In true genre TV tradition, Season 3 of Supergirl will have an all-new season-long villain terrorizing Supergirl and the D.E.O. That villain is Reign, who was teased in the Season 2 cliffhanger as another baby being who survived the destruction of Krypton. While we don't know too much about Reign yet, Supergirl executive producer Alex Kreisberg is promising that she won't be like any other comic TV villain. As opposed to being the big bad right out of the premiere's gate, viewers will actually watch Reign become more villainous over the course of the season.
Usually on these shows, you either meet the big bad at the end of episode 1 or you meet them at episode 7 or 9, and you realize that they've been pulling the strings the whole time, and were out there working with their multi-year plan to take down the heroes or destroy the city. When we were figuring out Reign, one thing we've never really seen on any of these shows is we've never seen the big bad become the big bad.
Supergirl is going for the slow burn on Season 3, as viewers clearly won't see Reign plotting to kill Supergirl right away. Most superhero shows can get a bit formulaic when it comes how their villains are introduced, so to keep things fresh, Supergirl is taking a different approach with Reign. It sounds like fans can expect to actually become attached to Reign as a character before things start going south and she makes her ultimate fall into evil. (Breaking Bad, anyone?)
The Reign on the DC TV show won't be quite as familiar to fans who know her from the comics. In the comic books, Reign is one of the Worldkiillers, who are bloodthirsty conquerors with Earth in their target sights. On the show, Reign will be portrayed by House Alum Odette Annable and she'll have no idea that she is Reign or that she wants to kill any worlds. Andrew Kreisberg told Entertainment Weekly that when she debuts in the season premiere, Reign will be as far from a supervillain as you can get.
When we meet Reign, she's just a woman. Her name is Samantha and she's a single mom, and she has no idea that she is Reign; she has no idea that she was the baby in the pod at the end of last season, so the journey that she takes this season is watching her realize her heritage and see how it manifests.
This sounds like a refreshing take on the season-long Big Bad. Not only does it offer us something new, but it avoids the hurdle of the main conflict getting stale halfway through the season -- a recurring DC TV problem. Plus, there's no unmasking to wait for. Perhaps this way, Reign's season-long transformation will result in a more engaging season.
Supergirl Season 3 will arrive on The CW this fall on October 9 at 8:00 p.m. EST. Make sure to stay up to date on all the big premieres with CinemaBlend's comprehensive guide to the fall TV season.
