It seems
like, on this blog, a reoccurring adage is, “When in doubt, write about a
character/relationship on Supergirl!”
Because even though I recognize that the show can be silly and the writing can
be heavyhanded, I continue to love it pretty wholeheartedly, and a major
component of that is my love for so many of the characters and the
relationships between them. I’ve already written about Kara and Alex as the
major heart of the series, but I want to circle back around and look at the
dynamic of adding J’onn into the mix (some spoilers, including from the most
recent season 5 episode, “In Plain Sight.”)
It’s wild
to stop and think that J’onn, under the guise of DEO head Hank Henshaw, is
initially brusque and short with Supergirl, and that Kara and Alex go through a
period of thinking J’onn is shady before he reveals his true identity to them,
a Green Martian who fled the genocide of his people 300 years ago. Because
looking at them now, you’d never think there was ever a time when these three
didn’t love each other.
Alex and
Kara may be adopted sisters, but in a way, J’onn is the man these two
fatherless young women have chosen to adopt as their father. The series
features so many warm, loving moments that show how J’onn cares for both Kara
and Alex. He and Alex have had numerous heart-to-hearts at the DEO about Alex’s
career goals, her personal heartaches, and her moments of self-doubt, and he
encourages and champions her every step of the way. He and Kara relate to
another one as aliens on Earth, both from races that have been all but wiped
out, and he gives her support and advice on her hero’s journey.
J’onn is
definitely like a surrogate father to Kara and Alex, but the fact that they
don’t meet until all three are adults help Kara and Alex simultaneously
approach J’onn more as equals. Just as they come to him when they need a
sounding board or an empathetic ear, they’re there for him to lean on when he
has troubles of his own. That can mean support (Kara giving her blessing to his
vow of non-violence and excitedly checking out his new alien P.I. digs,) a
loving push (Alex helping him come to terms with his father’s dementia,) and,
most recently, gentle understanding and validation.
This last
point is what prompted me to talk about these three now. One of the main plots
of this season is the return of J’onn’s long-lost brother Malefic, a White
Martian collaborator who was erased from the collective Martian consciousness.
J’onn works to uncover his hidden memories of Malefic and learns that he was the one to erase his brother from
memory. Although he did it in a desperate bid to ease his father’s guilt at
Malefic’s war crimes, this is the worst sin a Martian can commit, and J’onn
beats himself up with shame when he realizes what he did. He at first hides
this knowledge from the others, convinced that they’ll feel as disgusted with
him as he does with himself, but when he confides in Kara and Alex, both
respond lovingly, pointing out the compassionate motivation behind his actions
them and reminding him of the honorable man he is today. Such beautiful
expressions of understanding and accepting, making my heart swell for this
wonderful little intergalactic found family.
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