Why Supergirl Making Alex Danvers A Vigilante Is A Mistake

Supergirl underwent a major reboot following the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths. Odd changes like Lex Luthor being a hero on Earth-Prime and owner of the DEO occurred, yet one of the most puzzling was Alex Danvers being labeled a vigilante when she donned a long-overdue superhero costume. Perhaps this is just a case of using the wrong word to describe her actions. However, if the plan is to turn Alex into a vigilante in season 6 that is a mistake Supergirl does not need to make.

From the show’s beginning, Alex’s aim has been to nurture and protect. Joining the DEO gave her a way to fulfill that mission, especially when it came to watching over her sister; becoming director of the DEO equipped Alex to bring her DEO agents and National City’s citizens under her protection as well. While she occasionally bent the rules and bucked her superiors when it came to enforcing that protection, at her core, Alex believed in the goal, the purpose, and structure of the agency she’d sworn to serve. She took her role as head of the DEO very seriously, stressing the need to operate within the rules, the opposite of a vigilante in every way.

Watching over others, regardless of personal cost, is key to Alex’s identity. In season 4, Alex sacrificed her memories to protect Kara. After Crisis, finding it reprehensible to continue working for the DEO under Luthor, Alex left the department to work with J’onn in his new detective agency, one of the best moves the show made in terms of her character development. Throughout the series, Alex has been on a path of discovery, realizing gradually she didn’t need the DEO to define her identity. She found she can be a superhero in her own right, a powerful, natural next step in her evolution.

Supergirl is not a vigilante drama along the lines of Arrow or Batwoman. Calling Alex a vigilante goes against the story direction the show has crafted for her, as her actions and motivations don’t align with a vigilante’s path. How does being a vigilante fit in the acclaimed and adored story of Alex’s self-acceptance, partnership with J’onn to help others, deepening connection with her sister, and her mature relationship with Kelly that is likely headed towards marriage and children? She did not put on a hood or disguise to go out patrolling the streets for criminals: she did it to once again protect those she loved, this time from the serious threat posed by Leviathan

The Arrowverse has often cast vigilantism in a negative light, with being a vigilante the starting point for a character’s arc, not the conclusion. Arrow’s Oliver Queen was initially a man seeking vengeance outside the law, needing redemption from a destructive path. James Olsen’s Guardian storyline on Supergirl hit a brick wall, despite his sister, Kelly’s belief otherwise. Alex Danvers isn’t an outlaw with something to prove or avenge. That’s just not her nature.

Supergirl has only one season left to meaningfully wrap up character arcs and relationships, so sending Alex on an abrupt vigilante arc would be only detrimental. To send her down this path would be a perplexing misunderstanding of all the growth her character has shown over the series. If you call Alex a vigilante then you must slap the same label on Supergirl, Martian Manhunter, Brainy, and Dreamer, because they are all fighting for the same cause: protecting the world and people they love. Time and again the show has reminded audiences that heroism exists apart from superpowers. Alex Danvers has shown she has the strength, courage, heart, and will of a superhero, not a vigilante.

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