Season four of Supergirl was explained to us as a more politically charged season with issues of the series’ mirroring those of the real world. The narrative shows people divided while a powerful figure leads the way to a worse path.
Donald Trump has instilled the fear in American people that their jobs and lives are being taken over by immigrants or “aliens” whereas, in Supergirl, Agent Liberty (Sam Witwer) thrives on the same motive where these aliens from outer space have found home on Earth. “Agent Liberty is a character that is preying on people’s fears about aliens from outer space as they’ve disenfranchised people that he’s familiar with,” Rovner says in an interview with Hollywood Reporter a few weeks ago. “He’s a very persuasive orator and a very charismatic figure who breeds this discontent first in National City and then the nation against aliens. It’s very frightening because he’s a very forceful figure unlike a lot of the villains that Supergirl has faced in the past who she could punch and battle physically; she’s dealing with what he’s creating on a much more hearts-and-minds level. How does she combat this villain when it’s not like the key to it is punching her way out of it?”
Kara Zor-El’s (Melissa Benoist) Supergirl is meant to serve as a symbol of hope in a nation where people are not seeing eye-to-eye. “In a world where a lot of us are divided, it’s great to explore how a character like Supergirl can try and unite a divided people,” said Rovner. “It’s something that she will struggle with all season. It’s something that a lot of us are dealing with and I think she can hopefully inspire all of us to figure out a way to bridge the divide.”
Supergirl says: “You want justice in the world; so do I. But we’re not going to find it by attacking each other.” In reality, this results to hate crime, and even attacking with words has an impact both mentally and emotionally. There are people fighting for good and some fighting for what they think is good.
As this season of Supergirl hits close to home, the cast and crew hope that it can reason with their audience to seek justice for the right reasons and motivate others to stand up for their rights and create movements during a time when we need it most.
The CW’s Twitter account shows us a little preview ahead of tonight’s episode.