The Supergirl show is in its summer hiatus but Season 5 has already started to film and news has started to leak. And between San Diego Comic Con and interviews and magazines, a lot has dropped. I will try to cover the big news here knowing a lot of other news (Mehcad Brooks leaving, Winn returning, Brandon Routh being Kingdom Come Superman in Crisis) also broke and could be covered.
One of the first media bombs to drop was that Supergirl will sport a new costume next season. Here is a link to that story:
https://ew.com/tv/2019/07/15/supergirl-melissa-benoist-new-season-5-suit/
Now I am a huge fan of the blue shirt/red skirt look for Supergirl. It;s my favorite version of the costume. And so I am sad to see it go.
I also think this new suit, now with blue pants, is fine. But in some ways it is a little boring to me. There isn't much color here. The cape being so far up and back even eliminates red from the upper body. Things could be worse. But this is just okay to me.
In some ways it reminds me of some of the costumes with pants we saw in the 1970's Adventure Comics run.
In the article, folks on the show discuss the change.
First up, Melissa Benoist herself:
“We’ve been talking about pants since season 1,” Benoist tells EW. “Every time a writer from the show has come up, and it’s freezing cold in Vancouver, I’m like, ‘Guys, please can I not wear tights?’ I love [Kara’s old costume]. I haven’t changed it because it so works, and I think it is very Kara. I’ve always felt that — until recently, I’m like, ‘Something’s gotta give.'”
So I am glad to hear Benoist talk about loving the skirt and how that is 'very Kara'. I suppose if she was freezing while filming, switching to something more insulated makes sense.
I could understand that answer.
Showrunners Jessica Queller and Robert Rovner echoed that sentiment as well. “A lot of us were passionate about getting Supergirl into pants and out of the short skirt, and we felt like that would be a powerful move, and Melissa is really excited about it,” says Queller. “So we just had to find the right moment to design the suit and in between seasons gave us a chance. But this is something we’ve been thinking about for a while.”
Benoist particularly loves her character’s new threads because she has more “range of motion” and it’s a visual way of showing how Kara has grown over the years. “I just think it’s more adult,” she says. “Part of my goal in this whole series for whenever the show ends, I just want there to be a very clear arc for this character that she evolved as a woman and found her femininity and her adulthood, just a self-discovery.”
I don't quite understand why wearing pants is 'more adult'. And I don't know why it is 'powerful' either. That said, I am an old man. So maybe I need to learn.
There is another article outlining much of Season 5's themes in Entertainment Weekly as well. Here is a link: https://ew.com/comic-con/2019/07/17/supergirl-season-5-melissa-benoist-lena-kara-crisis-leviathan/
And this blurb:
“This season’s going to be a fight for Lena’s soul,” says Benoist, who was surprised and heartbroken by how Lena found out Kara’s secret. “I was devastated that it was Lex Luthor that told her. That was such a shot in the heart to Lena, a character that my character loves so dearly. It was painful.”
I like the idea of Lena being a sort of stealth villain. Hopefully we get to redemption by the end of the season. And love this shot of Supergirl breaking Kryptonite chains, such an iconic image.
And finally at SDCC at a panel, we got more news and images including a trailer. Here is a nice rundown by Supergirl TV:
https://supergirl.tv/supergirl-sdcc-panel-news
Here is the season 5 poster, spotlighting that new suit.
And we get a trailer of mostly cobbled images from last season but with a few snippets of the premiere which has commenced filming. In that Kara talks about people using technology to escape the world. Lena talks about getting her tech into every house.
Oh yeah, and Lena punches Supergirl ... after calling her Kara. BOOM!
So pumped for this show to return after the fantastic finish of the last.
But back to that new costume.
I am an old school Supergirl fan and I will miss the red skirt.
I can remember how 5 years ago when CBS revealed the look for the show I was thrilled. It is an iconic look for an iconic character.
What do you all think about this news?
15 comments:
"I don't quite understand why wearing pants is 'more adult'. And I don't know why it is 'powerful' either."
Part of the reasoning stems from the way modern society often views skirts as being 'old fashioned', whereas pants can be more practical for women to wear to work. Also, the new costume promises more freedom of movement for Melissa, who was always physically constrained by the cape harness, and possibly other aspects. However, in as far as aesthetics go, Supergirl was overdue for a more modernistic outlook, considering that the series takes place in a modern world setting. The red skit ensemble mainly serves as nostalgia for an old movie presentation now.
KET
Holds big sign: "Choice of clothes has nothing to do with being an adult, and affects age in no way. This is the most important sign!"
Holds other big sign: "Wearing Superman's tights isn't an evolution, Supergirl's costume was designed after Superman's - she was already wearing the upgrade."
Holding third big sign: "Taste is subjective. Subjectively the new one is one of the ugliest hero costumes ever designed. She went from the prettiest to the ugliest costume in the arrowverse in one iteration. Flash's test suit looked better."
Holds fourth big sign: "It's cold in Vancouver and Melissa is happier now. I respect that and will deal with Supergirl looking like she wears an ugly onesie from now on."
A la Captain Marvel?
Thanks for sharing, Anj. I'd known about this since that video interview on supergirl.tv with Kevin Smith and Melissa B.
From a practical POV -- Vancouver is cold -- I can understand this. From an aesthetic POV, I don't hate it, but I'm with
you that "you don't mess with the classic," and that red skirt is pretty damn classic. In the grand scheme of things
though, I'm not going to quit the show and/or lose sleep over it.
That being said, I'm more interested in the new developments for S5 -- Mechad B is leaving? Winn is returning? And the
battle for Lena's soul? Let me repeat again : Lena on Team Supergirl! Or at least "I'm not your enemy, but neither am
I your friend." There's also the COIE crossover event I'm REALLY looking forward to, especially the news that Brandon
Routh will be putting back on S cape and suit!
There was also the news that Melissa B and Chris Wood (Mon-El) are tying the knot "soon." I wish these two the best, those
two REALLY lit up the screen any scene they had together! :)
Counting down to S5!
Regards
I know Brandon Routh wore a Kingdom Come t-shirt under his regular shirt at the convention, but is it confirmed Kingdom Come Superman will appear? In some other universe, or in his own? And, can we get an aged-up Melissa as Power Girl? (Now, THAT would be really cold to wear!)
I like the long pants, and have enjoyed the few times we saw long-panted "space suits" in the comics over the last year.
But I agree this TV costume looks kind of monotone. What could they have done to improve that? Some red to augment the gold belt? Red trim on the sleeve cuffs? I think either or both would look great. And several costumes over the years have had yellow accents on the boots. But - this is it.
I thought Red Daughter had an amazing look.
T.N.
Between the red skirt costume and the new look, I prefer the former.
Having said that, since Supergirl HAS worn several costumes through the years, changes like this don't bother me as much as recent attempts to change Superman's costume have. And as you point out, Supergirl DID wear pants costumes during her Adventure Comics run (issues 412 and 413).
I agree the new costume needs more color. I've never cared for the darker colors in superhero costumes that movie and TV people seem to prefer these days. Maybe a brighter red and replacing the blue with the traditional yellow in the "S" shield would help. I also don't like the way the cape now attaches to the shoulders. I don't like it on Tyler Hoechlin's costume either. The old way was fine and they should have kept that. It will be easier to judge the new costume once we see it "in action".
Since Winn is coming back, I wonder if he has a hand in designing Kara's new look.
Thanks for comments!
I get the technical reasons for the pants - warmth, movement, etc. But I still l Ve the skirt.
Great idea about Winn helping with the costume!
I read that Jeremy Jordan will only guest star in 3 episodes during the latter half of the season. Which makes sense - Jesse Rath already has the light-hearted element well covered, filling the role that Winn had. I couldn't see room for him returning full time unless Jesse Rath left the show.
But having him design the costume would definitely have been a nice callback.
T.N.
"Holds big sign:..."
Fanboys holding big signs for their nostalgic fetishism isn't going to matter anyway. Choice of clothing actually DOES have to do with more adult decision-making. Otherwise, mommy would always be playing, "dress up the kid".
"Wearing Superman's tights..."
Nope, Supergirl wore a blue body suit way back in Adventure Comics in the early 70s. She got there first.
"Taste is subjective."
Nope, again. Some comics fanboys seem to love being rigid with ridiculous notions of 'classic' and 'original'. But Supergirl's red skirt look was derived from the flop 1984 movie, NOT the comics. Later published comics chose to imitate the movie costume look for years afterward instead.
Granted, the first, sneak previewed image of the new costume Melissa offered of the suit suffers from poor lighting. However, having now seen BTS footage of the suit in action, it looks overall brighter with color, and more designed to improve movement for the actress or stunt person) who wears it. Plus, there's are some subtle little touches to the design which seem to have purposes that haven't been revealed yet.
"Great idea about Winn helping with the costume!"
Jeremy Jordan doesn't return to the show until the second half of the season, and reportedly after the crossover has passed. Besides, having Winn do it again also reeks of nostalgia, and the series is definitely making concerted strides towards moving beyond that now. Seems more like the DEO may have a hand in the new work, which also fits the more singular color palette that organization sports as well. Brighter, comic book-like colors have already proven to look way too cheesy in today's live action media....which may also play a role in the Season Five theme of a technology-obsessed modern society.
KET
I think the idea of being "more adult," goes back to the line that they had Red Daughter say about how Supergirl flies around "in a cheerleader skirt."
There's still some red trimming on the suit that's not readily visible in the promotional photo. Pictures from when they were filming on location shows that there's red piping on the arms. As far as powerful, I guess it's that Melissa and her stunt double don't have to worry about it flying up, so they don't end up having to wear shorts underneath, as her double did at least once where it was noticeable.
There were bits from all four seasons so far - Indigo from season 1. At least three scenes from season 2, like Alex punching Metallo through a concrete support beam. And the flying monkeys from season 3.
But I have wondered about them adding some red to it. There's two bands on either side that start slightly above and go below the belt that they might add some red too, though I'm not sure how it'd look.
When I first saw this picture of Benoist in the new costume, I was convinced it was her stunt double, poor lighting made MB look ten years older, and this an actress who up until now could literally never take a bad picture!
Subsequent photos have put my mind to rest, although I do think overall the blue is too dark and is submerging the S-Shield, maybe the original yellow backing should be restored?
I should have realized when Brie Larson's "Captain Marvel" made a billion dollars at the box office, that DC (who's "keeping up with the Joneses" thing with Marvel has reached a malignant stage) would put the TV Supergirl into similar longjohn "battle tights"...although Larson was literally wearing a sort of garish tailored hazmat suit for her movie....at least Kara kept her red high boots (so its not totally a case of "Brie Larsony")...
Anyhow...as our host pointed out this is nothing new, Kara would long super tights back in 1971, albeit for two issues she went back to her default costume blouse and red hot-pants/running shorts that was her signature outfit for the next twelve years or so.
Onward and upward, looking forward to Season Five ...
JF
Superman had blue tights in 1938.
"Some comic fanboys seem to love being rigid with ridiculous notions of 'classic' and 'original', But Supergirl's red skirt was derived from the flop 1984 movie, NOT the comics."
Okay, I agree that nostalgia can often play a part in what fans prefer. But I wouldn't call those notions ridiculous. Often, the classic look becomes the classic look BECAUSE it is the best. Forget about comics. The New York Yankees have worn their classic pinstripes (with minor changes here and there) for over 90 years. The Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers have looked the same (again with minor changes) since 1938. Nostalgia and tradition may be a factor, but the main reason these uniforms have stayed the same for decades is because they look good.
As for Supergirl, the prototype "Super-Girl" that James Bartholomew Olsen wished into existence in Superman 123 wore a red skirt. And in the full page ad in Action Comics 251, Kara was wearing a red skirt. By the time Action Comics 252 hit the newsstands it had become blue, but there were occasional returns to the red skirt for the next couple of years. Supergirl's "hot pants" costume didn't feature a skirt, but it did have that splash of red below the waist.
The suit is boring and needs more color. Right now it just looks freaking terrible, and no it's not because I want her only in a skirt, it was just as boring and awful on Cavill. Throw a red S shield in the middle of the belt old school style. That alone would make the entire design work so much better. It's just so dull.
As for the reason for the change she gets cold. Well that makes perfect sense, change it, but don't act like you're God's gift to feminism for doing so. More adult, more powerful? Please. Either they're pandering for views, or ignorant that women can choose to wear what they want, even a skirt and still be powerful and respected. Women should be insulted at that comment, but cheering them on. Sickening.
The new suit is just plain ugly. They need to go back to the skirt. I find it hard to believe a production company can't provide heaters to help the actors/actresses stay warm when shooting outside in the cold.
This new costume is terrible, and I have tried watching it, but find the character and the show a lot more boring now. I felt like the writers were always the weak link in the show. I do think they have some better ideas for season 5, and better villains, including Lena. In this outfit, I will pass. Call me sexist or a pig or what ever, but a sexy look sells, this doesn't. Not only does it not sell, but it makes me not even want to watch.
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