The Five Most Shocking Moments in Supergirl – Welcome to Earth

This week’s episode of Supergirl was full of introductions and major reveals. Not only did this week bring in two big DC comic characters, it also laid some groundwork for some interesting plot threads this season. We learned about National City’s alien population, found out what Lena Luthor’s plans for LexCorp, and also watch Kara fangirl over the president of the United States.

So, without furthur ado, here are the five biggest moments in this week’s episode of Supergirl.

Hey, It’s Maggie Sawyer!

This week’s episode introduced two major DC characters to Supergirl. The first is Maggie Sawyer, a detective from National City’s Science Police, who helps Alex with her investigation into the attacks on the president. 

Both Maggie and the Science Police have big implications for the series. In the comics, Maggie Sawyer was originally a cop in Metropolis’s “Special Crimes” Unit, a special task force set up to handle superpowered menaces. Eventually, she transferred to Gotham’s Major Crimes Unit and eventually becomes Batwoman’s girlfriend.  

The Science Police are best known to Legion of Superheroes fans as the law enforcement arm of the United Planets, the galactic governing body. Typically, the Legion and the Science Police have a friendly working relationship, although occasionally the two groups have clashed. There’s a present day version of the Science Police, too, run by the Guardian (who we already know will appear in the show later this season). 

In addition to acting as a newcomer to how the DEO acts and operates, Maggie acted as a real humanizing force this episode, reminding Alex that aliens have feelings, too. It looks like Maggie will be a recurring character this season, so maybe we’ll see some more Maggie/Alex teamups.

An Alien Bar in National City

During their investigation into the attack on the president, Maggie takes Alex to an unnamed alien dive bar in the outskirts of National City. In addition to dropping a few easter eggs of various DC aliens, the dive bar also establishes the new reality of Supergirl: Earth is full of alien refugees. Last season seemed to hint that most of Earth’s alien population came from Fort Rozz, but it seems there are a lot more aliens on Earth that are more interested in keeping a low profile than trying to take over the planet.

One of those aliens is Scorcher, a reimagined version of the D-list Teen Titans villain. Scorcher is concerned that the president’s so-called “alien amnesty” bill is actually an excuse to draw aliens out of hiding and force them to register with the government. I’m not sure that trying to set the president on fire is exactly the best way to prevent those concerns, but Scorcher’s motives were much more noblehearted than the usual Supergirl villain.  

President…Wonder Woman?

We all knew that Lynda Carter was coming to Supergirl, but it was still fantastic to see the former Wonder Woman interact with the Girl of Steel. Carter played President Olivia Marsdin, who had come to National City to sign an executive order promising amnesty to all aliens living in the United States. Although both Alex and J’onn were skeptical that Marsdin’s bill would work, the president constantly referenced the importance of “hope” and optimism, two traits personified perfectly by Supergirl. 

“Welcome to Earth” had plenty of little nods to Carter’s time as Wonder Woman, from Supergirl doing a classic “Wonder Woman twirl” to extinguish her burning costume, to Carter joking about her “other jet” when Kara mentioned Air Force One. If not for one very important detail dropped in the final minutes of the episode, there would probably be a good argument to be made about that Carter’s character was actually a retired Wonder Woman…. 

…Or Maybe Not

Of course, Marsdin isn’t Wonder Woman, because she reveals her true form at the end of the episode. That’s right, the president of the United States is actually an alien! 

We only got a brief glimpse of what Marsdin looks like, but she seemed to have almost burnt looking red skin and silver eyes. That roughly matches the description of an Ungaran, a peaceful race of aliens who live on a planet not too far from Earth, but there are plenty of other possibilities too.

More importantly, Marsdin’s “amnesty bill” takes on a whole new meaning after we learn that she’s actually an alien. Was she actually reaching out to her fellow aliens and protecting them from harm? Or does she have some other secret agenda? 

With Lena Luthor producing an alien detection device, we can bet that the president’s secret and her agenda will be outed at some point this season. It’s just a matter of whether she can keep it a secret from the public. 

Miss Martian!!

The president isn’t the only person who revealed her “true form” this episode. In the closing moments of the show, a bartender at the alien bar revealed herself to be M’gann M’orzz, AKA Miss Martian.

M’gann called herself the “Last Daughter of Mars”, but comics fans know that her “green” skin might not be her true form. In the comics, M’gann is a reformed White Martian who fled from Mars during the war between the Green and White Martians.

If M’gann is actually a White Martian, we do have to be a little leery of her intentions. After all, the White Martians did establish themselves as a major threat to Supergirl and her friends last season and promised they would find and kill J’onn. But if M’gann is actually a Green Martian, this could give J’onn new hope that his race isn’t as extinct as he believed.