‘Supergirl’: Mehcad Brooks Hints at James’ Relationship With Lex Luthor

Supergirl is set to introduce a major DC Comics villain this season, and it sounds like they will come with some baggage.

Mehcad Brooks, who plays James Olsen on the hit The CW series, recently addressed the new characters arriving in National City, including the yet-to-be-cast Lex Luthor. As Brooks put it, his character’s former days in Metropolis will factor into Lex’s arrival in an interesting way, as well as his romantic relationship with Lena Luthor (Katie McGrath).

“Lex coming back… Lex tried to kill me!” Brooks revealed to Decider. “That’s not a lot of fun. Obviously there’s gonna be a fraught situation between Lex and James and Lena, but we do drama really well.”

But it sounds like things won’t be all doom and gloom for James, with Kelly Olsen (Brooks’ real-life best friend Azie Tesfai) joining in a recurring role.

“Bringing his sister in is going to be a very happy place for him,” Brooks said. “We’ve seen a lot of brooding James, we’ve seen a lot of his passion for saving people and protecting people and safety. So that’s gonna be amazing.”

As those involved with the show have teased, Lex’s role will take an interesting shape in Supergirl‘s fourth season, something Brooks’ comments seem to support.

“It’s a big Lena story this season,” showrunner Robert Rovner explained in a recent interview. “[Lex] weaves into the narrative we’re telling. We’re excited about the possibilities of who might step into the iconic role.”

Either way, it sounds like Lex’s involvement in the show will be a major shift for the world of Supergirl, even as the show didn’t initially plan to include him.

“We’re beyond excited to introduce iconic villain, Lex Luthor, to Supergirl and to weave him into our story this season,” Robert Rovner and Jessica Queller said in a statement when the announcement was made. “We’ve talked about having Lex on the show since it’s inception and we’re excited to have him finally arrive. We can’t wait for him to shake things up in National City and watch him go toe to toe with not only Supergirl, but his sister Lena Luthor.”

Are you excited to see James’ history with Lex Luthor in Supergirl Season 4? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

Supergirl airs Sundays at 8/7c on The CW.