‘Supergirl’: Odette Annable Talks Reign’s Transition From Single Mom To Worldkiller

Supergirl‘s third season is set to show the making of a villain, and now we’ve got a bit more of an idea of how that will unfold.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Odette Annable teased what to expect with her character, the DC Comics villain Reign. When viewers initially meet Reign, she’ll be a single mother named Samantha, with no idea of her superpowered potential.

“Samantha is a single mother, she’s a hard worker, she’s very much a working mom in the sense that she’s trying to juggle it all, as one does, as I do in real life.” Annable explained. “She loves her daughter (played by Emma Tremblay) more than words can express. They have a really special bond. What I think is really special about this storyline is it’s a slow play and you’ll get to see this whole heartbreaking story unfold in a really — they’re taking their time with it, and we have the time to do it. I think the audience is really going to hopefully relate.”

When it comes to how that will unfold for Samantha onscreen, Annable hinted that it will be a gradual – but fascinating – reveal.

“For right now, it’s her discovering.” Annable added. “Clues are coming up and she’s slowly discovering that something is happening. That’s all that I know so far.”

So what will Samantha’s motivations ultimately be, once she further embraces this villainous side? As of right now, Annable says that the sky is the limit.

“I don’t necessarily know [her motivations] myself.” Annable added. “I know that everything she does is for her daughter and I know that they have this brilliant relationship and she’s this working mom, but I don’t know where the story is going to unfold or when that left turn is going to happen. I’m very excited for it, and I know that this is such a different character than they’ve ever had on the show. But that’s really all I know. I wish that I knew more, I’m excited to know more.”

Playing A Villain

With Reign’s arc taking on a unique quality over Supergirl‘s season, Annable also spoke a bit about what goes into bringing that to life – including quite a bit of mystery. As Annable explained, she isn’t fully sure when Samantha will fully embrace her Reign personality.

“It’s great because I’m discovering her journey along with these scripts.” Annable revealed. “I don’t know what’s going to happen in episode 8, or 9, or 10, or however many episodes I’m doing. It’s really exciting to see these scripts and see the little bits that start to happen and start to reveal who she really is. It’s creepy.”

But according to Annable, portraying that duality has been a fascinating experience.

“It’s interesting. The great thing about it is I’m discovering it with her. There aren’t any big reveals that are happening. It’s tiny little things that are really catching her eye and making her pay attention. It’s not something yet that she’s going to go to the cops over. It’s a very, very slow burn and all the pieces are starting to come together as we speak.”

Fans will get to meet Samantha when Supergirl season three premieres Monday, October 9th, at 8/7c, on The CW.