There Might Be More To Hank Henshaw On 'Supergirl'

Historically, especially in a world based on comic book superheroes, if someone's eyes are glowing red, they're evil. Hey, I don't make the rules! However, Hank Henshaw on Supergirl is another story because, for the most part, he has been a friend and ally to Kara Zor-El and her foster sister Alex Danvers. There's just the minor details of his glowing red eyes, mysterious super strength, and shady history with Alex and Kara's father — OK, so those details may not be so minor. So is Hank Henshaw on Supergirl evil?

I think I may have an answer to that question, but first let's dive in to what viewers know about the head of the Department of Extranormal Operations. We know that Hank tracked down the Danvers when Kara was young and wanted to take her in, but Jeremiah negotiated his employment for the DEO instead, and we know that Hank lied about the nature of Jeremiah's death. In "Red-Faced" we learned that Hank was the last person to see Jeremiah alive after the pair of agents went to South America to investigate an alien but disappeared for months. We also know that Hank was the only one of the two to resurface and has since displayed both the glowing red eyes and super strength of someone not quite human. Hmmm.

So, let me put forth a theory: What if Hank didn't actually resurface? What if the thing that looks like Hank Henshaw, talks like Hank Henshaw, and runs the DEO like Hank Henshaw isn't Hank Henshaw? That's where my own theory ends and I've had to fill in the blanks with theories from around the web — the most popular of which is that the being posing as Hank is DC Comics villain Martian Manhunter. Before you ask, yes Martian Manhunter is capable of shape-shifting and superhuman strength, among his many other superpowers. Plus, he has glowing red eyes. Case closed: Evil.

Except, what does that mean for the real Hank Henshaw (assuming the DEO agent isn't who he appears to be)? Well, then, like Jeremiah, Hank could be dead, missing, or imprisoned. However, we may not know what really happened to Hank for a while yet. As executive producer Andrew Kreisberg told EW, Supergirl will slowly reveal Hank Henshaw's identity, with viewers learning small details over a period of time, similar to the character progression of Harrison Wells on The Flash season 1, another show in the Greg Berlanti-verse.

So, unfortunately, that means it will probably be a while before we learn who Hank is, as well as what happened to Jeremiah and his fellow DEO agent when they went on their mission to South America. But, even if this mystery spans the entire first season of Supergirl, we should take comfort in the fact that these guys know what they're doing — remember how exciting and twisty the first season of The Flash was? If I'm sure of one thing, it's that the reveal of Hank's true identity, whether he's Martian Manhunter or another evil entity, will be a good one.

Images: Matthias Clamer/Warner Bros.; Giphy (2)