‘Supergirl’ Season 2 Adds Major Villain Metallo to be Portrayed by Frederick Schmidt; Tyler Hoechlin’s Traditional Superman Influenced by Christopher Reeve

‘Supergirl’ season 2 is set to feature a famous Superman villain Metallo to be portrayed by Frederick Schmidt. Meanwhile, Tyler Hoechlin’s Kal-El a.k.a. Clark Kent a.k.a. Superman will draw influences from traditional portrayals including Christopher Reeve’s.

According to Entertainment Weekly, a new Superman villain is set to make its way to the small screen. Metallo, to be portrayed by Frederick Schmidt, will serve as one of season 2’s major antagonists.

Schmidt joins season 2 newcomers, including Tyler Hoechlin as Superman, Lynda Carter as POTUS, Sharon Leal as Miss Martian, Ian Gomez as Snapper Carr, and Katie McGrath as Lex Luthor’s sister Lena.

Metallo is one of Superman’s oldest and most prominent enemies from the original DC comic books. He was the simple human criminal James Corben before he became the cyborg known as Metallo – a robot with a human brain whose heart is powered by kryptonite. He first debuted in “Action Comics #252” published in 1959.

The character is known to possess superhuman strength, stamina, and durability through cybernetic enhancements. He can regenerate his body parts to reconfigure them as weapons and emit strong kryptonite radiation that can defeat Superman. He is also highly skilled in military protocol.

Meanwhile, Hoechlin’s highly anticipated Kal-El / Superman is reportedly tailored after Christopher Reeve’s portrayal in the 1978 live-action full-feature adaptation ‘Superman’ directed by Richard Donner. During an interview with Collider, executive producer Andrew Kreisberg revealed that they wanted a more traditional version of the iconic DC superhero.

Kreisberg said, “I think our take on him is probably something a little bit more traditional. There’s certainly a little bit of the “Aw shucks” about him, but he’s been Superman for awhile, so there’s a savviness about him as Superman and as Clark.”

He continued, “As always, with any of these things, we’re never doing a direct adaptation of a specific comic book. We cherry pick the best parts and things that we love. So, there’s a little bit of the Christopher Reeve Superman in there, a healthy dose of theSuperman animated series, which we’re huge fans of, a little bit of Lois & Clark, a little George Reeves, and a little Super Friends.”

Kreisberg also expressed his praise for Hoechlin saying, “We’ve been fans of his for years, and when we sat down with him, he is Superman. Not just with the looks, but he’s such a good guy, such a nice guy, and he’s so open and forthright and brimming with life. You just feel better when you’re around him, which I think is part of the secret of Superman. He is that ideal, but not in an unattainable way.”

Schmidt and Hoechlin join original cast members for the incoming seasonnamely Melissa Benoist as Kara Danvers a.k.a. Supergirl, Chyler Leigh as Alex Danvers, Mehcad Brooks as James Olsen, Jeremy Jordan as Winn Schott, Jr., and Floriana Lima as Maggie Sawyer among others.

‘Supergirl’ is scheduled to premiere on The CW on October 10, 2016.