Supergirl EP Comments On Cyborg Superman Identity Fan Theory

Who will be the Cyborg Superman, when the villain comes to Supergirl later this month?

That's a question that's been hanging in the air since The CW confirmed that he will appear in an upcoming episode, set to air on

One candidate is out of the running, and that's Tyler Hoechlin, who played Superman on the hit series, per TVLine.

"Cyborg Superman is not [being played by] Tyler Hoechlin," executive producer Andrew Kreisberg told them simply.

That's not all that surprising: while he looked like (and shared DNA with) Superman in his earliest apperances, the Cyborg Superman was Hank Henshaw in the pre-Flashpoint DC Universe. That character seemingly died the same night Jeremiah Danvers did, and his form was assumed by the shapeshifting Martian Manhunter -- but since Jeremiah survived, that begs the question: could Hank Henshaw prove to be the Cyborg Superman after all?

"There's always a chance [Henshaw survived]," actor David Harewood, who plays J'Onn J'Onzz/Hank Henshaw told reporters during a visit to the Supergirl set on Thursday. "Watch this space; you never know."

Other options, of course, include the current comics-canon Cyborg Superman -- Supergirl's father Zor-El. It's hard to imagine how exactly he would be the Cyborg Superman, although some version of a corrupt AI might explain it, since Alura sent an image of herself down along with Kara to Earth.

A third possibility, and a popular one with fans since it would get actor Dean Cain back into a Superman costume for the first time in about 20 years, is that the Cyborg Superman of Supergirl might be Kara's adoptive father, Jeremiah Danvers, modified by Cadmus. That one feels like a decent likelihood, since producers Kreisberg and Greg Berlanti are the ones who made 1990s Flash John Wesley Shipp into Jay Garrick.

Supergirl airs at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.