The CW's Supergirl has succeeded in creating its own shiny place in DCTV. Switching networks after its first season, Supergirl is now able to easily crossover with the other shows on the network, and continue to expand the world of Superman's catalogue. The Man of Steel himself was introduced this season, and now one of the most iconic (and silly) Superhero villains is coming to give Kara a run for her money. It was previously announced that the trickster Mr. Mxyzptl would be making his Supergirl debut, and now we know which actor will play the imp.
TV Line is reporting that Once Upon a Time in Wonderland actor Peter Gadiot will play Mr. Mxyzptl when the character debuts in Supergirl's second season. Supergirl will return this spring with its 9th episode, and Gadiot will come onto the scene as Mr. Mxyzptl during episode 13.
Mr. Mxyzptl is a very popular villain from the Superman comic books and various animated series. A mythological trickster from the fifth dimension, Mxyzptl shows up every now and then to cause trouble and headaches for the denizens of Metropolis. While he behaves pretty foolishly and, Mr. Mxyzptl actually has a ton of powers at his disposal and only one weakness. He can manipulate the world and reality around him, and he's basically immune from Superman's (and Supergirl's) Kryptonian powers.
The only way to banish Mr. Mxyzptl back to his home dimension is by tricking the imp into either saying or speaking his name backward. It's a pretty silly concept, but Superman comics have always been decidedly lighter than other heroes like Batman. It's unclear how Mr. Mxyzptl will fit into Supergirl's narrative, but Kara will likely have to get creative in order to rid National City of the villain. Luckily, she's got help in her sister Alex and the Martian Manhunter.
Peter Gadiot is perhaps best known for his roles in Spike's miniseries Tut and ABC's fantasy drama Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, the unsuccessful spinoff to Once Upon a Time. Gadiot played Cyrus, a genie who Alice had fallen in love with many years ago. Much of Alice's motivation in the series was to find Cyrus, while also dealing with the various C.S. Lewis characters like the Red Queen, The White Rabbit, and the White King. Unfortunately, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland was cancelled after just one season, so fans never got to truly cement Cyrus, and therefore Peter Gadiot, into their weekly television viewing.
It should be interesting to see how Supergirl utlizes Mr. Mxyzptl. Many fans were hopeful that the character would be used in the upcoming Flash/Supergirl musical crossover event. Because Mxyzptl can bend reality, it would give the event a logical reason as to why the characters are suddenly singing and dancing. Alas, we'll just have to wait and see.
Supergirl will return to The CW on January 23rd, 2017.
