TAGGED AS: Comic Book, DC Comics, Superheroes, The CW
Dean Cain, who played The Man of Steel himself on Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, returns this week to Supergirl, where he plays Kara (Melissa Benoist) and Alex Danvers (Chyler Leigh)’s long-lost father, Jeremiah Danvers.
Jeremiah was presumed killed, but Kara and Mon-El (Chris Wood) found him alive and a prisoner of Cadmus. The last time Kara saw him, he helped them escape Cadmus, but stayed behind himself.
Jeremiah returns in this week’s episode, “Homecoming,” which Rotten Tomatoes got to preview at The CW offices, with Leigh and producer Andrew Kreisberg in attendance. Here are five things to know before watching the episode, including some insights from Leigh herself.
Alex is a very independent woman and has built a career for herself kicking butt for the DEO. Still, when Jeremiah brings news of a Cadmus attack on National City, Alex’s instincts are to listen to her father.
“It definitely brings up a lot of questions, that’s for sure,” Leigh said. “Alex so wholeheartedly wants to believe that he’s absolutely right and that everybody should just jump in and trust him, no questions asked. Just from the standpoint of being a daughter, not having seen him in so long, it’s when you have to really strip the emotion out of it and just say, ‘OK, we need to vet this out fully and figure out what’s really going on.’
“Then it creates some friction and tension, especially between Kara and Alex just trying to navigate the road of figuring out what to do now and where they are now,” Leigh added.
The biggest news for Jeremiah to learn is that Alex has a girlfriend now. She introduces him to Maggie (Floriana Lima). Since Alex’s coming-out story began this season, gay fans have shared inspiring stories of how Supergirl helped them come out or get through difficult times. Hopefully, that continues with this episode.
“One of the things that I get the most comments about is the fact that Alex is 28,” Leigh said. “At 28, figuring this out about herself and having those light bulb moments and putting these things together, that’s been a big part of the response. ‘Oh my gosh, this is exactly my story. This is where I was.’
“You see so many characters on shows right now, they come in and they’re already established as lesbian, gay, transgender,” Leigh continued. “They’re already in that place. This is where you get to see see somebody coming to a point where she’s just figuring it out.”
Back before his capture, Jeremiah worked with the Martian Manhunter himself, J’onn J’onzz (David Harewood), at the DEO. Back then, J’onn was exclusively using the image of Hank Henshaw to pass for human and keep his Martian background hidden. J’onn has come out since then too, so this will be a new development as they reminisce about old times.
Ever since he crash-landed on Earth, Mon-El has had a habit of disobeying Kara. She asked him to stay at the DEO, but he escaped. She told him to let her handle Mr. Mxyzptlk, and he nearly got himself killed defying her. He probably leaves the toilet seat up and doesn’t stop to ask for directions either. “Homecoming” explores both the funny side and serious side of Mon-El’s problem with following instructions.
In the episode “The Darkest Place,” Supergirl had to rescue Mon-El from Cadmus. Lillian Luthor (Brenda Strong) forced Kara to wear a helmet that absorbed her radiation, taking away her powers. In “Homecoming,” Lillian reveals exactly what she was up to with that helmet.
Kreisberg and Leigh shared more about what’s coming up for Supergirl. Check back for more on Rotten Tomatoes next week.
Supergirl airs Monday nights at 8 p.m. on The CW
