able to take on the superhero mantle so much sooner than she did.
Even though we haven't seen Kara with Clark yet, I can see how she would quickly tire of the awed silences and stares that he would get once he's fully suited up as Superman. I mean, if you saw a real-life superhero wouldn't you stop whatever you were doing for at least a few minutes and take some time to gaze lovingly upon their visage? Especially, you know, if that superhero looked like Superman? Of course you would. It would be like if Brad Pitt walked into a room at the same time as Jimmy Fallon; you'd notice Jimmy, but Brad would inspire a lot more astonishment.
I think it was a wise choice for the Supergirl team to lean into the idea that Clark has a bigger impact on people than Kara does. It is a good way to use the natural contrast between the two characters, where Kara is still a newcomer to fighting crime, and is best known at home, and Clark has been helping people all over the world for several years by now. It also helps, as Kreisberg notes, to bridge the gap between the mythos of the two characters that's been built up in the comics. By having the show recognize the differences in popularity between Superman and Supergirl, they're letting our own expectations of the characters feed the storyline, which just seems like a brilliant idea.
We can get the full picture of Kara and Clark's dynamic when Supergirl returns on The CW on October 10.
