Supergirl executive producer Andrew Kreisberg talks the twist at the end of the winter finale and what fans can expect when the show returns.
Warning: This story contains major spoilers from the Supergirl winter finale, “Hostile Takeover.” Do not read further if you haven’t seen the episode.
Stories for the spring
“When we come back, we have one of our coolest fights that we’ve done to kick off the episode,” Kreisberg tells EW. “Then, both in this episode and the next episode, we have flashbacks to Krypton. In episode 9, the flashbacks to Krypton are Astra and Non’s trial, which is kind of fun to see, especially seeing Laura Benanti act against herself.”
He adds, “When we come back, the declaration of war between the DEO and Astra and Non’s forces is in full effect. Also, at the end of episode 8, Cat figures out that Kara is Supergirl, so they’re dealing with both the comedy of the emotion and the drama of that story in episode 9.”
Winn’s story
Another plotline from the winter finale was the dynamic between Winn and Kara. Winn remains secretly in love with Kara, and James encouraged Winn to express his feelings to her. With that in mind, we’ll see “more of Winn and Kara in episode 10, which features the Toyman,” who is being played by Henry Czerny.
“There’s some stuff that comes up in that episode that’s going to change their dynamic forever,” Kreisberg teases. “Winn’s dad is a supervillain. Somebody who is dealing with that shame, humiliation, regret, and emotion — Winn’s been presented as a pretty happy-go-lucky, nice and sweet guy, but he came from a very dark place. It’s Jeremy’s best episode. He does such amazing work in it.
“It’s always interesting when we find points of synchronicity in the characters. Winn says in that episode to Kara, ‘It’s easy to talk about this with you, because you also have a homicidal maniac in your family.'”
Maxwell Lord
We got a brief glimpse of Maxwell Lord in the winter finale, as Non and his lackeys attacked his lab. Maxwell has been becoming more prominent as the season has gone on, and his loyalties and motivations remain unclear.
According to Kreisberg, “Max really believes he’s out to protect the human race. He says in an upcoming episode, ‘When Gods walk the Earth, it’s mortals that get the short end of the stick.’ He doesn’t see the difference between Supergirl and the rest of them, just in the same way that General Lane doesn’t.
“Max has done what we can all consider to be despicable things. He would say it’s all in service of the greater good. For him, moving forward, the machinations that he sets in motion and where his character goes, we’ve presented Astra and Non as pretty bad big bads, so is Max going to heed his better angels or is he going to slip fully into the dark? It’s what makes him a very interesting character.”
J’onn, Alex and Kara
Another plot set to develop is the relationship between J’onn J’onzz, Alex and eventually Kara. Kreisberg says that “part of the journey of this season of J’onn is learning to embrace who he is just as much as Kara has.
“Ironically, although he’s obviously older and a father figure, and is able to be a teacher and guide to Kara, as far as being a superhero is concerned, it’s Kara who is able to teach him that even if you’re from Mars, that doesn’t mean you can’t be human. That’s their emotional journey for the season.”
Furthermore, after the secret inevitably comes out, viewers will “see some of the amazing sacrifices that J’onn is willing to make for Kara and Alex, and what they’re willing to do in return.”
Season-long themes
Finally, Kreisberg comments on the themes of Supergirl‘s freshman season. He says the conflict is between fear (Astra) and hope (Kara). According to Kreisberg, “[W]inning hearts and minds, which is the amazing thing that Kara can do, is ultimately going to save the day.
“It’s happening both in her personal life and also in the world. As she’s slowly changing Cat, and possibly changing Max, changing J’onn, changing Winn and making all the people around her better and stronger, and working together, that’s really the theme.”
When compared to the heroes on Arrow and The Flash, Supergirl is “the most public superhero we’ve ever done, in the sense that it’s the superhero with the biggest public image. It’s been interesting to play with that and show just what that S means to the people of National City.”
Kreisberg concludes, “It means so much to everyone in our world. It is one of the most recognizable symbols. The idea that it represents unity, hope, and faith not just for Kara and her friends, but for everyone, that’s really the ultimate weapon against whatever bad guy comes down the pipe.”