Who Plays Martian Manhunter’s Father On ‘Supergirl’?

Supergirl included quite a few family reunions in tonight’s episode – and one of the actors involved is an awesome Easter egg for DC Comics fans.

Spoilers for tonight’s episode of Supergirl, ‘Far From The Tree’, below!

In tonight’s episode, J’onn J’onnz/Martian Manhunter (David Harewood) traveled to Mars to answer a distress call. Along the way, he was met with a shocking revelation, that his father, M’yrnn J’onnz (Carl Lumbly) had been kept alive for years and years. That reunion is pretty heartwarming on its own, but even more so when you know Lumbly’s tie to the world of DC Comics.

Lumbly is perhaps one of the most prolific actors to portray Martian Manhunter onscreen, beginning with the early 2000s Justice League animated series. Lumbly went on to reprise the role in Justice League Unlimited, Static Shock, Justice League: Doom, and the popular video game Injustice: Gods Amongst Us.

While Lumbly is best known amongst DC fans for portraying Martian Manhunter, he has a few other comic book roles under his belt. He portrayed Tornado Champion/Tornado Tyrant in an episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Silas Stone in Justice League: Gods and Monsters, and various roles in the Black Panther, Superman, and Batman Beyond.

In terms of non-comic book roles, Lumbly has a wide array of prominent ones as well. The actor is perhaps best known for portraying Marcus Dixon in Alias, as well as his roles on Cagney & Lacey and Zoo. Aside from Supergirl, Lumbly’s recent roles include appearances on NCIS: Los Angeles and Doubt.

This is just the latest instance of “legacy casting” to make its way onto Supergirl. The series is perhaps the most prolific with casting DC Comics alums, including Wonder Woman‘s Lynda Carter, The New Adventures Of Lois & Clark‘s Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher, Supergirl‘s Helen Slater, and Smallville‘s Laura Vandervoort and Erica Durance.

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