Nicole Maines Will Play TV's First Transgender Superhero on "Supergirl"
Supergirl is about to take a huge step forward with representation.
At Comic-Con on Saturday, July 21, it was revealed that the hit CW series will feature television's first-ever transgender superhero. As noted by BBC News, Nia Nal — AKA Dreamer — will be played by Nicole Maines, an activist and actor who is trans herself.
Nia Nal, who will be introduced in Supergirl's fourth season later this fall, works at CatCo Worldwide Media, and has been described as "a soulful young transgender woman with a fierce drive to protect others."
In an interview with Variety, Nicole said that she hasn't really wrapped her head around the casting news yet. "It feels fitting to say with great power, comes great responsibility," she explained, adding: "I'm nervous because I want to do it right."
Nicole, who was also seen in HBO's The Trans List, emphasized the fact that trans representation in the media matters a great deal, noting that "having trans people play trans roles show that we are valid in our identities and we exist." During her conversation with Variety, Nicole also touched on the recent controversy surrounding Scarlett Johansson's former involvement with the film Rub and Tug, where she was slated to play a trans man. (Scarlett has since pulled out of the project.)
"I think that cisgender actors don’t take roles out of malice, it’s just a failure to realize the context of having cisgender people play transgender characters," Nicole said, adding: "With trans folks, we have a lot of people accusing us of just playing dress up for whatever reasons, and that’s just not true."
It's clear that Nicole's involvement in Supergirl has already made a major impact with fans. "When I was a kid, I honestly never thought I would see this in my lifetime," one person wrote on Twitter. Another fan couldn't contain their excitement, writing in all caps: "THEY'RE DOING IT RIGHT."
For Nicole, creating that visibility for fans and members of the trans community is crucial. As she put it: "We can be whoever we want, we can do whatever we want, we can be superheroes, because in many ways we are."
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