Any given comic-book adaptation inspires talk about which characters will make the jump from page to screen, but Supergirl’s arrival on CBS takes those questions to new extremes. First of all, there’s the matter of Kara Zor-El’s similarly powered Kryptonian cousin, whose role in the Supergirl pilot was likened to Waiting For Godot by one reporter at the Television Critics Association summer press tour. (That might go down as the most highfalutin allusion of this year’s TCAs, unless someone manages to work the Übermensch into the Limitless session.) “You won’t see [Superman] on screen,” DC CCO Geoff Johns said. “He’ll be more in the background.” Speaking with Entertainment Weekly post-panel, executive producer Ali Adler added “Our prototype is the way the president is seen on Veep.”
DC characters who are returning Supergirl’s voice mails (future Supergirl dialogue: Kara: “Hey, Jimmy Olsen: Did Superman call?”) include Red Tornado, Non, and General. And maybe, just maybe, the stars of The CW’s superhero shows: During her session with the TCA, CBS Entertainment chair Nina Tassler said there are no current plans for a Supergirl–Arrow–The Flash crossover, but there will be crossover promotions between the shows. (CBS is a co-owner of The CW, which broadcasts Arrow and The Flash.) The Supergirl producers say they’re open to bringing the heroes together eventually, but they also have to launch a different DC project out of the CW shows this year, so it’s understandable that bringing Supergirl to Central or Starling City isn’t a top priority.