Supergirl’s David Harewood Teases “The Martian Chronicles” and Where it Takes the Martian Manhunter/Miss Martian Relationship

On tonight’s episode of Supergirl, the Martian Manhunter (David Harewood) takes center stage as a […]

September 5, 2017, 8:46pm

On tonight’s episode of Supergirl, the Martian Manhunter (David Harewood) takes center stage as a White Martian infiltrates the DEO to look for M’Gann M’Orzz (Sharon Leal), better known as Miss Martian.

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At the start of the season, the revelation that another Martian was alive in National City was a thrill to lonely J’Onn J’Onzz…right up until it was revealed that she was actually one of the White Martians who had hunted his race to extinction (except for him).

That storyline has given Harewood a lot to do, and offered him more opportunities to grow beyond just being the stern taskmaster that he was for most of the show’s first season.

“The second season has given opportunities for some different stories to play out,” Harewood told ComicBook.com. “Particularly with Calista [Flockhart] not being in every episode, other players have had the opportunity to step forward, myself included. It’s given me a chance to develop my character and I’m very glad that Martian Manhunter has been given a significant upgrade.”

Even with that upgrade, of course, the show is still Supergirl, not Martian Manhunter — and so the stories they’ve got Hank dealing with this season have been less about his costumed do-gooding and more about the day to day DEO grind and his putative romance with M’Gann.

“Obviously, it’s difficult to put J’Onn on display, to show all of his powers and all of his range, because he’s such a deep character,” Harewood admitted. “But I’m really really happy that Sharon Leal has come on. That aspect of J’Onn…smiling was one thing that he didn’t do a lot last year. Having somebody that reminds him of home is very deep for J’Onn. I think the addition of M’Gann has enabled me to show different colors and different aspects of the character, so I’m very happy about that.”

For instance, he’s having to confront his own assumptions and his own prejudices, especially in light of a story that pits M’Gann against other White Martians, so it’s not just one white and one green onscreen. Ultimately, J’Onn had never been particularly impressed with M’Gann’s decision to eventually go rogue, and focused instead on the time she spent operating under orders from the other White Martians. Now that he’s faced with the reality of her position against theirs, it’s a diffrent conversation.

“I think it forces him to take her side,” Harewood said. “He never thought he would have that decision to make. As far as Hank is concerned, White Martians are bad, and what M’Gann has shown him is that there is some good in that race. I think that’s really uncomfortable for Hank. If you don’t hate something that you’ve given all your life to hating, what do you do then?”

Harewood told ComicBook.com that he thinks the next few episodes force his character to deal with some new dilemmas, including whether it’s possible to fully forgive M’Gann.