‘Supergirl’: Did “Legion of Super-Heroes” Just Hint at Reign’s Redemption?

Tonight’s midseason premiere of Supergirl took the conflict with Samantha Arias/Reign (Odette Annable) to a new level. But in the process, did it end up hinting at her endgame?

Spoilers for tonight’s episode of Supergirl, “Legion of Super-Heroes”, below!

The episode saw Team Supergirl planning their next defense against Reign after Kara Danvers/Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) was put into a coma. The DEO consulted the Legion of Super-Heroes for help, but Mon-El (Chris Wood) argued that it would put the Legion’s core mission in danger. And as Mon-El insisted, it wouldn’t be worth fighting Reign anyway, because they know that Kara eventually wakes up, and Reign eventually leaves National City.

This repeated emphasis on Reign “leaving”, instead of just dying at the hands of Supergirl, certainly caught our attention. Sure, Reign could end up “leaving” by being sent in a pod or locked away in a prison by the season’s end, but could that line mean that her redemption arc is really in the cards?

As we theorized soon after Samantha’s first appearance, Supergirl is laying enough groundwork to justify Reign being redeemed. Well before Samantha became Reign, fans got to know her through her more human side first: her job at L Corp, her friendship with Kara, Lena Luthor (Katie McGrath), and Alex Danvers (Chyler Leigh), and her ongoing bond with her daughter Ruby (Emma Tremblay).

As opposed to past Arrowverse Big Bads, it isn’t too hard for audiences to relate to Samantha in some way, and see that she’s ultimately tried to be a good person. Even when Samantha first transformed into Reign, the process — and the evil sentiment that came along with it — wasn’t entirely within her control.

While Reign still has a lot more evil things to do, including, judging by the episode’s closing moments, finding more Worldkillers, it certainly isn’t out of the question that she could be redeemed. As some have theorized, Samantha’s redemption arc could end in her becoming Superwoman, who ultimately decides to protect another city on Earth-38. That way, Samantha could still return periodically, while using her Kryptonian powers in a whole new context while bringing fans the Arrowverse version of a DC Comics fan-favorite.

So what could be next for Reign? Could the Legion’s message really have something to do with her endgame, or is it just a throwaway line? Supergirl fans will just have to wait and see.

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