Supergirl: New Look At Tyler Hoechlin As Superman

Is there anything better than seeing the two most powerful Kryptonians on Earth standing side-by-side? In this new image The CW has released (via EW), we see Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) and Superman (Tyler Hoechlin), her cousin, standing beside each other and staring down their latest adversary.

In the first season of Supergirl, Kara interacted with Kal-El via instant messenger, receiving helpful advice from someone who fully-understands the unique problems she encounters on a daily basis, and when Superman did appear on-screen, he was either shown from the back or sunlight was used to obscure his features. However, for Season 2, showrunners wanted to up the ante by having Superman be more than a blurry figure, and the moment that was decided, Executive Producer Greg Berlanti suggested Hoechlin to be their Man of Steel.

"Honestly, it was the strangest thing — there wasn't an audition," Hoechlin told EW. "I had a great meeting with [executive producers] Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg [in June]. I had been told that the meeting would have something to do with Supergirl, but nothing really specific. Halfway through, they brought up the idea of introducing Superman to the show and asked if I'd be interested. I said, 'Yeah, absolutely. I'm obviously a fan.' I believe that was on a Monday. On Friday, we got a call with the offer, so it was very quick. It was very flattering, and I wish every job came about that way."

While Hoechlin grew-up watching Dean Cain and Christopher Reeve play Superman in the Lois & Clark television series and the Richard Donner films, respectively, he has no interest in imitating either one of their performances. "Obviously [we want to] honor the tradition that is the character without really emulating anything that somebody else has done before," Hoechlin said. After landing the coveted role, he made sure to avoid viewing any Superman films."I didn't want to have any temptation to imitate," he added.

Now, in Season Two, Kara (Melissa Benoist) has left the safety of being Cat Grant's (Calista Flockhart) assistant in order to figure out what she really wants to do, while as Supergirl she continues to work at the DEO., protecting the citizens of National City and searching for Jeremiah (Dean Cain) and Cadmus. Along the way, she will team up with Superman (Tyler Hoechlin) to battle new villains, as she strives to balance her personal life with her life as a superhero.

The cast also includes Chyler Leigh as Alex Danvers, Helen Slater as Eliza Danvers, Mehcad Brooks as James Olsen, Jeremy L. Jordan as Winslow "Winn" Schott, and David Harewood as J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter.

Distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. International Television Distribution, SUPERGIRL is executive produced by Greg Berlanti ("Arrow," "The Flash"), Ali Adler ("The New Normal"), Andrew Kreisberg ("The Flash," "Arrow") and Sarah Schechter ("Blindspot," "The Mysteries of Laura"). Supergirl is based on the characters created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster and appearing in DC Comics, by special arrangement with the Jerry Siegel Family.

Supergirl season two kicks off the first week of October at 8pm on Monday on The CW.