ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Let’s talk about this twist at the end. What can you tell us about Kara’s aunt?
ANDREW KREISBERG: Her name is Astra. She’s a character that we’ve created for the show, who doesn’t come from the comics. On all the other shows, whenever the big bad has been personally tied to the hero, it’s always been that much more evocative — certainly you look at Slade Wilson (Manu Bennett) and Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman), and, in a lot of ways, Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh). We thought it was really exciting that the villain be part of Kara’s family that Kara thought was dead. But beyond that, she’s her mother’s twin sister. Even though it’s not her mother, the big bad of the year wears her mother’s face. That’s certainly going to create emotional issues for Kara when she’s placed in situations where, perhaps to save Earth, she’s going to have to end her aunt’s life.
To be clear for the non-comic book fans, this villain is not Kal-El’s mother.
No, no, no. She’s actually not. If you were really paying attention, you would see that her glyph is not the S. She’s from a different house. Alura, Kara’s mother, married into the House of El. She is not Lara. That was why we were so excited to get Laura Benanti, because Laura plays Alura as this benevolent angel, but she can also convincingly play the bad guy. Even in those brief moments in episode 1, she has a deliciousness as the bad guy that I think she’s going to become a fan-favorite.
ANDREW KREISBERG: Her name is Astra. She’s a character that we’ve created for the show, who doesn’t come from the comics. On all the other shows, whenever the big bad has been personally tied to the hero, it’s always been that much more evocative — certainly you look at Slade Wilson (Manu Bennett) and Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman), and, in a lot of ways, Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh). We thought it was really exciting that the villain be part of Kara’s family that Kara thought was dead. But beyond that, she’s her mother’s twin sister. Even though it’s not her mother, the big bad of the year wears her mother’s face. That’s certainly going to create emotional issues for Kara when she’s placed in situations where, perhaps to save Earth, she’s going to have to end her aunt’s life.
To be clear for the non-comic book fans, this villain is not Kal-El’s mother.
No, no, no. She’s actually not. If you were really paying attention, you would see that her glyph is not the S. She’s from a different house. Alura, Kara’s mother, married into the House of El. She is not Lara. That was why we were so excited to get Laura Benanti, because Laura plays Alura as this benevolent angel, but she can also convincingly play the bad guy. Even in those brief moments in episode 1, she has a deliciousness as the bad guy that I think she’s going to become a fan-favorite.
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"The pilot set up the idea that there was an alien prison from Krypton that crash-landed on Earth and all of the prisoners escaped," Kreisberg says. "We'll be meeting some of those alien villains, there will also be some human villains, like the Toyman."
While most superhero shows wait to reveal secret identities until much later down the line, Supergirl eschewed that particular comic book trope by having Kara confess her true origin to her best friend Winn Schott (Jeremy Jordan) immediately in the pilot.
"That gives us more potential for character evolution," Adler says. "We know it is going to happen at some point just like the audience does, and we know everyone roots for that card to be turned over. So we were just like, 'Let's do it as quickly as possible so we can get to those good stories we want to tell.' But there will still be that classic superhero trope of who is this woman who appeared all of a sudden to save National City?"
As for those sparks that are already flying between Kara and Winn, the producers can't deny that there is natural chemistry between Benoist and Jordan. But will a real romance blossom between the two friends?
While most superhero shows wait to reveal secret identities until much later down the line, Supergirl eschewed that particular comic book trope by having Kara confess her true origin to her best friend Winn Schott (Jeremy Jordan) immediately in the pilot.
"That gives us more potential for character evolution," Adler says. "We know it is going to happen at some point just like the audience does, and we know everyone roots for that card to be turned over. So we were just like, 'Let's do it as quickly as possible so we can get to those good stories we want to tell.' But there will still be that classic superhero trope of who is this woman who appeared all of a sudden to save National City?"
As for those sparks that are already flying between Kara and Winn, the producers can't deny that there is natural chemistry between Benoist and Jordan. But will a real romance blossom between the two friends?
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