Season 2 of Supergirl has come to an end, and the finale closed on the tease of a brand new villain who would vex Kara when the action picks up again in Season 3. The quick glimpse was a flashback to a baby, so there was no saying at the time what big bad was actually on the way to face to Girl of Steel in the fall. Now, we finally know who will be playing the grown-up version of Kara's new villain. Odette Annable will play the DC Comics villainess Reign.
The Season 2 finale of Supergirl was rather ambiguous about the identity of the baby in the flashback to the destruction of Krypton, and we came up with four big bads who could definitely be on the way in Season 3. Reign was one of the most likely candidates. She's not nearly as notorious of a DC villain as Doomsday, Brainiac, or Mongul, but she seems like a good fit for the world Supergirl has established. Odette Annable has signed on as a regular, so we'll get to see a lot of her as Reign.
Reign is a relatively new addition to DC Comics, making her first appearance in a Supergirl comic in 2012. She was one of the Worldkillers, who were a group of genetically engineered aliens created by Kryptonian scientists looking to build powerful living weapons. The project that created the Worldkillers was abandoned when she was young, forcing her to grow up without guidance. Reign was the leader of the Worldkillers, and she clashed with Supergirl shortly after they crossed paths.
The comic version of Reign definitely stands out as non-human, with her dark black eyes and voluminous red hair. We can confirm that the Supergirl version of the villainess will look quite different from her comic counterpart. Her costume will be different, and given that Odette Annable will be a regular, I'm guessing that she won't have the same voluminous hair, eerie black eyes, and skin tone as the alien from the pages of the comics. Supergirl supervillains tend to be able to blend in with the citizens of National City, and Reign as seen in the comics would definitely stand out in a crowd.
Supergirl will mark the second time that Odette Annable works on a Berlanti Productions TV show. She landed a recurring role on ABC's Brothers & Sisters from 2010-2011, and executive producer Andrew Kreisberg has revealed that he and Berlanti have been hoping to work with Annable for quite some time. Her status as the big Season 3 villain likely means that she'll have a lot to do, and Supergirl really may need another superhero team to help out.
Odette Annable has worked on a variety of projects over the years, including House, Banshee, The Astronaut Wives Club, and most recently, the short-lived Pure Genius medical drama on CBS. It should be interesting to see what she brings to a role like Reign, which will likely be a big change from the kinds of characters Annable has played in the past. Hopefully she'll fit into the ensemble, which is actually losing one of its regulars for Season 3.
Kara and Co. will return to The CW with the third season of Supergirl in the fall. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest in superhero news, and don't forget to check out our summer TV premiere schedule to discover all your viewing options now and in the coming weeks. Be sure to drop by our rundowns for cable/streaming and broadcast TV renewals and cancellations as well. If streaming is more your style, our Netflix premiere schedule will help you out.
