Season 3 of The CW's Supergirl is well underway, but a big DC Comics character has yet to make his debut. That'll change in a few weeks after the multi-show crossover wraps later this month. The character in question? The half-computer, half-organic being with a beyond-genius intellect known as Brainiac. But don't expect the Brainiac you might know as one of Superman's many, many archenemies; The CW's version will come with a twist.
As TV Line reports, the entity known as Brainiac 5 is headed to Supergirl later this season and the super-smart superpower will be played by Jesse Rath (Defiance). He'll make his debut in the tenth episode of this season, "Legion of Super-Heroes", when the title team travels to National City from their home in the 31st Century. That team will help Supergirl and the DEO battle Reign (Odette Annable), who has yet to assume her full villainous form on the show. Now while this version of Brainiac will be more helpful than harmful, DC Comics fans know that the character and Supergirl have had more than a chaste crime-fighting relationship in the past.
Co-showrunner Andrew Kreisberg previously told TV Line that the character's arrival will come with some emotional baggage for the show:
“Someone down the road will like Kara a lot, which will be a lot of fun.”
And comics fans who are clued into this episode's title will note that Mon-El (Chris Wood) has had a bit to do with the Legion in the past. In other words, be on the lookout for what may turn out to be an intergalactic love triangle. (And fans of Supergirl will remember that Indigo, a character with ties to Brainiac that was played by guest star Laura Vandervoort, previously appeared on the show in Season 1. We'll see if that factors into the story at all going forward.)
In the meantime, here's a look at the synopsis and some images from tonight's episode of Supergirl, "Damage", directed by Kevin Smith and written by Eric Carrasco and Cindy Lichtman:
When multiple children get sick from lead poisoning, Morgan Edge (guest star Adrian Pasdar) points the finger at Lena (Katie McGrath) and blames her creation of the lead bomb she made to save National City from the Daxamites. While Lena knows she never intended any harm, she fears there may have been a flaw in her design, leaving her responsible. Kara (Melissa Benoist) teams up with Samantha (Odette Annable) to clear Lena's name, but it turns out to be harder than they thought. Meanwhile, Alex (Chyler Leigh) and Maggie (guest star Floriana Lima) make a crucial decision about the future of their relationship.
