‘Supergirl’ Season 4 Will Introduce TV’s First Transgender Superhero

Brittany Rivera
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SPOILER ALERT: Warning, this article contains mild spoilers for Supergirl. Proceed at your own risk.

During San Diego Comic-Con, the cast of Supergirl gave fans a glimpse of what to expect in the show’s upcoming fourth season. Season 3 saw the exit of some of the show’s team members including Winn (Jeremy Jordan, who was reduced to a recurring star status) and Mon-El (Chris Wood). The episode’s final moments also revealed a second Kara (Melissa Benoist) in Siberia.

Season 4 promises big changes for the Girl of Steel and her friends. “We wanted to use the show to reflect some of the things happening in our world, but with the same heart and adventure,” says executive producer Robert Rovner. While Season 3 had many episodes set in outer space, this season will be more grounded, he said. During the panel, the cast teased the themes of the season and where their characters are heading.

What Is Stronger: Hope or Fear?

Kara and Alex Danvers

Supergirl has always been about hope. This season will see Kara up against anti-alien sentiments in National City that challenge her role as a hero and a symbol of hope. This season will seek to answer the question, which is stronger: hope or fear? Kara’s heroism will extend beyond her Supergirl persona to Kara Danvers, the journalist. She’ll return to her reporting roots and once again become a hero through her writing.

Kara will also get to flex her mentorship muscles this season, taking new reporter Nia Nial (Nicole Maines) under her wing. Nia will be joining the Catco team from D.C., where she previously worked with Cat Grant. But that’s not all. Nia is also the superhero Dreamer — the first transgender superhero on television.

A soulful woman, Nia has a fierce desire to protect others, and her journey to fulfill her destiny is similar to Kara’s. “It’s such an important issue right now in our society and in the world, so it seems only fitting that we have a trans superhero for trans kids to look up to,” said Maines.

Alex’s Journey

Team Supergirl

Alex‘s (Chyler Leigh) storyline this season will see her balancing her new position in the DEO with her continuing journey towards motherhood. Everything is that much harder because she no longer has Winn or J’onn (David Harewood) by her side. Of course, J’onn is never far from the Danvers sisters lives and, despite his reduced role in the DEO, will always act as a father figure in their lives.

Producer Sarah Schechter also teased Alex’s meeting with Kate Kane aka Batwoman, who will be introduced during the annual DCTV crossover. “Hopefully, Alex really likes her,” she joked during the panel. Could love be on the horizon for Alex this season too?

Supergirl Season 4 premieres Sunday, October 14,2018 at 8 p.m. on the CW.

Brittany Rivera
Writer. Fangirl. Lover of hockey, coffee, superheroes & sci-fi. Always reads the book first. Specializes in writing about the shows that make you cry. Can also been found writing for Screen Rant & The Marvel Report.