The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that actress Floriana Lima (of ABC’s The Family) has been cast as a series regular for the second season of the CW’s Supergirl, playing Maggie Sawyer.
Although the exact details of how the character will be adapted for television are still under wraps, in the comics Maggie Sawyer, captain of Metropolis’ Special Crimes Unit, was also one of the earliest “out and proud” gay characters in mainstream comics.
Sawyer began as a supporting character in John Byrne’s Superman series, which lead to spin-offs such as Metropolis S.C.U. The character eventually migrated to Gotham City, where she was a regular fixture of Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka’s critically lauded Gotham Central, which ultimately lead to her landing a supporting role in Batwoman.
In the pages of Batwoman, Maggie Sawyer and Kate Kane (Batwoman’s alter ego) began dating, became a couple, and ultimately got engaged. However, when it came time to tie the knot, DC Comics got cold feet, with DC Publisher Dan DiDio commenting that the lesbian wedding could not take place because “heroes shouldn’t have happy personal lives.” Â The controversial decision lead to the resignation of the original Batwoman creative team, J.H. Williams and W. Haden Blackmore.
In recent DC Rebirth continuity, Maggie Sawyer is back in Metropolis.
Supergirl/Arrow/The Flash Executive Producer Greg Berlanti has been a strong advocate for introducing LGBT characters in his shows. As for how Maggie’s character will ultimately be portrayed in Supergirl remains to be seen, but one imagines that the various series, and Maggie’s treatment therein, will continue to be more progressive than the way she was ultimately handled by the publisher that created her.
Supergirl‘s second season premieres on Monday, Oct. 10 at 8 p.m. on The CW.
