Supergirl’s parents never seem to get the respect in the DC universe that her cousin’s parents do. Superman’s parents realized their planet was going to explode, sent their son off in a rocket, and now they’re celebrated as great heroes. Meanwhile, Sueprgirl’s parents did the same thing, yet they also managed to survive—depending on which comic book continuity we’re paying attention to, at least—and yet Zor-El and Alura aren’t the household names that Jor-El and Lara are.
Well, that might change soon, thanks to CBS’ upcoming Supergirl pilot. According to Deadline, the network has hired Nashville’s Laura Benanti to appear in a recurring role as Alura Zor-El, the biological mother of Supergirl (who will be played by Melissa Benoist). We don’t know exactly what Alura Zor-El’s role in the show will be, but given the fact that Benanti is barely older than Benoist, she’ll probably appear in flashbacks or a fancy crystal thing like Jor-El uses in the Superman movies. Supergirl is being co-written and executive produced by Arrow’s Greg Berlanti, though, so we think conveniently relevant flashbacks are a safe assumption.