Hopefully, audiences aren’t getting too burnt out by superheroes because there are many, many more super-projects on the way. Besides the long list of planned superhero films announced by DC/Warner Bros. and Marvel/Disney, both companies have several TV series either already airing or currently in the works.

One of the most recent additions to the ever-growing number of superhero TV shows is Supergirl, which will follow Krypton’s other sole survivor, Kara Zor-El as she begins to fully understand and utilize her amazing abilities. The series is being developed by Ali Adler (Chuck) and Greg Berlanti (Arrow, The Flash) and will air on CBS, finally providing the network with their own piece of the superhero pie.

CBS’ Supergirl won’t have its heroine only recently discovering her powers or learning how to keep them under wraps, but rather the 24-year-old Kara will be experienced at hiding her abilities and living unnoticed amongst ordinary humans – a notable divergence from her comic book origins.


Having Kara already an adult makes Supergirl a different brand of superhero TV show than Smallville, which focused on a young Kal-El/Clark Kent discovering his powers while juggling the typical trappings of teenage drama. In this case, Supergirl should be a series more akin to Arrow or The Flash (though any crossover with those series isn’t expected).

Further confirming that Supergirl will be a more mature series than any YA-fare, TV Line has learned of a couple character descriptions which indicate the production is seeking actresses in their early 20s. For Kara Zor-El/Kara Danvers the series is seeking a Caucasian actress between the ages of 22 to 26, and for the role of her foster sister (!), Alexandra “Alex” Danvers they’re looking for a slightly older actress, closer to 26.

Obviously, the biggest surprise here is the addition of a sister to the Supergirl mythos, and a “gorgeous, brilliant, science-minded” sister who is a little “jealous of her sibling yet also fascinated by her abilities” at that. Alex’s fascination with Kara’s unique biology eventually leads her to getting a job with a secret government organization.

The description for Kara also includes some new information about how she begins to explore using her abilities. According to TV Line, when the series begins Kara will have been suppressing her powers for about a decade, but after using her powers in public during an unexpected disaster she begins to embrace her own heroism.

Man of Steel Movie Comic Supergirl Supergirl TV Series Main Character Details Revealed

It’s entirely possible that “unexpected disaster” won’t be as random as it may initially seem, and perhaps the series will explore why someone (or some group) would have wanted to force Kara to display her powers in public. It also isn’t out of the question that the secret government organization her sister works for will end up being behind it, causing a rift between the sisters.

This is nothing but pure speculation, but it would fit that Alex’s initial jealous of her sister’s special abilities will be an ongoing theme, possibly even seeing her transform in to Kara’s arch-nemesis. Her name being only a letter off from “Lex” could also be a clue to her eventual villain-dom.

What do you think of these new character details about CBS’ Supergirl? Do you think the series is setting up the Danvers’ sister for an eventual showdown? Let us hear what you think in the comments below!

Supergirl is expected to air on CBS sometime in 2015.