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Small Screen Roundup: Miss Martian on Supergirl, Mirror Master on Flash and More!
The CW had their big day today at the Television Critics Association's annual Summer Press Tour, which included a #DCTV panel featuring the producers of Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow and DC's Legends of Tomorrow. Unsurprisingly, announcements about the shows upcoming seasons were made, and they were exciting ones. But if you missed them as they broke on Facebook and Twitter, we've rounded them up for you here.
Crossovers
Ever since The Flash debuted set within the same universe of The CW's prior hit Arrow, crossovers have been a #DCTV staple on The CW. This fall will feature The CW's first ever four-episode crossover, spanning not only Arrow and Flash, but Supergirl and DC's Legends of Tomorrow as well. However, today the Executive Producers announced that next season will also feature a two-part musical crossover taking place later in the season between Supergirl and The Flash.
If you're scratching your head over this, you shouldn't be. Both Melissa Benoist and Grant Gustin were regulars on Fox's Glee and are more than capable of carrying a tune, along with fellow stars Jesse L. Martin (Joe West), John Barrowman (Malcolm Merlyn), Victor Garber (Martin Stein) and Jeremy Jordan (Winn Schott). As for how the rest of the cast is at crooning, we'll find out when the musical crossover takes place in the second half of the season.
Freedom Fighters: The Ray
The CW also announced their second DC animated series for their digital channel, CW Seed. Freedom Fighters: The Ray is inspired by Grant Morrison's update of the classic character in THE MULTIVERSITY and will feature the first gay super hero to headline a show.
Following on the success of last year's Vixen (which will soon be returning for a second season), Freedom Fighters: The Ray will tell the story of Raymond "Ray" Terrill, a reporter who gains light-based powers after he uncovers a plot by the government to turn light into a weapon of mass destruction. Ray's new abilities inspire him to go beyond just reporting against injustice, but to start taking action against it.
Look for Freedom Fighters: The Ray to debut on CW Seed in 2017.
Supergirl
Along with the news about the musical crossover, there were some exciting character and casting announcements made today about the newest #DCTV show to join the CW family.
Fans of Young Justice and Teen Titans may be excited to learn that Miss Martian will be showing up on Supergirl next season, played by Grimm's Sharon Leal. Considering we've only met one other White Martian on Supergirl so far and he was downright terrifying, it'll be interesting to see what sort of relationship Leal's character will have with Martian Manhunter.
Also appearing this season on Supergirl will be Mon-El (above), played by actor Chris Wood (Containment). Mon-El will first show up in Supergirl's season premiere and traditionally has powers very similar to Supergirl and Superman's, despite hailing from a different planet. Wood's been cast as a series regular, so we know Mon-El will be a significant presence when Supergirl returns in the fall. Whether the show will make any nods to the Legion of Super-Heroes, however, remains to be seen.
Finally, the producers also announced that Kevin Smith will be directing an episode of Supergirl in Season 2. Smith, of course, also directed a well-regarded episode of The Flash last season (and will be back to direct another episode in Flash Season 3).
The Flash
Over the past two seasons, we've seen many of the Flash's classic baddies, from Captain Cold to Zoom to Gorilla Grodd. We've even seen an early version of the Rogues. But there's been one key villain missing... until now. Earlier this week, Warner Bros. Television announced that actor Grey Damon has been cast in the role of Mirror Master, and will be appearing in the show's fourth episode.
Damon will be playing the Sam Scudder version of the character (above), a criminal who discovers he has the power to travel through any reflective surface. Of course, being the sort of person he is, he uses that ability to embark on a major crime spree to prove he's the greatest thief in Central City.
Speaking of villains, it's been revealed that the Flash will be battling two big ones next season. The first, Doctor Alchemy, was revealed in The Flash's third season trailer that debuted last month at Comic-Con. While we don't yet know which version of the character we'll be seeing on the show, we do know that he'll be voiced by Saw's Tobin Bell.
The second villain is a speedster, and we now know which one it is - Savitar. While not as well known as the Reverse-Flash or Zoom, Savitar is every bit as distinct and dangerous. In the comics, Savitar (who's real name is unknown) was a former test pilot who was infused with the Speed Force when flying an experimental plane. He took his name after the Hindu god of motion and eventually gained a devoted cult of followers.
UPDATE: Gorilla Grodd fans rejoice! Executive Producer Andrew Kreisberg also confirmed that the intelligent, psychic ape will be returning... and bringing a few friends. Look for a two-part episode set in Gorilla City this season as well.
Arrow
The CW's longest running #DCTV show had some cool things to announce as well, including the news that actor Dolph Lundgren (The Expendables, Rocky IV) would be appearing as a villain in the show's Russian flashbacks. The news prompted the following tweets from star Stephen Amell, who was unaware of the casting.
Also announced was that the show would be introducing the character of Vigilante in episode seven, though which version of the character is yet to be revealed. (Coincidentally, DC recently announced a new Vigilante miniseries debuting in the fall, so 2016 is certainly ending on a good note for Vigilante fans.)
DC's Legends of Tomorrow
Last, but certainly not least, The CW's time traveling ensemble offered plenty of awesome first looks, starting with today's reveal of the new Vixen.
That's Maisie Richardson-Sellers (The Originals, Star Wars: The Force Awakens) as Amaya Jiwe, who's the grandmother of Mari McCabe, the current Vixen (played by Megalyn E.K.). Amaya will be appearing on DC's Legends of Tomorrow in Season 2, as will the Justice Society of America.
Along with Executive Producer Marc Guggenheim's tease above, we've learned the identities of at least a few of the Justice Society members who will be appearing alongside Patrick J. Adams' Hourman. iZombie's Matthew MacCaull will play Commander Steel, otherwise known as Henry Heywood, Sr. That's significant because they've also cast Nick Zano as a series regular to play his grandson Dr. Nate Heywood AKA Citizen Steel.
Gotta love time travel stories!
In addition, Sarah Grey will be playing Stargirl and just announced, Lance Henrickson (Aliens) will be stepping into the role of dark hero Obsidian. (For more on these characters, click here.)
Whew! Yes, it's been a big week for breaking news, but that's nothing compared to what we'll be seeing in the fall. Because the next season of #DCTV is going to be huge. Now, excuse us as we go clear some space on our DVRs...
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