Naomi Producer Teases Exciting Evolutions in Her Superpowers

The CW’s Naomi premiered to great fanfare earlier this month, showcasing a new and previously-unexplored corner of the DC TV universe. At the center of the series’ story has been Naomi McDuffie (Kaci Walfall) a teen girl in a small town who soon realizes she is an alien from another planet. As the existing episodes — and the pages of DC Comics — have teased, that will involve some visually epic superpowers. In a recent interview with CBR, Naomi director and co-executive producer DeMane Davis spoke about how Naomi’s powers and skillset will continue to get “bigger” and “better” as the series goes along.

“The most exciting thing about these effects is that they are going to continue to evolve as she evolves,” Davis explained. “It’s not just seeing this character evolve, but seeing Kaci evolve. Naomi is learning about herself, learning about these powers. They are going to get even bigger, even better, and even brighter as she begins to control them. They will turn from bursts into something a little more pointed and focused. That’s all exciting.”

Davis also spoke about what drew her to wanting to help tell Naomi’s story, both with the series’ positive representation, and its unique take on a group of friends.

“First, to see a character that looked like me in the comic world in the present day,” Davis added. “Representation is important. I grew up at a time when my favorite television show was Mannix. Mannix was a white private detective. He had Peggy, who was his black secretary. I became a secretary at an advertising agency before I became a copywriter. When I thought about it, she’s the reason why, because I used to watch her while I ate my Captain Crunch, I was like, ‘OK, she’s typing. She’s filing some papers. I can do that. That’s cool.’ To think about what this character is going to do when little girls of all hues see her is super exciting. That spoke to me.”

“Also, Naomi has a great group of friends,” Davis continued. “They are all different types of friends. This is a character that appeals to all these different groups. She doesn’t throw them any shade. She doesn’t judge them. She’s just accepted by them, opens up to them, and is excited to be around them. Then, she learns she has powers. Naomi is questioning everything.”

New episodes of Naomi debut Tuesdays at 9/8c on The CW.