Spoilers Supergirl - Season 1

[USS Triumphant]

Having said that, though, the only way I'd accept them using the character is if they cast former professional wrestler Beth Kocianski (Beth Phoenix) in the role, since then they could get away with being true to the character without any of the things I just mentioned.

But can she act. too?

But to go out of your way to cast somebody who has none of the traits is equally as stupid, because at that point why are you bothering with an adaptation?

Of course Power Girl's bust size is not her only defining trait, but it is definitely one of them, and it has been since the character first appeared in comics, and nobody in comics or animation has bothered to change that trait much over time. If the character appears on the show, there's nothing wrong with including that trait when making your casting choice...or are you saying there's no such thing as a woman with big boobs who can act?

+5

So if that means you cast Melissa Benoist as Power Girl, fine. That's what would fit the character and the story.

I would be fine with that, since the parallel nature of Supergirl and Power Girl is a very important angle on the relationship between the two characters. I would also be fine if an actress was selected on the basis on her similarity to Benoist, as they did with Bizarro Girl. What would *not* be okay would be for the casting to be done with an eye to specifically selecting against the body type that PG has in the comics, because of bias against busty women, or it begins to seem like the part I highlighted in Admiral2's post above is spot on. Or more to the point, it would seem like a statement that busty women can't be superheroes. (And to be clear, I'm not accusing YOU of anything - I'm talking about directors and a bias that I believe that I've been seeing regarding what roles busty women are or are not cast for.)

I think she deserves a lot better than to be cast in a crappy videogame adaptation.

^ Valid.

 

[Christopher]

What would *not* be okay would be for the casting to be done with an eye to specifically selecting against the body type that PG has in the comics, because of bias against busty women, or it begins to seem like the part I highlighted in Admiral2's post above is spot on.

I haven't heard anyone suggest that any such "casting against" ample-chested women should be done. And I'm not convinced there is such a bias as you suggest. If anything, the previous tendency to favor extremely skinny women in film and TV seems to be giving way to a more inclusive pattern. There are curvaceous women in action roles, like Hayley Atwell in Agent Carter or Meagan Good in Minority Report. I don't think they're being shut out in that regard, at least not in television.

 

[Admiral2]

I haven't heard anyone suggest that any such "casting against" ample-chested women should be done. And I'm not convinced there is such a bias as you suggest. If anything, the previous tendency to favor extremely skinny women in film and TV seems to be giving way to a more inclusive pattern. There are curvaceous women in action roles, like Hayley Atwell in Agent Carter or Meagan Good in Minority Report. I don't think they're being shut out in that regard, at least not in television.

Point of Order: Hayley Atwell stars in a show set in a time when curvy figures were a beauty standard. That doesn't count as TV being progressive toward busty women...

 

[Chekov's Phaser]

but it almost feels like Berlanti & co. are offering a counterargument to Snyder & co.

Judging by how they have thus far portrayed her, I think they are certainly contrasting their image of Supergirl with Synder's Man of Steel. I doubt that it is even subconscious.

 

[Christopher]

Judging by how they have thus far portrayed her, I think they are certainly contrasting their image of Supergirl with Synder's Man of Steel. I doubt that it is even subconscious.

And not just her. They've had Kara state definitively at least twice that "Superman doesn't kill." That feels to me like a deliberate response to Snyder and Goyer's view of the character. Though of course I could be projecting.

 

[Chekov's Phaser]

And not just her. They've had Kara state definitively at least twice that "Superman doesn't kill." That feels to me like a deliberate response to Snyder and Goyer's view of the character. Though of course I could be projecting.

I agree, unless I'm projecting too!

Its the little things like, as you mentioned, Kara saying she doesn't kill. Or when Supergirl saved people while fighting Astra in the city, seemingly (maybe)a response to the MoS finale.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

I do have to wonder about the timing, the two coming out within a week of each other. Maybe Warner Bros. sees it as cross-promotion or something, but it almost feels like Berlanti & co. are offering a counterargument to Snyder & co.

That would be a poor counterargument, since BVS is an out of the gates hit (no matter what some critics think) so it seems clear the Snyder handling of a DC crossover is hitting the right audience marks, while Supergirl is not attracting that kind of audience on its best day. In fact, its most recent episode (#17) only pulled in 5.995 (millions) -- the lowest to date. So, if Berlanti and co. were trying to use their crossover as a counterargument, they will need the episode to catapult SG's sagging ratings beyond that for the highest (the pilot--where special circumstances applied), particularly since Flash is the most significant superhero* to appear on this show to date (DC history-wise and with general cultural awareness)--far more than MM.

*Silhouette Superman does not count.

 

[Commander Richard]

If they want someone to play an older bustier Supergirl, they could get Merritt Wever.

 

[Christopher]

Or when Supergirl saved people while fighting Astra in the city, seemingly (maybe)a response to the MoS finale.

Oh, yes. That sequence was even cited for having some very similar shot compositions and fight choreography to bits of MoS's climax -- except with the specific inclusion of a shot of Supergirl saving civilians from the falling building chunks. It's extremely hard to believe that was anything less than a deliberate "Take that" at Snyder.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Merritt's younger than Melissa.

 

[Commander Richard]

She's 36.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Still younger.

 

[Tuskin38]

Flash explains the Multiverse, no real spoilers but I'll just link it anyways.

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Edit: Why the heck does this board auto embed videos?

Doesn't matter how I tag, it auto converts it to a media tag.

 

[USS Triumphant]

If they want someone to play an older bustier Supergirl, they could get Merritt Wever.

I'm willing to suspend disbelief, because she's an awesome actress and there IS a resemblance. But casting superheroes is often a problem, because their powers frequently give them nearly flawless physical builds, too - and all respect to Ms. Wever, but while she's adorable in her way, her build is no more flawless than mine.

 

[Ovation]

^^Cool.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Kryptonians are super dense.

Each of Kara's breasts would weigh more than a dozen bowling balls if she wasn't using the power of flight (telekinesis) to displace the effect of all that weight they press upon their surroundings. Which probably isn't a thing. Increased density = increased weight (most of the time) so something has to give.

No human made brazier, or sports bra would be able to restrain, cup or support her breasts, without snapping, and launching across the room to get away from her scary bust.

This is why Clark used to have to wear two pairs of underpants every where .

 

[Guy Gardener]

I'm willing to suspend disbelief, because she's an awesome actress and there IS a resemblance. But casting superheroes is often a problem, because their powers frequently give them nearly flawless physical builds, too - and all respect to Ms. Wever, but while she's adorable in her way, her build is no more flawless than mine.

Gold Kryptonite.

10 years without powers + time machine = Merritt Weaver coming back in time to save her ass.

 

[The Old Mixer]

In the same series, Wally Wood also helped start a trend of drawing Earth-2 Superman to look more like he was drawn in the Golden Age, rather than identical to the contemporary house style for his Earth-1 counterpart. If Kal-L can be stockier and squintier than Kal-El, why can't Kara Zor-L be bustier than Kara Zor-El?

The original idea was that she was a few years older than Supergirl and thus more fully developed.

MYTH! Bronze Age Supergirl was already a college graduate by the time Power Girl was introduced.

That would be a poor counterargument, since BVS is an out of the gates hit (no matter what some critics think) so it seems clear the Snyder handling of a DC crossover is hitting the right audience marks, while Supergirl is not attracting that kind of audience on its best day.

That the Snyder films are making gobs of money doesn't put them above criticism.

 

[BillJ]

That the Snyder films are making gobs of money doesn't put them above criticism.

It has broken out of the gate quickly, though I wonder if it'll have legs?

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

That the Snyder films are making gobs of money doesn't put them above criticism.

I did not say they were above criticism. My point was that the notion of Berlanti using his crossover as some sort of "counterargument" to BVS would be poor when BVS is obviously appealing to audiences, while SG's numbers have dropped steadily in all its 17 episodes aired so far. This crossover would need to actually mean something to reverse that trend--and "show" some sort of alternative to the way Snyder has crafted the movie DC world.

If they want someone to play an older bustier Supergirl, they could get Merritt Wever.

That's just wrong...but the resemblance cannot be denied.