Like any good superhero show, Supergirl was filled to the brim with comic book characters and references, which seemed to be increased exponentially in Season 2. In addition to portraying his usual role as Martian Manhunter, David Harewood also got to play Hank Henshaw, otherwise known as Cyborg Superman. At the end of the day, that role didn't add up to much with the villain never leaving much of an impression. Harewood shares those feelings and recently admitted he wasn't too thrilled with the part in a recent interview.
I don't like playing Cyborg Superman. It's boring. They didn't really flesh it out, they didn't really write for the character. They just gave me this rather cheap-looking mask and no costume, and said 'Okay, you're Cyborg Superman.' But it didn't really pan out -- they didn't really go into why he was a cyborg, how he became a cyborg, what his powers were ... it was just kind of randomly calling him 'Cyborg Superman.'
David Harewood gave his honest opinion on playing Cyborg Superman in a recent interview during Supanova Comic Con and Gaming in Australia. Interviewed by a young fan in a Supergirl outfit, Harewood revealed that he wasn't exactly the biggest fan of Cyborg Superman, which may have been too honest an answer for such an adorable interview. Harewood didn't like playing Cyborg Superman much, an underdeveloped role that was essentially just him wearing a "cheap-looking mask" and talking in a gravelly voice.
Though Cyborg Superman is a deadly threat in the comics, the show's interpretation left much to be desired. David Harewood certainly isn't wrong about anything he said. Cyborg Superman didn't have nearly as much meat on the bone as Martian Manhunter. The character was essentially there to be something for Supergirl to punch and he was more of a mindless lackey than a full on character. Hell, the character didn't even have anything to do with Superman! He just kind of declared himself Cyborg Superman in his debut. Unfortunately, Harewood was stuck playing the character due to the complicated backstory of Martian Manhunter assuming Hank Henshaw's identity, thus creating two characters who look the exact same.
With any luck, David Harewood won't have to cover half of his face in metal for Season 3 of Supergirl. While there's still a long way to go before Supergirl returns to television, the latest season of the show will deal with the cliffhanger reveal that there's another Kryptonian baby who was rescued from Krypton's destruction. General Zod may also be in for an appearance as well, so Season 3 has got the Evil Superman quota filled.
Supergirl returns to the CW on Monday, October 9 at 8 p.m. ET. For your immediate TV viewing, check out our TV summer guide, for all the hottest shows hitting the small screen.
