The CW has released photos for "What's So Funny 'Bout Truth, Justice and the American Way?" the upcoming March 3 episode of Supergirl.
The episode takes its title from the story in Action Comics #755 by Joe Kelly and Doug Mahnke that first introduced Manchester Black and The Elite. In the issue, The Elite use force to try and prove that Superman treats criminals too gently, and that the world would be better if he stepped aside and let the truly "strong" rule -- but that does not work out particularly well for them.
The story explores Superman's role in the world, not just as "guy who fights bad guys," but as something larger--the guy who has to be the moral compass for the other heroes of the world. Superman is so vastly powerful, he could do serious damage to villains--and the rest of the planet--if he wasn't such a supremely decent person. For that reason, he's often underestimated as soft, weak or (in the case of readers) uninteresting. This story sees him let loose -- if briefly -- to illustrate why he can't do so more often. It's an exploration that fits very well with this season of Supergirl, given the complex issues of alien and human relationships, the growing anti-alien sentiment, and even Supergirl's own relationship with her sister, Alex.
The episode specifically will see Supergirl dealing with the fallout from tonight's Menagerie" in which the Children of Liberty got a critical win in their war against aliens when Ben Lockwood was released from prison by the President, signalling an official stamp of approval for the group's terroristic activities against aliens, both in National City and the nation as a whole. It's a move that seems to warrant a trip to the White House for Supergirl, something seen in the photos below.
SUPERGIRL FACES OFF AGAINST THE ELITE
Manchester Black (guest star David Ajala) breaks out of prison with the help of his new team, The Elite, who are set on punishing the anti-alien forces. Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) pulls double duty as she tries to apprehend Manchester Black and his team as well as deal with a shocking new development with Ben Lockwood (Sam Witwer).
Alexis Ostrander directed the episode written by Eric Carrasco & Aadrita Mukerji.
Supergirl airs on Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET/PT, before episodes of Charmed on The CW. "What's So Funny 'Bout Truth, Justice, and the American Way?" debuts on March 3.