I either didn’t know or just very quickly forgot CBS was bringing DC Comics hero Supergirl to the small screen, though such news comes as no surprise even as these first-look pictures of Melissa Benoist (“Glee“) in “Supergirl” began making the rounds over the weekend. After all, CBS co-owns The CW with Warner Bros., a studio that seems to be employing the “throw everything at the wall and see what sticks” strategy in attempt to catch up with the competition over at Marvel.
However, The CW currently plays host to “Arrow” and “The Flash“, both of which are quite widely acclaimed, so it makes sense for Warners to add a female super into its small screen stable, especially considering it likely desires to put the “Wonder Woman” fiasco of just a few short years ago far, far in its rearview mirror (sorry for bringing it up again). That show was never picked up past its pilot episode, and “Supergirl” already has a series commitment from CBS, so Warners has already won here if you ask me.
As for the costume you see Benoist sporting below, Oscar-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood (Alice in Wonderland), who stitched the thing together, states, “In designing Supergirl, I wanted to embrace the past, but more importantly, thrust her into the street-style action hero of today.”
I don’t know much about Supergirl’s past, but a quick Wikipedia search tells me it is in keeping with that design, and as for thrusting her into the “street-style action hero of today”, the costume uses a dark-hued palette similar to the one Henry Cavill sported in Warners’ Man of Steel, so Atwood can check that box as well. She even managed to play it a bit modest with the skirt-and-tights combination, for which I would like to applaud her. Frankly, Cavill’s costume in Man of Steel might even be a little more revealing. Encore!
Now we can talk about the history of the character and the modern look of superheroes all we want, but me, I’m most concerned about Supergirl’s ability to fight bad guys without sacrificing comfort and agility. The skirt and top are fine, but are those boots high-heeled? It’s hard to tell, but personally, if I were a superhero, I’d be rocking some Nikes — Pegasus, for lightweight performance — instead of the boots everyone likes to don. I guess I’m just a bit more practical and frumpy than most of these folks, but we’ve all got our preferences.
Mehcad Brooks, Calista Flockhart, Chyler Leigh, David Harewood, Faran Tahir, Dean Cain, and Helen Slater co-star in “Supergirl“, and while we have no idea yet when it will air, production is underway so I assume we can expect more promotional goodies in the months to come. Take a closer look at Benoist in costume below.
