The Supergirl TV Show Made Kevin Smith Love the Character

Supergirl director Kevin Smith revealed that prior to the CW television show, his familiarity with the character stemmed from one specific comics moment—her death.

“As much as I love the character of Supergirl,” he said in an interview with ComicBook.com, “honestly, prior to the show, Supergirl’s greatest contribution in my opinion—not saying this is the only contribution she’s had in comics—but when I think of Supergirl, I think of the death of Supergirl.”

Smith said it wasn’t until recently that he realized he loved Kara.

“I used to just respect the character of Supergirl as part of DC’s long list of legendary superheroes and characters,” Smith said. “But now, oh man, I love Supergirl.”

Until the Supergirl TV show, he elaborated, he thought the “most important thing” about the character was the memorable moment when Superman held her lifeless body in his arms during the comic Crisis on Infinite Earths.

“[But] Andrew Kreisberg and [Greg] Berlanti and the folks over here at CW and WB have turned that character into gold. It’s legitimized,” he said. “She stands apart from Superman. Superman was in two episodes of the show this year and he left and it didn’t crumble. She was still the most compelling character in her own show. They’ve done wonders with that character.”

Smith said the work Kreisberg and Berlanti have done on the show has propelled her into the spotlight, highlighting her turn as one of the main characters in the forthcoming Injustice 2 video game.

“Look at all the potential. Look at every place you could go,” Smith said. “That’s strong work that they’ve been able to do with that character, man.”

Smith added that he’s approaching his director role as both a comic book fan and a fan of the Supergirl show, and that the network move from CBS has really allowed the producers “let their hair down.”

“They’ve been able to do so much more in this season two … they’re reaching full potential because it feels like on CW, they’re allowed to just do that thing that they can do so well,” Smith said. “Mix it up with comic book lore and soap opera storytelling. The episodic storytelling that makes you tune in every week and care about the characters.”

Russ Burlingame contributed to this report.

KEVIN SMITH DIRECTS; ROULETTE RETURNS — Kara (Melissa Benoist) is moved by the story of a missing woman named Izzy (guest star Harley Quinn Smith) and decides to investigate despite Snapper Carr’s (guest star Ian Gomez) order to leave it alone. Kara takes Mon-El (Chris Wood) with her to the last place Izzy was seen and the duo find themselves thrust through a portal to another planet, Slaver’s Moon, where the downtrodden are sold as slaves. The leader of the trafficking ring is none other than Roulette (Dichen Lachman).

To make matters worse, Slaver’s Moon has a red sun, which means Kara and Mon-El are stripped of their powers and stuck on the planet with no way home. Meanwhile, back on Earth, Alex (Chyler Leigh) blames herself for Kara’s disappearance, fearing she’s become too focused on her new relationship with Maggie (guest star Floriana Lima) and too complacent in watching out for her sister.

Kevin Smith directed the midseason premiere episode with story by Andrew Kreisberg and teleplay by Eric Carrasco & Jess Kardos. “Supergirl Lives” airs Monday, January 23 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW

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