Naomi Season 1 Photos Reveal Big DC Universe Tie
The CW has revealed a pair of new photos from the premiere of Naomi, including a shot of a winged character that producers reveal is not only Naomi's mentor as she begins to adjust to her powers, but also a Thanagarian. Thanagar is an alien world in the DC Universe, and has ties to the mythology of Hawkman and Hawkwoman, who previously appeared on DC's Legends of Tomorrow. After they left the Arrowverse, the world of Thanagar itself appeared briefly in the series finale of Krypton, and would have been a big part of a planned season 3 for the Syfy series.
The interstellar cameos won't stop at Thanagar, according to producers. They told EW that they think fans will be excited for other DC cameos -- and without saying it outright, it definitely seems like Superman (Tyler Hoechlin) will be one of them.
You can see that photo below.
"It's about Naomi's journey to fully become herself. She's not going to become the person she will eventually become right away. We'll get to be with her in these moments of struggle and triumph, and victory as she learns how to be a hero," showrunner Jill Blankenship told Entertainment Weekly. "She starts to realize that this affection and affinity she has for Superman is actually rooted in something much deeper than she thought. We get to watch as she discovers in real time [that] Superman [is] really part of her story and she's part of his."
There had been no exploration of the Thanagarian ties to the Hawks during their time on Legends. Thanagar itself was a later addition to their mythology in the comics, so it was not clear whether it was being ignored, or if it would have come up had the characters stayed more than one season.
From Oscar® nominee/Emmy® winner Ava DuVernay and Jill Blankenship (Arrow), and starring Kaci Walfall (Army Wives, Power, The Lion King on Broadway) in the title role, the DC drama Naomi follows the journey of a cool, confident, comic book-loving teenager as she pursues her hidden destiny. When a supernatural event shakes her hometown of Port Oswego to the core, Naomi sets out to uncover its origins, with a little help from her fiercely loyal best friend Annabelle (Mary-Charles Jones, Kevin Can Wait). She also has the support of her adoptive, doting parents, veteran military officer Greg (Barry Watson, "7th Heaven," "The Loudest Voice") and linguistics teacher Jennifer (Mouzam Makkar, The Fix).
After an encounter with Zumbado (Cranston Johnson, Filthy Rich), the mysterious owner of a used car lot, leaves her shaken, Naomi turns to tattoo parlor owner Dee (Alexander Wraith, Orange Is the New Black), who becomes her reluctant mentor. While unfolding the mystery about herself, Naomi also effortlessly navigates her high school friendships with kids on the military base as well as well as local townies, including ex-boyfriend and high school jock Nathan (Daniel Puig); Annabelle's longtime, loyal boyfriend Jacob (Aidan Gemme); proud "townie" Anthony (Will Meyers, Bad Education); and fellow comic book enthusiast Lourdes (Camila Moreno), who works in a vintage collectible shop. As Naomi journeys to the heights of the Multiverse in search of answers, what she discovers will challenge everything we believe about our heroes.
Based on the characters from DC, Naomi is written and executive produced by Ava DuVernay and Jill Blankenship ("Arrow"), and executive produced by Sarah Bremner and Paul Garnes of ARRAY Filmworks. Amanda Marsalis ("Echo Park," "Queen Sugar") directed and co-executive produced the pilot episode. The series is from ARRAY Filmworks in association with Warner Bros. Television.