David Harewood Talks Supergirl, Cyborg Superman, & More (Exclusive!)

With fall TV right around the corner, many of us are looking forward to the returns of our favorite television shows. However, many of us are also looking forward to the debut or a very specific new series on CBS: Supergirl.

Supergirl promises to dive deep into cinematically unexplored DC comics mythology. Among the characters set to make their television debut is Hank Henshaw, the DEO agent turned Cyborg Superman, who will be portrayed by David Harewood.

Earlier today, we had the chance to catch up with Harewood during an exclusive interview to find out what we can expect from his character when Supergirl premieres in a couple of weeks!

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CB: Hank Henshaw is a very complex character in the DC Comics universe. What can we expect going into Supergirl when we meet your version of Hank?

DH: You can expect a lot of surprises. We are a slightly different approach to Hank. He’s got a huge mythology. There’s a lot of surprises. There’s gonna be a big reveal about halfway through the show that kind of explains exactly why Hank is the way he is. He’s pretty hostile to Supergirl and I think comic book fans will be very, very happy when they find out the truth.

That’s exciting! Speaking of the comic books, how much of Hank’s comic book history are you familiar with and how much can we expect to see on the show?

I went through a lot of back reading on the character. He blames Superman for killing his wife. He travels to different planets and does different things and he finds a solar flare or something like that and tracks down different machines and eventually becomes Cyborg. So, I know that much of the back story.

There’s a long way to go before all that. We see Hank way before the accident that causes him to be Cyborg. It’s very early in his mythology. You see different sides of him.

Are we ever going to see Hank Henshaw as Cyborg Superman?

I can’t reveal it. Possibly down the line. There’s some great stuff coming up.

Since Henshaw is a part of the DEO, what other extraterrestrial threats will he face, aside from Supergirl? Are there any in particular you want to see?

It’s interesting. You find out how big the mythology is between Marvel and DC. I grew up reading a lot of DC stuff but I think my first memories are of Marvel stuff. For DC, I can’t say characters. We have a lot now. In the first three episodes, we have Reactron, there’s an alien bunch we have to take on, we get Red Tornado. There’s a lot more to come.

Is everyone on set excited to see Red Tornado?

Yeah! It’s great. You’ve got these great characters that are coming through and not all of them are alien. Some of them are man made. Some of them are people who use technology to become villains. That’s what great about the show. Hank is very… He can’t refuse the DEO’s orders. I think Hank hasn’t caught on that Supergirl is helping him. Just because they’re extraterrestrial doesn’t mean that they’re dangerous.

Would you want to see a crossover with Arrow and Flash? Are you a fan of those shows?

I am! I’m a Flash fan. That comes down to Greg [Berlanti] and Andrew [Kreisberg] and the opportunity. With the comics what’s great is the Green Lantern can come on with Superman and Super Woman and there’s all these characters. The universe is big enough to show a multitude of heroes and villains.

Did you go to Comic Con this summer?

I did, yeah. It was a little odd because all the people are excited about the show and it hasn’t kicked off. Next year will be a lot of fun. People will be into our characters. I’m excited to get out there. And the crowds!

Last question, with the movie coming up, who do you think wins: Batman or Superman?

Oh, man, it’s gotta be Superman. In the comics, though, Batman is amazing! He’s got these fighting skills and his ability to move around and investigate. If you read the comics, you’ve got a lot more respect for the character. But I think he could give Superman a run for his money but Superman wins that one.

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Before saying farewell, Harewood teased a “big clue,” and “big reveal,” in episode seven of Supergirl which we should all be looking forward to. What do you think the big reveal will be?

Supergirl premieres October 26 on CBS.