Supergirl: Why Jeremy Jordan’s Winn Left After Season 3

Winn Schott left Supergirl at the end of season 3, but it was a personal decision by actor Jeremy Jordan that led him to exit the Arrowverse series. Originally airing on CBS, Supergirl moved to The CW and formally joined the Arrowverse starting with season 2 in fall 2016. Supergirl season 5 ended with only 19 episodes airing of its planned 22-episode season due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and Supergirl season 6 is expected to premiere later in 2021 due to the pregnancy of its star, Melissa Benoist.

As Winn, Jeremy Jordan was a popular series regular on Supergirl during its first three seasons. The loveable geek was a programmer and co-worker of Kara Danvers at CatCo Worldwide Media. Winn was one of the first people Kara revealed her true identity as Kryptonian Kara Zor-El to, and Schott actually helped design her original Supergirl costume. Winn had an unrequited love for Kara; however, he found himself an alien girlfriend named Lyra (Tamzin Merchant) in Supergirl season 2 after he changed jobs and became a technician for the DEO under J’onn J’onzz (David Harewood) and Kara’s sister, Alex Danvers (Chyler Leigh). Winn also had a tragic past: his father, Winslow Schott, Sr. (Henry Czerny), was a supervillain called the Toyman, and Winn struggled to escape from the stain of Toyman’s crimes. At the end of Supergirl season 3, Winn traveled to the future with Mon-El (Chris Wood) and Saturn Girl (Amy Jackson) to join the Legion of Superheroes. Winn was replaced in his role at the DEO and on Supergirl by Brainiac-5 (Jesse Rath).

Jeremy Jordan exited Supergirl at the end of season 3 due to a desire to spend more time with his family and explore new opportunities as an actor. Soon after the Supergirl season 3 finale aired, Jordan explained his decision to leave the hit series on his Instagram:

I came to LA three and a half years ago searching for a new adventure and in a matter of weeks, I was best friends with a superhero […] Breathing life into Winn […] has been a pure joy. But lately, my gut has been telling me that I’m once again ready to begin a new chapter in my life… It was time for me to return home[…] to spend time with my wife and friends, and focus on crafting the next stage of my career.

Being a series regular on Supergirl required Jordan to spend 10 months living in Vancouver (when the series originally filmed in Los Angeles) and work incredibly long hours, so it’s understandable that the actor wanted to explore new opportunities after a successful three-season run. As Winn, Jordan left an indelible mark on Supergirl, and his comedic presence is continually missed. Jordan’s talents at song and dance were also memorably utilized in The Flash and Supergirl‘s musical crossover episode “Duet.”

Jordan expected to guest star in Supergirl season 4, but he didn’t reprise his role as Winn until season 5 when Jordan appeared as Winn and as his evil doppelganger in the two-parter titled “Back From The Future” and in “It’s A Super Life.” Fans were heartened to see that living a thousand years in the future changed Winn for the better; he now has a wife and daughter, and he became more confident and heroic. Known as “Computer Lad” in the Legion of Superheroes, Winn took on his father’s codename and was determined to make the moniker Toyman be known for heroism.

After leaving Supergirl, Jordan returned to his first love, the Broadway stage, and he starred in productions of American Son, Waitress, and Little Shop of Horrors. He also appears in the films Holly and Ivy and Spinning Gold. It remains to be seen if Jeremy Jordan will return as Winn once more in Supergirlseason 6 — but he’s welcome back in the Arrowverse any time.

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