Supergirl is hatching schemes aplenty with the casting of two major actors, Teri Hatcher and Kevin Sorbo as new characters in the show’s currently ongoing second season.
The first announcement was for Hatcher. Entertainment Weekly reported that the actress would be joining the cast of Supergirl in the winter, meaning she’ll likely appear on-screen in late February or early March. Hatcher’s role is currently shrouded in mystery, but the producers of the show have indicated that she will be the Big Bad of Season 2.
Hatcher is no stranger to the world of DC Comics. In the mid-90s, she portrayed Lois Lane in ABC’s Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman . As the title suggests, that show placed heavy emphasis on the romantic relationship between Lois and Clark/Superman. By a lucky coincidence, Hatcher’s co-star on that series, Dean Cain, is also currently guest-starring on Supergirl as Jeremiah Danvers, the father of Alex and adoptive father of Kara/Supergirl.
In a statement to the press, Supergirl executive producer Andrew Kreisberg calls Hatcher his “all time favorite Lois Lane.”
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Supergirl’s casting bonanza did not end with Hatcher this week. Deadline reported that Kevin Sorbo has also been cast in the CW series . Yet again, the role is shrouded in mystery, though like Teri Hatcher, Sorbo’s character will also be a villain. Sorbo is best known for playing the titular hero in the syndicated fantasy series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys . He also starred in the sci-fi series Andromeda in the early 2000s.
Kreisberg’s statement to the press on this casting was more muted, merely noting that Kevin Sorbo has tremendous screen presence. That presence will fit right in on Supergirl , a show already loaded with multi-talented actors like Melissa Benoist, David Harewood, Chyler Leigh, and Jeremy Jordan, to name but a few.
Though Hatcher and Sorbo’s characters may not be clearly defined yet, what is clear is that they are both villains. This strongly suggests that both characters will have some tie to Project Cadmus. Cadmus used to be part of the D.E.O. until Lena Luthor’s mother took it off-grid, performing horrific experiments on extraterrestrials. Supergirl and her cousin Superman are obviously not big fans of this organization. Superman’s opposition to Cadmus was a source of tension between him and J’onn in Supergirl Season 2’s premiere episodes.
Casting Hatcher as a Supergirl Big Bad this season all but confirms that her character will be tied to Cadmus, if for no other reason than to ensure a Lois & Clark reunion. Last season, it was revealed that Jeremiah Danvers, long presumed dead, was in fact being held hostage by Cadmus.
That subplot has been dormant for a while, as Alex’s main character arc this year has revolved around her sexuality and budding romantic entanglement with National City police officer Maggie Sawyer, while J’onn has been dealing with the sudden appearance of another Martian on Earth.
Hatcher’s character could very well focus both characters’ priorities, and if she is indeed in charge of Cadmus, she is also in a position to blackmail the reformed Lena Luthor, daughter of Cadmus’s previous project director.
Sorbo’s physique and screen presence most likely points to his character as an alien of some sort. That could mean alien makeup is in his immediate future, but there’s another possibility to consider. In the episode “Supergirl Lives,” as the D.E.O. is rescuing Supergirl and Mon-El from Roulette’s human trafficking ring, a Dominator (the alien race featured in the massive Arrow-verse crossover “Invasion!” earlier this season) prevented another alien from killing Mon-El, saying he is “not to be harmed.”
It’s a small moment, but one that is clearly setting up a twist for Mon-El later this season. As with Supergirl last season, this twist might be that not everyone from Mon-El’s home planet of Daxam is dead. Sorbo could easily play another member of Daxam’s royal family (likely the king, given Sorbo’s stature both physically and as a veteran genre TV actor) who comes to Earth in search of Mon-El. Such a role would also virtually guarantee a run-in with Cadmus, tying both villains together in either a deadly alliance or a devastating clash of titans.
Supergirl continues on The CW on Monday at its usual time with an episode titled “The Martian Chronicles.”
[Featured Image by Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images]