Supergirl: Why Reign can be the show’s best villain yet

The potential is there for Reign to be Supergirl’s greatest foe.

In Supergirl‘s two-and-a-half seasons, we’ve seen Kara battle a number of foes, but pinning down the best is a difficult task. Where Astra and Non took the role of big bad in Season One and Mon-El’s mother, Rhea, became the main villain of season 2, it’s safe to say that they weren’t quite as good as they could have been. However, with the approach they’re taking with Reign, it’s possible that season 3 could produce Supergirl‘s best villain yet.

A different kind of villain

The writers have taken a different approach to the villain this year in that we have actually met her and built a rapport with her. Odette Annable’s Sam doesn’t seem the villainous type at first glance: a single mother struggling to balance her work-life and her home-life. But as the season progressed, we learned more and more about her.

Sure, we already knew that she was the baby who was shown being sent to Earth at the end of season 2, but aside from that, we knew little about her. Our first glimpse of her true potential was actually in her debut when she managed to lift the scaffolding off her daughter. Interestingly, it seemed that Sam was shocked by her strength and she seemed scared by what she’d just done.

As the episodes passed, we discovered that Sam was haunted by visions of a mysterious robed woman who told her that she would reign over Earth. As these became more frequent, and she noticed other strange things happening, she decided to investigate and visited her mother.

Sam learned the truth of her heritage and discovered her own Fortress of Sanctuary which explained the truth of her origins – she would become a world killer. Immediately after this, Reign was born.

A formidable foe

In the mid-season finale, we got our first glimpse of Reign in action and it’s safe to say that she packed a punch. After goading Kara to meet with her, the two began a battle across National City. It was here that we saw just how dangerous Reign really is. She comfortably beats Kara, knocking her out cold and seemingly into a coma.

Never before had Supergirl met with an opponent as dangerous and as powerful; even Non never made her bleed before. The fact that Reign defeated her so publically spoke volumes as well, the people of National City saw their idol brutally defeated and now know that there is a threat worth fearing.

The problem with villains

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One of the biggest problems with the previous villains was the fact that they were underdeveloped; their motivations were slightly sketchy and they seemed to be evil purely to give Kara something to fight. Astra and Non seemed bent on world domination purely because they were more powerful than the humans. Yes, there was the family connection, but once Astra was killed, Non didn’t really hit the mark.

Season Two suffered from a bit of an identity crisis when villains are concerned, the first half of the season seemed to imply that Lillian Luthor’s CADMUS would be the big threat facing Supergirl, but that was all but forgotten about until Kara joined forces with them in the season finale. Rhea appeared about three-quarters of the way through the season and muscled her way into the role of big bad.

Where Supergirl has never had an iconic villain like the other Arrowverse shows, it seems like Reign could finally be a step in the right direction. Much like Deathstroke in Arrow and the Reverse Flash in The Flash, it seems that we may finally have an iconic villain to battle the Girl of Steel for the remainder of the season.

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“They will call you Worldkiller – and you will Reign!”