Supergirl’s Nicole Maines Says the Bar Is Now Set “Very High” for Transgender Representation

Supergirl has officially begun its sixth and final season, and it’s safe to say that fans aren’t quite ready to say their goodbyes to the Super Friends just yet. Over the course of its run, the hit The CW series has introduced meaningful takes on a number of DC Comics characters, including Nia Nal/Dreamer (Nicole Maines). Dreamer made history for being the first transgender superhero character on a mainstream superhero TV show, and fans have definitely resonated with her storylines over the past few seasons. In a recent interview with Buzzfeed, Maines spoke about what she hopes fans will take away from seeing a trans superhero on TV — and argued that the bar is now “very high.”

“We can do and can be whoever we want,” Maines said in part. “The bar is now set very, very high, because if you can be a superhero, you can be anything. It’s like, ‘Well, if I can be a superhero, everything else is very easily within reach.’ So, that’s what I hope people take away from seeing Nia. Also, for folks who are not trans, I hope they learn from me that trans people are more than what’s in our pants. We are more than our trauma. We’re more than our gender. We are just fully fledged superheroes, who have an arc outside of our transness.”

Maines also spoke about her personal involvement in Nia’s storylines over the years, and revealed that her impact has concerned even the smallest of details.

“[Dreamer coming out on TV], I didn’t have as much input on,” Maines revealed. “They kind of wrote that one themselves, but when I read it, they wrote it perfectly. That was a perfect moment. The funny thing about that speech is I actually was very, very hesitant to out Nia as a Gryffindor. I knew it was going to be a point of contention because I know by looking at her, a lot of people are gonna think she’s a Hufflepuff. And, of course, as a Slytherin myself, I didn’t want her to be a Gryffindor. But she is kind of ruled by this bravery and courage, and the leadership she possesses, and her willingness to throw herself into harm’s way to protect her loved one. So, I literally went and took the Pottermore test as Nia and got Gryffindor, that’s how invested I was in making sure that small moment in this huge, important speech was right.”

“But for “Reality Bytes” and for Nia’s confrontation with her sister, I had a little more input,” Maines continued. “Usually, at any point when Nia’s transness has come up, I have the opportunity to talk about that a little bit and work with the writers, so I can nudge them in different directions or let them know if they’re on the right track. They’ve been really, really good about coming to me and respecting what I have to say.”

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