The CW’s DC Comics drama Supergirl will make TV history by featuring transgender actress Nicole Maines as the first trans superhero on TV, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Maines, a transgender activist and actress will play the character Nia Nal, who later becomes known as Dreamer. “It seems only fitting that we have a trans superhero for trans kids to look up to,” Maines said over the weekend at San Diego Comic-Con, according to the BBC.
The Hollywood Reporter described Maines’ character as a “soulful young transgender woman with a fierce drive to protect others.” Maines’ activism dates back to her high school years. In 2014, she won a Maine Supreme Court case, which ruled that transgender people can use whatever bathroom they choose.
As for her acting career, she has appeared on USA Network’s Royal Pains. Maines was featured on HBO’s The Trans List, a documentary about trans Americans, including artists, activists, and athletes.
Speaking to Variety‘s Executive TV Editor Debra Birnbaum, Maines said of her new role, “I haven’t really wrapped my head around it. It feels fitting to say with great power, comes great responsibility.”
She added, “We can be whoever we want, we can do whatever we want, we can be superheroes, because in many ways we are. We’ve had trans representation in television for a while but it hasn’t been the right representation.”
The new season of Supergirl will air on Oct. 14 on the CW.