Supergirl: 13 Things We Know About the Show’s Upcoming Fourth Season

8. Brainy will clash with Alex

During the Supergirl Comic-Con panel, new series regular Jesse Rath discussed how his character, Brainy, will cope with being stranded in the past.

Rath indicated that Brainy will have a learning curve that isn’t just about adjusting to the technological limitations of the 21st century. He will also have a bit of a social learning curve, which will lead to some clashes with new DEO head Alex Danvers, as they figure out how to navigate their new working relationship.

9. The Red Son adaptation

Supergirl Season 3 Episode 23, “Battles Lost and Won” ended with a mysterious alternate version of Kara wandering onto a Russian military base and teased that Supergirl would be doing their version of the Superman story, Red Son.

For those unfamiliar with the Red Son comic, it was a stand-alone three-part story published by DC in 2003 that asks the question, “What if Superman had been raised in the Soviet Union instead of in the US?”

During their Comic-Con panel, producer Robert Rovner confirmed that this would, in fact, be a season-long arc, saying:

“We were all huge fans of the Red Son comic and we’re excited to tell our version of it… We kinda tease it out in the beginning and then it becomes kind of a big centerpiece later in the season.”

It’s safe to assume that Supergirl’s version of this story will be significantly different from the comics and will be woven into some of the larger themes discussed above, but not much is known about what the series’ take on this story will be. Hopefully, though, it will mean a lot of character-driven storytelling as Kara faces off with another version of herself.

10. Lots of changes and self-discovery for Alex

Supergirl Season 3 set up a lot of big changes for Alex. Two of the biggest were her decision to pursue motherhood and her promotion to head of the DEO after J’onn’s decision to leave the agency.

These changes will continue to be a part of Alex’s journey in Season 4 as she figures out what motherhood might look like for her and how to navigate her new role without J’onn and Winn there to support her.

In an interview with Seat42F.com, Chyler Leigh described Alex’s Season 4 story as one of self-discovery:

“We all have to figure out who we are first, because then that’s when you give your best self to others and when you can really do what you’re meant to do in life. So, that’s a really big part of Alex’s journey this season.”

The focus on Alex’s personal growth, with motherhood only being part of that (albeit an important part), is a bit of a relief.

Motherhood stories always run the risk of becoming cliches and, if not written well, run the risk of flattening characters into one note tropes. This would be extra painful to watch happen to a character like Alex, who is such a dynamic and powerful presence on the show.

But, if Leigh’s words are any indication, the writers are planning to take their time with this story and write it in a way that honors the character they created.

Plus, if anyone can make a storyline like this compelling, it’s Leigh.

Leigh always manages to find that nuanced emotional note to draw viewers in and will certainly bring the same depth and sensitivity to this story that she has to all of Alex’s stories since the series premiered.

There still might be reasons to be skeptical of Alex’s new urgency to be a mom, but Leigh’s words offer reasons to be hopeful as well.

11. Status of returning characters

At the end of Season 3, the futures of two Supergirl regulars, Jeremy Jordan and Chris Wood, were left somewhat unsettled when Jordan’s Winn went off with Wood’s Mon-El to join the Legion of Heroes and save the future.

Jordan was, in fact, downgraded from series regular to recurring for Season 4, which means we won’t be seeing as much of Winn but that he will be back in some capacity. What capacity that is and when he’ll pop up is still unknown.

As for Wood’s Mon-El, that was left vague. During their panel, the series producers would only say “anything is possible” when asked about a Season 4 appearance by Mon-El. The indication seems to be that there are no current plans to bring Mon-El back — but of course, the possibility is always open.

12. Same time, new night

In May, it was announced that Supergirl would be moving to a new night. Rather than airing on Mondays at 8/7c as it has for the last two seasons, it will be moving to Sundays at 8/7c instead. This is part of the CW’s new Sunday night programming, which also includes the network’s reboot of Charmed.

13. David Harwood’s directorial debut

One last bit of fun Supergirl news to come out of Comic-Con was that David Harewood will be making his Supergirl directorial debut with Season 4 Episode 19.

Harewood will not only be directing his first episode of Supergirl, he will also be the first cast member to do so. It’s always fun to see what cast members bring to a show when given the opportunity to direct, and it will be interesting to see what Harewood does with his episode.

Are you excited for the return of Supergirl? What are your hopes for the upcoming season? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!

Supergirl returns with the premiere of Season 4 on Sunday, October 14th at 8/7c on The CW.

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