Season 2 of Supergirl has brought a bunch of new faces to the show, including Luther Corp CEO Lena Luthor, Detective Maggie Sawyer and the seemingly normal M'gann M'orzz (though we recently learned she's actually a Green Martian like J'onn J'onzz). On the superpowered side, there's also Mon-El, who crash landed on Earth in a Kryptonian-like pod in last year's season finale. It was speculated that he could be Superboy or another famous Kryptonian, but Kara soon discovered he's from another world entirely.
Mon-El (played by Chris Wood) is actually from Krypton's sister planet Daxam, which was also destroyed along with Kara's homeworld. So far, we know Mon-El is invulnerable (needles can't penetrate his skin), as well as strong and fast just like Kryptonians. Also like Kara, his newfound abilities are powered by the sun. But Mon-El isn't interested in using them for good, but instead using them to play.
In a recent interview with TVGuide, Wood revealed that his difference in opinion is going to have him butting heads with the other superheroes. Yet he's also going to become fast friends with Winn, as the two discover and navigate his powers. Wood describes his character as a 'frat boy' and a 'kid in a candy shop' in comparison:
You get to see that this guy is a bit more of a frat-boy type of personality. He likes fun, and going out and drinking, and goofing around. He finds his powers really exciting. Much to Kara's chagrin, he just wants to go play. They take these superpowers very seriously at the DEO. In [the fourth episode] they want to test out his powers and figure out what they are, what he can do. That's exciting for both of those guys, which is a fun kind of chemistry. Winn is kind of a kid in a candy shop when he's playing with superheroes and Mon-El who has superpowers for the first time in his life. They get to hang out and play.
So for fans hoping Mon-El will join the DEO and start fighting alongside Kara, it may be a while. They're going to continue to keep him hidden and teach him to be normal, while also teaching him to use his powers in a positive way. For now, figuring out the identity of Mon-El, what he can do with powers, and how they're going to fit him into their everyday life seems to be the main plan. Everything else will come in time, but it's merely an afterthought at this point, assuming the character sticks around.
There'll also be a few bumps along the road this season, since Kara is a little reluctant to have a Daxamite in her life and Mon-El isn't going to make it all easy on her. There's a mutual hostility between the two of them because of their home planets, only exacerbated by their different personalities. The more Kara tries to keep Mon-El on the straight and narrow, the more he's going to rebel. So they're going to have to come to a mutual understanding to become friends, and along the way maybe he'll get Kara to have some fun.
Supergirl continues with ‘Survivors’ on Monday, October 31 on The CW.