Supergirl is bringing back National City's Guardian in its final season.
Kelly Olsen (Azie Tesfai) will take on the mantle worn by her brother James (Mehcad Brooks), as confirmed by EW. Co-showrunner Jessica Queller stated, "That's been our plan since the beginning of creating that role. We just wanted to find the right context for it, and so it just evolved really beautifully in the context of the social justice stories we wanted to tell."
Co-showrunner Robert Rovner stated that Season 6 will explore themes of power, due to the Super Friends operating without the backing of the government-funded DEO. Rovner stated, "As we forge forward, it's about our superheroes trying to safeguard the world. It brings into question issues of power when they are [no longer] part of the government. What are the limits on their power? It becomes a story that kind of evolves over the season."
James Olsen became The Guardian in the show's second season, becoming a front-line ally of Supergirl in her crimefighting efforts. In season 5, Brooks left the series, leaving the role open in the Super Friends. His character left National City to return to his hometown to run a newspaper speaking out against injustice. When he left, he handed the shield off to Kelly.
Kelly's character debuted in the show's fourth season and became a main cast member in the fifth when she started dating series mainstay, Alex Danvers. With Alex becoming a masked vigilante in her own right as Sentinel, Queller promised, "[There's] a lot of heroing this year."
Rovner also discussed the kinds of threats Supergirl and her Super Friends will face. "We have several villains this season. We have Jon Cryer who's back as Lex Luthor. He's at the beginning of our season." The co-showrunner added, "He's intent on finishing up his master plan from season 5 once we start things out, and then he'll return later in the season as well. And then we have two other big bads for the second half of the season, which I can't talk about." He continued, "The circumstances of the premiere really creates a dilemma for [the Super Friends] unlike one they have faced before and does bring a huge threat to National City by the third episode."
Supergirl stars Melissa Benoist as Kara Danvers, David Harewood as Martian Manhunter, Chyler Leigh as Alex Danvers, Nicole Maines as Dreamer, Jesse Rath as Brainiac-5, Azie Tesfai as Kelly Olsen, Julie Gonzalo as Andrea Rojas and Staz Nair as William Dey. Season 6 premieres March 30 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.
Source: EW