When Supergirl returns this fall on The CW, the series will see the titular heroine do so in a somewhat changed world. Season 4 saw Kara Danvers/Supergirl, along with her friends and allies, dealing with anti-alien sentiment and xenophobia reminiscent of some of the real-life issues surrounding immigration going on in the news as well as the threat of Lex Luthor who had been pulling the strings behind the scenes for a long time. While the Girl of Steel successfully saved the day, things are likely very different in National City now and that difference extends to a bit of a wardrobe shift for the heroine as well. Series star Melissa Benoist revealed a brand new look for Supergirl on Monday, complete with a suit that says goodbye to the iconic skirt.
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In a post to Instagram Monday, Benoist shared a set photo of herself suited up as Supergirl and reveals that the new, Season 5 costume is more in line with the super suits of Arrow and The Flash in that it features pants. The blue and red ensemble maintains the cape — you need that for cape tricks, after all — and also features a new, more stylized gold belt. Check it out below.
The shift to a costume with pants is one that Benoist told Entertainment Weekly is something she’s been talking about since Season 1.
“We’ve been talking about pants since season 1,” Benoist said. “Every time a writer from the show has come up, and it’s freezing cold in Vancouver, I’m like, ‘Guys, please can I not wear tights?’” I love [Kara’s old costume]. I haven’t changed it because it so works, and I think it is very Kara. I’ve always felt that — until recently, I’m like, ‘Something’s gotta give.’”
Showrunners Jessica Queller and Robert Rovner explained that while they’ve been considering it for a while, it was all about finding the time to design a new look for the heroine.
“A lot of us were passionate about getting Supergirl into pants and out of the short skirt, and we felt that would be a powerful move, and Melissa is really excited about it,” Queller said. “So we just had to find the right moment to design the suit and in between seasons gave us a chance. But this is something we’ve been thinking about for a while.”
For Benoist, however, the new suit is also a way to show a progression of the character’s development.
“I just think it’s more adult,” Benoist said. “Part of my goal in this whole series for whenever the show ends, I just want there to be a very clear arc for this character that she evolved as a woman and found her femininity and her adulthood, just a self-discovery.”
And Benoist will be on a bit of an evolution arc herself in Season 5. It was announced earlier today that she will make her directorial debut with the season’s 17th episode.
“I’ve been wanting to direct since season 3 but couldn’t last year because of scheduling conflicts so David Harewood did it first,” Benoist said. “I just felt really drawn to it for a couple of seasons now, just because you know the show so well, and you get to know the character, and the world, and the tone of the show so well that you can’t help but envision certain scenes in a certain way. I want to play with that.”
What do you think of Supergirl’s new suit? Let us know in the comments below.
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Image courtesy of the CW Network.
