Sasha Calle’s Supergirl Will Be LGBT?
The DC extended universe may be getting a new LGBT character in Sasha Calle's Supergirl.
This article is more than 2 years old
We’ll soon be seeing Supergirl as part of the DC universe, and we’ll be seeing her in a new way than we have in the past. Our actress, previously a star on The Young and the Restless, is of Colombian descent; Kara Zor-El is typically blonde and blue-eyed. Now, we’re hearing that Sasha Calle’s DC Extended Universe Supergirl will be bisexual in the films, at least according to claims from Hollywood insider Daniel Richtman. This would make Calle the first Supergirl to both be proudly LGBTQ and a woman of color.
Like the mythical warriors and adventurers of old, superheroes are widely regarded as bastions of hope and valor — time-honored icons of self-empowerment. Fact is, everyone has gifts. We’re all bestowed traits, flaws, and various eccentricities that when put together are unique to each of us. And being a superhero means staying true to those origins and being brave enough to handle problems (otherworldly or otherwise) our own way. The industry banks on precisely these — the immutability of human virtue and the common reader’s desire to become something more — to sell comic books. Unfortunately, not every superhero was made to stand out. While we’re waiting to see Sasha Calle as Supergirl on the big screen, the character has a recent and rich history on television. Before the Arrowverse reinvented the character on The CW, Kara Zor-El, a.k.a. Supergirl, was only ever known for being Clark Kent’s last surviving Kryptonian relative. Having arrived on Earth as a full-grown adolescent, Kara’s identity crisis is far more potent than Superman’s. She saw Krypton die, while Clark remembers nothing.
Despite being markedly different from her cousin, Kara received some of the worst typecasting in comic book history. Clearly, Sasha Calle will be taking her to a new place. The CW has helped lead us here. Thanks to The CW, Supergirl now stands for more than just truth, justice, and being Superman’s less intimidating relative — refashioned into a feminist icon, Kara Zor-El is now a proven exemplar of LGBTQ empowerment. The character isn’t conventionally queer, but in the case of Melissa Benoist’s Supergirl, is still deeply LGBTQ-friendly. Kara’s adoptive sister Alex Danvers (Chyler Leigh) is an out-and-proud lesbian. James Olsen’s sister Kelly is also gay. Fellow Arrowverse superhero Sara Lance is bisexual. And now Warner Bros. intends to take the next step by making Kara Danvers herself openly bisexual as well.
Sasha Calle will be making her first DCEU appearance in Andy Muschietti’s The Flash, alongside Ezra Miller as Barry Allen and Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck as Batmen from two different timelines. It’s set to reboot the franchise by having Miller’s Barry travel back in time to save his mother, unintentionally causing Flashpoint. Supergirl didn’t feature in the original 2011 Flashpoint comics by Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert. The only Kryptonian present was Kal-El, albeit a weakened version. This Superman was seized by the government as a baby and experimented on all his life. Kara Zor-El wasn’t in the DC Animated Original Movie Flashpoint Paradox either. Her fate was ultimately left to audience interpretation. As for The CW’s Supergirl, the show wasn’t part of the main Arrowverse till after Grant Gustin’s Flashpoint and thus was completely unaffected. Calle’s Latina Supergirl is either a cameo after Flashpoint is undone, or a vital participant during Flashpoint, assisting Miller’s Barry and either Batman in thwarting Eobard Thawne and restoring the timeline. Sasha Calle’s future as Supergirl is as impressive as a Yellow Star, however, with the actress potentially headlining a Legion of Super-Heroes movie following her appearance in The Flash. The film resumed pre-production during the coronavirus pandemic, allowing Calle to read lines opposite Miller on Zoom. The young actress landed the part in February. The cast is currently filming. The Flash hits theaters on November 4, 2022.
