They found just that in Melissa Benoist (Glee, Whiplash), now set to bring Kara Zor-El and her Kryptonian upbringing to the small screen in Fall 2015. As the show’s official debut at San Diego Comic-Con fast approaches, Benoist explains why she hopes Supergirl will become an icon for young women everywhere, and addresses the less-than-flattering comparisons to a Black Widow sketch on Saturday Night Live.

Long before any official casting news or trailers were released, it was clear the Supergirl series was aiming for a female audience – something sorely lacking in the growing blockbuster arena. So lacking, in fact, that fans had nothing else to compare the first Supergirl trailer to than an SNL skit in which Scarlett Johansson’s Avengers super-spy was given her own film: a cheesy romantic comedy where Black Widow struggled to find love (and a job in the fashion industry).

The sketch succeeded in taking shots at a genre of film that is, admittedly, an easy targets when it comes to formulaic filmmaking and marketing (although superhero adventures are gaining ground). Unfortunately, not every viewer took the skit as a parody of Hollywood, where a major studio could proudly reveal a superheroine comic book movie, but decide only a rom-com could work with a female star. Instead, many took it not as playful commentary on the Hollywood system, but an indictment of the rom-com as a whole.

Enter Supergirl‘s first trailer: a lighthearted, female-led, ‘modern’ look at a young woman’s coming of age, shaped by the likes of The Devil Wears Prada and Ugly Betty. Rather than sticking to the serious, melodramatic tones of Arrow or Gotham, CBS was clearly looking to grab the attention of the (largely female) masses… who happened to make romantic comedies a hit in the first place. Comparisons were drawn and some ruled that any comic book property following such formula was to be mocked – but star Melissa Benoist disagrees.

Speaking with EW, Benoist explains that those involved with Supergirl enjoyed the SNL sketch as much as anyone, but believes that what makes her series different simply hasn’t been seen yet:

“We don’t really take ourselves too seriously in that respect. The camp is going to be there. It’s a superhero show. But I don’t think that takes away from the female empowerment. Obviously you see Kara in her work atmosphere, it resembles the Black Widow parody, but what you don’t see is Kara kicking butt. There’s so much more in the pilot that I think people are really going to be surprised by. Also, it’s a girl. Supergirl, that whole discussion, it’s a girl figuring out how to become a woman. [The SNL spoof] came out and all of us thought it was so hilarious. I don’t think any of us expected people to compare them or put them side-by-side.”

“I want to do right. Of course this is a broad statement, but I want to do right by women. I want to portray someone they can relate to and look up to that’s not a trite or a shallow depiction. I want her to be complicated and flawed. I guess I just want all women to feel like they could be Kara and Superwoman as well. I don’t want it to be campy. I want it to be grounded and human. That goes for anybody. It doesn’t matter what sex. It doesn’t matter if it’s women or men I inspire, I just want to inspire people in general to realize their strengths and their potential, and that you can do the things that you feel like are impossible to accomplish.”

We would hope that every actor or actress entrusted with a superhero role would have Benoist’s mindset. Trailers released since the debut have showcased more of the action sequences Benoist refers to, and the budget of a network series already looks promising compared to its CW counterparts. Of course, it isn’t the special effects or large-scale action that have made Arrow a success, and turned The Flash into one of the best-received superhero TV shows in recent memory.

That lies with the creative team and talent responsible – several of which are also at work creating Supergirl. Although Benoist hasn’t had a chance to get to know her new DC TV stars (that will likely come during SDCC), she is well aware of just how large a shadow they cast:

“I’ve not met Stephen [Amell]. Grant [Gustin] I know from Glee. They’re in Vancouver, so I didn’t really get much advice, but all that I’ve gotten has been support and excitement… The bar is set so high with those shows for a reason, because it has someone like Greg Berlanti, our executive producer, and Andrew Kreisberg, who are also behind those shows with us. They are responsible for so much of the success. They’ve found a really good formula and a really good way of portraying heroes with heart. I don’t think we’re lacking any of that in our show.”

“When I learned that I got the part there was a mixture of many emotions that rushed through me — elation, relief, immense joy and then, there was also a huge sense of responsibility that came immediately. I definitely thought to myself, ‘Oh man, you’ve got your work cut out for you.’”

Even if Supergirl winds up finding its own identity in a genre that is becoming more and more crowded by the second, direct comparisons with Arrow or The Flash won’t be invited by their respective networks. Fans may dream of seeing those three Justice League members join forces – and there’s always reason to hold out hope – but as Benoist makes perfectly clear, establishing the first successful superheroine TV show comes first.

What do you think of the show’s chances? Is CBS wise to go after a different audience than The Flash, Arrow and Gotham, or would a single style be a better choice? Sound off in the comments.

Supergirl premieres on CBS at 8:30 p.m. EST on October 26th, 2015. It will air at 8 p.m. EST on Mondays thereafter.

‘Supergirl’ Star Says ‘SNL’s Black Widow Comparisons Are Off The Mark

But while Daredevil has found its rhythm (with an exciting Punisher storyline coming in season 2), and Jessica Jones and Luke Cage are establishing an intersecting mythos (the two heroes were an item and had a daughter in the comics), Iron Fist has remained off the radar, with only a few small hints that the character will eventually appear in the MCU. Now, word is that Marvel is still having trouble bringing Iron Fist to the screen, for several key reasons.

BMD is the site claiming to have sources close to this RUMOR. Here’s the breakdown of the issue that could be holding up Iron Fist’s progression:

Power Source

In the comics, Iron Fist is Danny Rand, son of an explorer who discovers the mystical city of K’un-L’un, which only appears on Earth every ten years. During an expedition to the mystical city, Danny and his parents are betrayed by his father’s business partner, resulting in Danny being orphaned at K’un-L’un. There, he is trained in the ways of a warrior, culminating in a fight with a mystical dragon that endows him with mystical powers, making his hands incredibly powerful weapons. Donning a ceremonial costume, Danny becomes the superhero Iron Fist – often  partnered with Luke Cage in the group “Heroes for Hire.”

In the case of the Iron Fist Netflix series, BMD’s Devin Faraci reports that Marvel has been taking multiple pitches from different creative teams regarding how to approach the show, with the primary point of contention being the character’s mystical powers and origin.

Daredevil approached street-level Marvel heroes in a very grounded way, presenting Matt Murdock’s superhuman abilities as something akin to a blind martial arts master (i.e., extraordinary but not impossible). However, in that same show, there were also hints of Marvel mysticism (ninjas, old lady martial arts masters, a drug bearing Iron Fist’s enemy Steel Serpent’s logo on its label…), so it’s clear where Marvel wants to take things. The questions are: how fast to get there, and what’s the best way?

Let’s Get Mystical… Mystical…

IMAGE SOURCE

The biggest criticism of the Daredevil series was that the climatic superhero vs. super villain battle was the least engaging part of the show; fans had a clear preference for the more grounded exploration of a vigilante in black clothing. Meanwhile, on the movie side, 2016 presents a big challenge as Marvel tries to incorporate mysticism and magic into their universe full-on, with the release of Doctor Strange. That film will have a similar challenge as Thor in front of it: selling the idea of a “real-world” where magic (or cosmic beings) is an everyday occurrence.

Once that door is opened, how mystical abilities are filtered into the rest of the MCU remains to be seen; however, after films like Thor and Guardians of the Galaxy opened the cosmos of the MCU to fans, a “grounded” spy show like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. found a way to put that extraterrestrial mythos to interesting (and effective) use. So maybe Iron Fist is poised to do much the same, in perfect coordination with Doctor Strange’s debut. Since Doctor Strange is rumored to appear in Iron Fist at some point, the connection between the two seems pretty clear.

Grounded Still Works

Marvel would do well to remember that fans were more engaged in seeing how Matt Murdock evolved from nameless vigilante into the hero known as Daredevil more so than seeing the finished version of the hero. Danny Rand’s evolution into Iron Fist is a story that is ripe for extension into a long-form narrative, if we take time to examine key elements of the character. For example:

• A good portion of the season focused on his training at K’un-L’un.
• How he tries to bring his martial arts training into a modern urban setting (eg., early vigilante mistakes).
• His past with his parents, and the reasoning for his dad’s obsession with K’un-L’un.
• The tragic trek to K’un-L’un that got his parents killed.
• The larger mystic/martial arts mythos that will tie back to Daredevil, and introduce the Iron Fist villain(s).
• How he comes to befriend Luke Cage (presuming we don’t see Iron Fist introduced in the Luke Cage Netflix series, first).

The truth here is that Iron Fist is almost too close to a show like Arrow at this point, now that The CW’s flagship superhero series has explored ideas of mysticism and ancient cities where orders of ninja assassins hang out. Keeping Iron Fist’s mystical abilities seems like a no-brainer, even if the mysticism is kept to a minimum in season 1 (focus on training and practical martial arts, with the iron fist powers held back as some big reveal or turning point).

But distinguishing the show in the same way as Daredevil is going to be more about cracking the code of Danny Rand’s journey and its thematic richness, than deciding on comic book powers (or the character’s ethnicity, which is another issue referenced in BMD‘s report).  The story of a man (maybe a fish-out-of-water type who looks like Ryan Phillippe) who is training in an ancient mystic city to hit harder than any other man on earth has loads of potential; here’s hoping that Marvel figures out the right approach to realize that potential.

Daredevil is currently available on Netflix. AKA Jessica Jones releases this fall followed by Luke Cage and Daredevil season 2 in 2016. Iron Fist is still currently in development.

Rumor: Marvel’s ‘Iron Fist’ Netflix Series Problem