Supergirl EP Robert Rovner On The Show Getting Political

Of the “Arrowverse” series on The CW, none might approach or reference real-life politics as pointedly as Supergirl has in recent times, a choice that to some may be controversial if their viewpoints differ. Anti-alien sentiment and bigotry is a big storyline for Supergirl Season 4, and at a Q&A hosted by The CW earlier today, Executive Producer Robert Rovner talked a bit about the series’ not-so-subtle political allegories.

“I think that the whole season, we’re exploring stuff that’s happening in the country, and how Supergirl is dealing with a divided nation, and how she can try and heal it, [and] how people can speak up and speak out,” Rovner said, confirming that this story is going to be a driving factor in the current season. “It’s woven into our season because we’re dealing will the fallout of the President having been outed as an alien. I think we’re speaking directly to it [in Sunday’s episode], but I think that the dialogue permeates the entire season.”

“Our country feels divided, and I think that Supergirl is a character that always has tried to use hope as a weapon to combat hate, and so we wanted to both use that platform to create a dialogue about what’s happening in our nation, and how a character like Supergirl could speak to that,” Rovner continued. “And also to see how she would deal with it, especially once she represents one of the things that the nation is afraid of [on the show].”

Is there any concern that some viewers might be — pardon the pun — alienated? “We think it’s important to examine what’s going on,” Rovner said. “Supergirl and Superman have always spoken out about issues, so something we’re cognizant of — we are also trying to keep it balanced, so that we’re exploring all sides of the issue. This might seem political, but what she’s really speaking about is everybody treating each other with kindness, and everybody accepting people, and I think that even though some of the sides might make things divisive, Supergirl is searching a way to unite people, not to divide us. That’s what we’re focusing on. I think what’s great about the next episode, when you get to see the origin story of Agent Liberty, I think it adds a level of depth so that we understand why our villain is our villain, and the things in his life that brought him to this place of being so against aliens. It helps keep everything more balanced than it might otherwise be,” he continued.

Supergirl airs Sundays at 8PM on The CW.