Finale spoilers below!

Supergirl was certainly full of surprises in its Season 3 finale, "Battles Lost and Won." Reign was dispatched of fairly quickly, although not without some surprise time travel, and not without some consequences. The main takeaway was that Kara was able to find a way to stick to her ideals -- no killing -- while also finding a solution to save both the human side of Sam and the world. But then there was that final scene of a second Kara Zor-El ... what does it all mean?

Most finales might have left things there, but "Battles Lost and Won" also swapped Brainy and Winn's positions of their teams, said goodbye to Mon-El, saw J'onn leave the DEO and hand the reins to Alex, while James publicly revealed that he is the man behind Guardian. There was a lot to process, in what felt like a chaotic end-cap to a very uneven season.

For most of its third season run, Supergirl did some really interesting things by not making the Reign reveal a secret (for viewers at least), and building up great emotional tension for the characters. It also introduced the Legion, and created some really great stories with J'onn and his father, his friendship with Alex, and her relationship with Ruby. These are the kinds of character moments that some of the other DCTV series could benefit from, and Supergirl has always incorperated themes of friendship and family really well. It's not as great when it comes to heavy-handed political rhetoric, handled without any nuance, nor is it particularly good at storylines outside of the DEO or National City (see: Argo, among others). The Reign storyline also really went off the rails in the last third of the season, as it was clear the show was stalling for time to get to the finale. The long break so that Legends of Tomorrow could finish its season this spring also didn't help, and was clearly not one that was planned by production, because Supergirl both ended and picked back up in a weird narrative space.

Instead of rectifying some of those issues in the finale, though, the show tripled-down on complicating things further -- or is it for the best? TVLine spoke with executive producers Robert Rovner and Jessica Queller about some of those choices, and what might come next for the characters, which are included below in our breakdown of this strange season closer:

A Second Kara?

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Image via The CW

Truth, justice ... and the Russian way?

It only seems fitting to start at the end, because what the heck was up with the "48 hours earlier" scene? Kara appears to walk up to a military base in Siberia with just a blanket on, but it is in fact a second Kara, one born from the aura that left her in her battle with Reign after using the black rock.

Rovner told TVLine: “For fans of the comics, I think they might recognize that the story we want to tell is inspired by the iconic DC Comics’ Red Son, which told an alternate origin story for Superman.” Queller continued: “What happened if — as a baby — Superman landed in Russia and became a hero there instead of in America. It’s an homage to that.”

There are some tweaks made to that formula here, of course, as it's not a baby Kara but a fully-grown one. It could be that Kara's time traveling to redo the fight with Reign could have had an effect on this outcome as well, as we've certainly learned through The Flash that time travel can have major consequences. Another option for Siberian Kara could be the creation of Power Girl, which would mean that there is not an "evil" version of Kara that was created, but rather, a helpful secondary Kara. In the comics, Power Girl is the Earth-2 Kara, and since Supergirl exists in an alternate dimension to the rest of DCTV, it could start introducing its own multiple universes that aren't connected to the other stories that have been explored.

And just as an aside to all of this ... where was Clark, exactly, in all of this? Wasn't it a little strange that Kara didn't share the info about finding so many Kryptonians alive (including his aunt) with him onscreen?

Guardian Revealed

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James hasn't had much to do this season, which is always a shame, but it will be interesting to see how the reveal of him being Guardian will play into his character's arc next year. The EPs didn't reveal much more than there will be "great stuff" coming up, but I'm hoping that the show leans in a little more to him being a black vigilante, specifically. One of the most compelling scenes the show had this year was when Guardian -- after having his helmet knocked off during a fight with the bad guys -- was mistakenly held up by the police because he was black, as the white villains were able to creep away. It was a rare and surprisingly nuanced scene for Supergirl, and one that it should have followed-up on. Perhaps there will be more of that next season -- including whose side James will be on as Lena continues to investigate alien substances that Supergirl has banned her from dabbling in ....

A Supergenius Swap

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Image via The CW

Sometimes the reality of TV production is that an actor is ready to leave your show, and you just have to work around that Jeremy Jordan, who plays Winn, won't be completely gone for good from Supergirl, but he is taking a step back from being a series regular. Jordan addressed the exit in an Instagram post today saying, in part:

“It’s been the adventure of a lifetime, and breathing life into that brilliant, quirky, puppy dog nugget named Winn has been a true joy. But lately, my gut has ben telling me that I’m once again ready to begin a new chapter in my life… and if I’ve learned anything, it’s that you gotta listen to your gut. So I want to thank everyone behind the scenes at Supergirl for understanding it was time for me to return home… to spend time with my wife and friends, and focus on crafting the next stage of my career.”

He also added that "this is not goodbye," nor the last we will see of Winn on the show. The EPs echoed that statement, with Rovner saying, "We’ve been talking about this ever since the episode where Winn’s mom came back, when he was contemplating his destiny and what his impact would be on the world. We wanted to give him a fitting way to dramatize what we saw for Winn’s future." Queller added, "We asked what Winn’s dream would be, and that just met it perfectly [....] He’s really fulfilling his full potential. Just imagine all that he could do in the future with his mind." It seems likely that Winn will start designing some new uniforms, first of all, and it's also possible that we'll see some new Legion members next year.

But as one actor goes another one joins -- Jesse Rath will become a series regular on the show as Brainiac. Queller noted: "Everything excites us. We love Brainy, and we love Jesse Rath. He’s just a magical actor. The character is delightful and brings fresh new eyes to Earth. Everything is brand new to him, which is just great to be around."

As for whether Brainy and Kara will have a romantic relationship like in the comics, well, that remains to be seen.

Farewell to Mon-El

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Image via The CW

Chris Wood's Mon-El leaving the show is a controversial one among fans, just like him being such a major part of the series was from the start. Personally, I liked the dynamic of Kara being paired up with someone else who has superpowers -- we haven't seen that anywhere else in the DCTV universe yet except in a more minor capacity on Legends. It created a really interesting dynamic, although some fans felt that Mon-El was overshadowing Kara -- a complaint similarly lobbed at The Flash and Arrow about Iris and Felicity. And yet, these shows are built as ensemble pieces and work best when they are inclusive of the entire cast, not just the hero for whom the show is named.

But, Mon-El will be taking off after ending his relationship with Imra though deciding to return to the future. Rovner explained, “The plan for Chris was always to have him on the show for two years. We’ve loved telling Mon-El’s story, as well as the story we’ve told for him and Kara. We hope the fans felt that it was a satisfying conclusion.” Queller continued,

“They both have destinies in different times as heroes. What they did was the sort-of Casablanca decision of putting what’s most important to them — which is saving the world — first. It’s a little bittersweet that one destiny is to be a hero in this time and one’s destiny is to run the Legion in another time, but I think they grew a lot from knowing one another. They have respect for one another, and they have a respect for the decisions they respectively made.”

Though the EPs both expressed an interest in having Mon-El make future appearances on the series, there's nothing concrete planned as of yet. It seems like that particular storyline is over, although it ended in a very odd way.

Sam and Reign

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Ultimately, Supergirl was able to defeat Reign while also saving Sam, meaning that Ruby didn't have to lose her mother and love conquered all. Hoorah! But what about the bonds of friendship that Sam, Lena, Alex, and Kara had established? What about Sam's position at Lena's company, will we continue to see her helping the team?

Odette Annable isn't listed as a series regular next year, so it remains to be seen if we catch up with Sam and her story moving forward. Like with Chris Wood, the EPs are open to having Annable return for a handful of episodes next season, but it doesn't seem like she will be a permanent part of the story. It's a little disappointing, because Sam was a really interesting character on her own, even before Reign took over, and a good friend to the other women on the show. She also might have been a good foil for Lena, or someone to help keep Lena on the right path ... which may be another reason we won't continue to see her around as Lena distances herself from the team.

J’onn Steps Down

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One of the most surprising reveals in "Battles Lost and Won" was J'onn stepping down from his post at the DEO. J'onn has always been a special character, and this season saw him at the center of two of the best storylines: his relationship with his father after being able to save him (and then losing him, heartbreakingly, to essentially Martian dementia), and his familial relationship with Alex, to whom he's a great friend and mentor. But this is certainly not the last we'll see of David Harewood on the show, thankfully.

"We’re looking to tell much more grounded stories, like we have in seasons past, that reflect the climate we’re all living in in 2018," Queller said. It seems like J'onn will be dealing more with the denizens of National City and their human issues, which is definitely a good move for the show to make.

Alex Steps Up

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Alex has been working through a lot of personal issues this season, including embracing her sexuality, losing Maggie and the life she thought she wanted, and coming to terms with the fact that motherhood is what means the most to her in the world. The show has not let us forget this final fact for even one episode, but it's still a sweet and interesting story for Alex to explore, especially acknowledging the fact that her high-risk job could prevent her from being there for her future child. Still, I hope the series takes a little more time with this, and lets Alex at least do some online dating or something now that she's no longer a field agent. Though it'll be sad to not see Alex being a super badass in the field, she's certainly a level-headed and capable leader, and it's not like J'onn never got in on the fight. It's an interesting change, but not necessarily a bad one ... as long as Supergirl trusts us to know that Alex takes being a parent one day very seriously, and doesn't have her spell it out constantly.

Lena’s Next Move

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Oh Lena, you can just never let a good scientific investigation pass you by, can you? Despite Lena and Kara remaining friends this season, she and Supergirl butted heads quite a bit over Lena holding Reign and experimenting on her without telling anyone at the DEO, not to mention harboring and even manufacturing Kryptonite. When it comes to that mysterious black rock that Kara brought back from Argo, it seems that too was more than Lena was willing to give up. Though Kara's mother makes the off-handed comment that it's a good thing it no longer exists on Earth, the finale gave us a quick scene of Lena ordering "Phase 2" for a trial to be run on it. Its properties are not only largely unknown, but clearly highly volatile, as it has already created a second Kara. This secret is undoubtedly going to come out, fracturing Lena and Supergirl's relationship even further but ... how far will it really go? Will Lena end up as Season 4's villain?

"She has two sides to her, and it’ll be interesting to see exactly where she’ll end up on the good-to-bad spectrum. That’s a story we want to continue to explore next season," was all Rovner would say on the subject, but it seems likely that this will cause another split in Team Supergirl.