Tyler Hoechlin (Teen Wolf) goes from alpha dog to Superman this fall. Hoechlin has been cast as the iconic superhero for season 2 of Supergirl.
“Could not be more honored & humbled to be given the opportunity to play this incredible & beloved character,” Hoechlin tweeted. “Can’t wait to get to work!”
The Man of Steel was intentionally MIA as not to overshadow his female counterpart (Melissa Benoist). Superman has made only brief cameos in the series. The pilot episode and Supergirl intro feature Kal-El as a baby and then as an adult though we only see his silhouette, portrayed by Kevin Caliber. Kara also met a young Kal-El (Daniel DiMaggio) during a hallucination in which Krypton never exploded as seen in “For the Girl Who Has Everything.” Officially, Superman has been giving her space to be her own (super) woman though he secretly sends his pal James Olsen (Mehcad Brooks) to check up on her. James signals Superman when Supergirl fights Reactron “Fight or Flight.” Kara accuses James of not believing in her.
“It wasn’t supposed to be this way. This is the reason my mother and father sent me to Earth,” explains Kara, who is chronologically older than Kal-El but did not come out of stasis until after he became Superman. “I was supposed to be the one saving him. Not the other way around. How am I supposed to really become a hero if Superman has to keep saving me?”
Superman swoops in to save the day once again when a Kryptonian computer program brainwashes the city in “Myriad.” However, Supergirl saves Superman, whose years on living as a human have left him susceptible to the mind control.
Now that Supergirl has proven herself, let’s hope we see more of a team dynamic. After all, we know Hoechlin likes to run with a pack. The actor was made for this role say executive producers Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg.
“Greg and I have wanted to work with Tyler for ages, so this worked out perfectly because Tyler is Superman,” said Kreisberg. “We are so thrilled and humbled to add another amazing actor to the legacy of this iconic character.”
Supergirl season 2 premieres on its new home the CW in October.