Supergirl returns for its final stretch of episodes starting tonight (August 24) at 9PM ET/PT on The CW. After spending time in the Phantom Zone, “Welcome Back, Kara!” brings Kara Zor-El (Melissa Benoist) back to Earth, and now, she even has her Kryptonian father Zor-El (Jason Behr) along with her.
Melissa Benoist’s return to the series is a big deal both on screen and off, as her co-stars saw their team fully reunited.
One co-star who is excited for this last run of episodes is Nicole Maines who has played Nia Nal a.k.a. “Dreamer” on the series since the Season 4 premiere. Nia will have her own response and reaction to Kara’s return, and Nicole has shown herself to be just as much of a fan of Dreamer as the audience is, having recently written a Dreamer story for DC Comics’ DC Pride comic book. KryptonSite’s Craig Byrne had the opportunity to speak with Nicole late last week in anticipation of tonight’s series return, and you can find the interview below.
KRYPTONSITE: Can you talk about what it was like to have Melissa back on set for this run of episodes?
NICOLE MAINES: It was so nice. It felt like we were finally back on track. With the pandemic and everything, I think we were all trying to figure out how we were going to manage the first half of the season, and now it kind of feels like we’ve got the game back together. It’s been really, really nice.
She’s such a light. She’s so much fun. And when she’s not there, especially for that long, we miss our Supergirl. It was really, really nice to have her back.
How does Zor-El be around and now Lena speaking about looking for her birth mother make Nia feel?
It’s like Robyn’s song “Dancing On My Own.” “I’m in this corner, watching you…” it’s very much that energy. I mean ,she’s happy for her friends, of course. They deserve to have the closure and relationship with their parents that she doesn’t get to have anymore. Of course she’s happy for them.
Nia would give anything to have her mom come back. This poor girl has been through so much, and cannot catch a break. Why doesn’t she have relatives coming back from the dead? It’s like, “why can’t I get a little bit of that coming my way?”
Can you talk about what it was like to bring Dreamer to the comics for DC Pride?
It was so much fun, and I was completely honored that they let me be the one to do it. I have so much love for this character, and I feel so protective over her, so I really, really wanted to make sure it was done right, so when they asked, me I was like, “YES, of course!”
It was fun getting to write it, too, because it’s Dreamer as what she can be having reached her full potential. On the show, we’re still very much in Nia not understanding her dream. Way too often, she’s finally interpreting them too little too late. So for the comic, I really wanted to show a Dreamer who had passed her trials. I wanted to show you guys what Dreamer can do when she knows what she’s doing; wwhen she’s not fighting with both hands tied behind her back. So, I was like “What perfect better way to show that than taking out a roomful of trained assassins by yourself?”
Anyone who follows you on social media has seen what great relationships you had with the Supergirl cast. What will you miss the most about that?
Just being with them, just having good times with them. Hanging out watching true crime. Just talking. I’m gonna miss them all so much. Fortunately, a good chunk of them are still in L.A., so Jesse [Rath], Melissa, and Azie [Tesfai] I’ll still see. I’m definitely going to miss folks who are going farther like David [Harewood] and Katie [McGrath] but I know that it’s not going be the last time our paths will cross. It’s such a small world, and I’ll still see them regardless, because we’re still friends.
How did being a part of the Supergirl series change your life?
It was the big break. It was like going from black and white to Technicolor, and I’ll always be really thankful for that. I mean, I’ve gotten to play a superhero. I’ve gotten to bring this representation to, of course, my entire community, but selfishly, to me as well. Now I get a trans superhero, and now I get to play her. It’s been a role of a lifetime. I’ve been so blessed to be able to do it, and I’m really really sad to see her go.
What was your favorite thing about Nia as a character?
First of all, I love her energy. She can do the caring, sweet… but she also has this edge to her that you don’t quite expect sometimes. She’ll come in with a comment or a joke and you’re like, “oh, there it is! You’re sharp.” Rose has thorns. I love that energy about her.
There’s a meme around that’s like, “looks like a cinnamon roll, is a cinnamon roll.” She looks like a cinnamon roll, and fully can kill you. That’s what I love about her.
Would you like to play Nia again, if given the opportunity?
Of course, I think given the right opportunity, and given the right script for Nia, I think that would I would absolutely want to do that.
My only hesitancy is that I would not want to show Nia she is right now. I’d want to do the same thing [we did in] the comic. I want to show her having passed these trials, and knowing how to understand her powers. I want to show people Dreamer at 100%, because I’ve said it time and time again, and I’m going to continue to say it: I believe that she is the most powerful character in the Arrowverse. The full scope of her powers, we have yet to see, and I would love to get to that point where we’re finally showing “this is what a fully realized Dreamer can do, and this is why she’s such a big deal.”
Without spoiling anything, are you satisfied with where her story ends in the Supergirl series?
Yeah. I think people are gonna be very, very pleased. One of my favorite things I’ve gotten to do with Nia is that her skill set is rapidly expanding, and we’re going to continue to see it do that. I don’t want people to think that she doesn’t have any more new tricks up her sleeve. We still have more surprises down the line.
What projects do you have coming up next?
I just voiced the new operator for Rainbow Six: Siege. That comes out this week. I’m also doing some voiceover work. I provided the voice for Dewshine in the audio movie of ElfQuest, which was really, really fun, and I can’t wait for people see that. Aside from that, I’m just looking and eagerly awaiting the next thing, and I’m really excited. I think I set the bar very high for myself with playing a superhero, so I really want to do something that’s at least going to kind of match that, hopefully.
Is there any possibility you might end up writing more Dreamer stories for DC?
I would love to. There are so many things I want to do with this character, and I would love to keep her story going in the comic universe. Now, she’s got a foot in the door. We have the first comic, and it was great to introduce her to the DC Universe, but it’s just the first chapter.
Do you have any final words to say about why fans should tune in to the return of Supergirl on Tuesday, and also to the fans who have given you so much love over the years?
I would just say thank you. It’s been so much fun, and I’m just so proud to have been a part of this. I hope that we do you all proud with our finale. I think everyone’s really going to like it. We had a lot of fun putting [these episodes] together. It’s a show that we all love, so I would just say “enjoy the ride.” Don’t be sad that it’s ending . We still have a full half season left to go, so let’s keep watching and enjoy it!
Our thanks to the amazing Nicole Maines for taking the time to do this interview. Don’t miss the return of Supergirl Tuesday, August 24 at 9PM ET/PT on The CW! You can see a trailer below, and preview images for “Welcome Back, Kara!” can be found here.