Spoilers below for anyone who didn't watch the latest episode of Supergirl.
Supergirl has been rolling full-speed ahead on The CW in Season 2, and the threat factor got increased in recent weeks with the reveal that Cadmus is being run by Lillian Luthor, matriarch of the antagonistic family from the comic books. Monday's episode introduced Cyborg Superman to the fun, and he gained access to the Fortress of Solitude with a bit of Kara's blood. Now that the shock from the episode has subsided, it's time to figure out what the big picture is all about, and Lillian Luthor portrayer Brenda Strong has answers.
Lillian's objective is to rid the Earth of what she sees as an invasive, infectious force, and that's the alien population. In her mind, using Supergirl's blood to unlock the key to get the deadly Medusa virus, that's her way of manipulating science to fulfill her objective, to get rid of as many aliens as possible within a small region, including Supergirl. [Lillian] is more of a threat than people can possibly imagine.
Sorry, anybody out there hoping that Lillian Luthor would suddenly develop a need to redeem herself by changing Cadmus into a frozen yogurt shop/theater, as it sounds like the scientist will remain steadfast in her motivations. Nothing too surprising about that, given her last name, and it'll be quite exciting for two females to be at the center of the good vs. evil fight in Supergirl's future. But there are some aliens on this show that we're quite fond of, so we definitely don't want to see Lillian getting too strong of an upper hand.
Talking with THR, Brenda Strong explained that Lillian Luthor isn't necessarily on the same train of thought with viewers that she's absolutely a villain. As a mother, the Cadmus head has a need and a responsibility to keep her children safe from anything she sees as harmful, which in this case is aliens. Similarly, it is also a goal of hers to keep the entire world safe from that threat, which adds nuance to her bigger actions. If she's only doing what she thinks is right, then how is she so bad?
Well, probably because of all the actual heinous shit she's done in the name of Cadmus science. For instance, they've been keeping Hank Henshaw and Jeremiah Danvers alive in secret for many years, which is a good thing on one level, and not so much good on other levels. Things will certainly heat up between Kara and Lillian when it comes to Jeremiah's fate, but that won't be the only family drama happening. Here's what Brenda Strong said about what's coming between Lillian and her daughter Lena.
You're going to see an explosiveness between the two of them. She's never been happy about any of her children being close to Supergirl or Superman since it will only end badly. She definitely will feel betrayed [by Lena working with Supergirl] and there's going to be major emotional aftermath from that.
Actress Katie McGrath better watch out, as any kind of emotional baggage Lillian has will likely result in something drastic being done to Lena. A mother's love can only go so far before other emotions rise above the surface, and she'll no doubt blame Supergirl and other aliens as the cause for her familial imbalance. Here's hoping Kara can handle everything without the need to call other heroes in for assistance.
Supergirl airs Monday nights on The CW, with next week's episode serving as viewers' introduction to the massive four-show DC TV crossover. And we all know that Diggle can't wait for that to happen.
