Trans Activist Nicole Maines Will Play TV’s First Trans Superhero on ‘Supergirl’
Just last night, FX’s Pose had its season finale, an hour-long episode featuring its five transgender series regulars front and center. But the Ryan Murphy series won’t be the only one making history for the trans community on the small screen. In some incredible news out of San Diego Comic-Con, The CW’s Supergirl will debut TV’s very first trans superhero, and played by a trans actress.
During the series’ Comic-Con panel over the weekend, the network announced actress and activist Nicole Maines will join the show’s fourth season. And she won’t just be stopping by for a guest spot; she’ll be a series regular. Maines, who’s appeared in Royal Pains and was featured on HBO’s dic The Trans List, will play Nia Nal, aka Dreamer, a young reporter who joins Kara Danvers and the CatCo team. A press release described her as “a soulful young transgender woman with a fierce drive to protect others,” likening her journey to becoming the superhero Dreamer to Kara’s evolution towards becoming Supergirl.
During the panel on Saturday, Maines described her character as “the superhero we need right now,” and one she wishes she saw growing up, according to Mashable. The actress said, “It seems only fitting that we have a trans superhero for trans kids to look up to. I wish there was a trans superhero when I was little.” Maines told Variety that while there has been trans representation on TV, it hasn’t been the right kind. “Having trans people play trans roles show[s] that we are valid in our identities and we exist,” she said.
As The Hollywood Reporter notes, Maines’ character is a twist on the DC Comics character Nura Nal, aka Dream Girl. In the comics, Nura isn’t described as trans, but is a clairvoyant Naltorian who can foresee the deaths of others and is a part of the Legion of Superheroes. It’s super exciting that The CW series not only rewrote the character as trans, but put in the work to cast a trans actor in the role. That’s how it’s done, Scarlett Johansson and Rupert Sanders.
This follows news of Pose‘s second season renewal, and that Transparent star Trace Lysette will be starring in and producing the indie romance Colors of Ava. Maybe, just maybe, the big screen will get its very own trans superhero – or two, or five! – sooner than we thought.
Gallery – 37 LGBTQ Comic Superheroes Waiting To Be Adapted For the Screen: