Ever since it premiered last month, CBS’s Supergirl has flown in the shadow of its title character’s more famous Kryptonian cousin, constantly referencing Kara Danvers’ efforts to establish herself outside Superman’s almost overpowering legacy. Through it all, the show has kept the Man Of Steel on the sidelines, giving viewers little more than awkward iChat messages or out-of-focus shots of the DC Comics powerhouse (and preventing Warner Bros. from having to bifurcate its TV and film comic book properties even further by having two different Supermen flying around, like it was the mullet-loving ’90s all over again.)
Now, the show’s Superman embargo is finally ready to lift, with TVLine reporting that the series will be revealing the face of Kal-El of Krypton some time in 2016. It won’t be the modern Superman who takes the stage, though, but his younger self; the show is currently casting for a 13-year-old actor with “future leading man looks”—and good luck living up to that self-negating prophecy, kid—to play a young Clark Kent in a flashback episode. (The casting notice dances around names like “Superboy” for the character, presumably in a bid to avoid being sued into smithereens.)
So, there you go: Supergirl will get to have its Superman-shaped cake and eat it, too, giving viewers a look at the show’s take on Clark, while still kicking the “But who’s going to play him?!” conundrum to some future, probably sweeps-related, date.