CW’s “Supergirl” to feature transgender character in season 4
A casting call has been put out for "Nia Nal," who'll have a major storyline
The CW’s Supergirl will apparently feature a major transgender character in the show’s fourth season.
Warner Bros. has put out a casting call for “Nia Nal,” a transgender woman in her early 20s who is described as a “young Cat Grant type” according to Comicbook.com’s sources.
Jia will be “a confident, wunderkind of a fashionista” who joins the CatCo investigative reporting team. “With her she brings sparkling wit and biting humor,” the character notes say, “but under that banter-y, chic facade, lays a soulful young woman who has much to offer the world.”
While Warner Bros. is refusing to comment on the news — hardly surprising, given it’s not intended to be open information — the move would be another bold step for LGBTQ representation in The CW’s DC Comics adaptations.
Earlier this year, Black Lightning debuted on the network with one of the show’s key characters, Thunder, an out and proud lesbian — retaining her sexuality from the original comics.
It was a move actress Nafessa Williams called “timely and necessary,” particularly given Thunder is not only lesbian but also a person of color. Referencing the fact that Black Lightning features the first black superhero family on network TV, Williams said, ““We need it. It’s been way too long. I didn’t have a black superhero to look up to as a little girl.”
It also stands in stark contrast to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has been plagued with accusations of LGBTQ erasure. Earlier this year, Black Panther co-writer Joe Robert Cole had to address rumors that Marvel edited out a lesbian romance between two characters, while last year’s Thor: Ragnarok edited out a scene that would have depicted a key character’s bisexuality.
However, there is some hope for Marvel fans, after Deadpool 2 was praised for its open inclusion of a lesbian relationship.
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