The DC Blog itself has just confirmed the identity of the Supergirl season 3 villain. If you’ve seen the season finale, then you know a pretty solid hint about just where the villain is from. Now we know who they are, who’s playing them and their place in the comics. All of which are pretty interesting.
The villain’s name is Reign. She’s a genetically enhanced alien who was captured and genetically enhanced by Kryptonian scientists to be used as a weapon. She and the other members of her squad, known as the Worldkillers, were placed in hibernation. When they woke up, and fund Krypton destroyed and their captors dead, they set off in search of their homeworlds. However, Reign and three others wound up on Earth where they clashed with Supergirl. This all took place in the early days of the New 52 version of Supergirl and remains a high watermark in a very good run.
This is a really interesting choice for the show for any number of reasons. The choice of a New 52 villain is a brave one and the fact Reign is a Supergirl character rather than part of the Super-family itself is a welcome vote of confidence in the character. Most interesting of all is the way the show has already differed from the DC Comics version of the character. As we saw in the finale, there’s a deliberate element to Reign’s arrival on Earth which, if we had to guess, may be tied to Kryptonian politics and the enemies of the House of El striking at them from beyond the grave. Most interesting of all though is the fact Reign is in essence a child soldier. She’s the embodiment of Krypton at its absolute worst, whereas Kara is Krypton at its best. It’s going to be heady, complex drama watching these two different ideologies clash.
The best news of all is that Odette Anable has got the role. You’ve probably seen her as Odette Yustman in Cloverfield or Doctor Jessica Adams in House. She’s got natural authority, presence and vulnerability. Perfect for a character torn by rage and damage like Reign is.
We’ll get our first look at Anable in the role when Supergirl returns in the Autumn.
