Well, it appears as though that final flashback line at the end of the Season 2 finale of “Supergirl” wasn’t vague after all! In the closing moments of the episode, it was revealed that, in addition to Superman and Supergirl, another being had been sent away from Krypton right before it exploded. It was implied that said unseen person was sent to Earth to “reign”. It turns out that the villain of Season 3 will literally be named Reign, with The CW series taking on the recent New 52 villain as its big baddie this fall. Furthermore, actress Odette Annable has been cast in the role.
Genre fans probably know Annable best for her roles in Cloverfield and The Unborn, while avid television viewers should recall her work in “Breaking In“, “House“, “Banshee“, and the recent short-lived series “Pure Genius“. Her role on “Banshee” in particular showcases what she can do when playing a skilled villain, making her a perfect get to play the bio-engineered terror that is Reign. I’m not overly familiar with the character or the “World Killer” arc that she hails from in the comics, but Odette Annable should make a fine foil for Melissa Benoist’s heroine.
“Supergirl” remains one of the best DC shows on The CW, although I felt that it took a bit of a dip in its second season. The character work was generally great across the run, but the lack of an overall defining arc and central villain really seemed to give way to a lot of wheel-spinning. Nothing that sunk the season for me, but it was the show’s biggest flaw in the past year. Having a good villain in Reign should fix that problem, providing that she is truly a season-long adversary and not just an occasionally recurring foil like Project Cadmus turned out to be.
