Is 'Supergirl' Becoming The CW's Flagship Superhero Show?

The CW has long been home to some absolute classic superhero shows - The Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow. In May, though, we had a surprise; Supergirl, starring Melissa Benoist, is moving from CBS to join these other shows on The CW. Supergirl already had a crossover with The Flash, establishing the two shows as existing in different realities, so unless The Flash's "Flashpoint" arc somehow merges these Earths, we'll be seeing The CW build not one but two superhero worlds.

Here's the interesting thing, though. Recent announcements - coupled with fascinating rumors - have suggested that Supergirl may well become The CW's flagship show. Take a look at the big names now being added to Supergirl:

Superman

With Tyler Hoechlin cast as Superman, the Man of Steel himself is appearing in Supergirl Season 2. Let's face it, Superman is an infinitely bigger brand-name than Supergirl, and his appearance in the show is sure to be a massive PR-success. What's more, by casting Tyler Hoechlin - who as actually a rumored choice to play the part of Bruce Wayne in the DC films before Ben Affleck was cast - The CW has signed up a tremendously popular actor.

Only time will tell how this newest incarnation of Superman will be received. But there can be no doubt that The CW is watching with interest; if Hoechlin's portrayal is well-received, I'm pretty confident we'll soon see a Superman series join The CW's shows.

Green Lantern?

Chris Wood has been cast as a 'surprise' series regular in Supergirl. If rumors are to be believed, the character he's going to play is none other than Green Lantern! Somebody at The CW clearly loves Chris Wood, because he keeps getting major roles with the network; he's a veteran of The Vampire Diaries and Containment.

If the rumors are right that Green Lantern is about to appear in Supergirl, we could be in for some real excitement. Although his entry into the DC Extended Universe has been delayed - largely due to the poor performance of 2011's Green Lantern - the character is a central part of DC's superhero world. He's even been the leader of various incarnations of the Justice League.

The Batman Universe?

There are rumors that The CW is also adding the characters of Batwoman and Oracle into the Supergirl mix. Both characters are part of the wider Batman universe, and using them in Supergirl effectively means that The CW's version of Batman is imported into the Supergirl world.

If these rumors are accurate, then that's massive. That would add DC's biggest superhero brand into the Supergirl world, coexisting with Superman. Supergirl is already part of a brand that's bigger than Green Arrow and the Flash put together, but putting these two brands into the same universe effectively creates a network-TV powerhouse.

It's worth noting that Fox still has the rights to Batman himself, as part of the Gotham deal, but according to Bleeding Cool The CW is negotiating to use him. Given the expense of such a deal, it's likely we'd see The CW launching their own Batman show, based in the same world as Supergirl.

The Flarrowverse has seen a lot of love from The CW, but these announcements suggest that the network's focus is on their newest acquisition - Supergirl. If these rumors are correct, and we're building to a place where Supergirl's world includes Batman, Green Lantern, and Superman, can a Justice League show be far behind? All we'd need is for "Flashpoint" to somehow bring the realities together, and anything can happen. In the meantime, though, if Supergirl is about to reveal such major new characters, I think we can officially consider the show to be The CW's flagship superhero series.

Are you excited about these Supergirl rumors?