Nicole Maines suits up as TV's first transgender hero Dreamer in dazzling Supergirl first look

Supergirl type TV Show network The CW genre Superhero Where to watch Close Streaming Options

National City is about to get a new costumed avenger!

On Friday, Supergirl unveiled the first look at Nicole Maines, who plays Nia Nal, in costume as the pre-cognitive superhero Dreamer. This a historic moment because Maines as Dreamer is the first transgender superhero on TV.

Check out the epically badass image below, which highlights Nia’s psychic powers:

Image zoom The CW

When EW spoke to Maines in September, she shared how she hopes people feel when they see her in costume for the first time.

“I hope they feel validated, especially trans folks. I hope they feel that sense of, ‘Oh my gosh…'” Maines, who is transgender, previously told EW. “That’s when it’ll really sink that we have a trans superhero. I mean, it’s so important and I can’t wait.”

Maines will fully suit up as the superhero Dreamer in the episode “Menagerie,” which airs Feb. 17; however, we’ll catch our first glimpse of the costume in the Jan. 27th episode “Blood Memories,” which will introduce Nia’s family (Scandal‘s Kate Burton plays her mother) and explore the origin and the cost of Nia’s powers. Showrunners Jessica Queller and Robert Rovner are especially looking forward to “Blood Memories” because spending time in Nia’s very liberal hometown provided a reprieve from the National City’s xenophobic atmosphere.

“One thing that we’re excited about is going to the town where [Nia] was raised, and we’re going to see that it’s a very sort of liberal oasis,” Queller told EW in our midseason preview interview. “It’s a small town that’s always been very welcoming of aliens and where aliens and humans live in harmony. In fact, one of her parents is human and one is alien. Going home and seeing those dynamics and seeing a place [like that] will be a little break from all of the intense hatred and politics that we’ve been experiencing in National City. Then, we’ll focus on the family dynamics and what exactly has been holding Nia back from owning herself as Dreamer.”

She added, “It was a very special episode and very relationship-oriented, and it was really, really wonderful to explore Nia’s origin story, I guess, and learn more about who she is and where she comes from.”

Supergirl returns Sunday at 8 p.m. on The CW.

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