Since normal human eyes don't tend to glow red, suspicion falls upon Hank Henshaw's who eyes lit up at the end of last week's "Supergirl." The DEO head honcho also possessed weaponry not native to Earth that left Supergirl's evil Aunt Astra nearly incapacitated.
David Harewood plays the possibly sinister Hank Henshaw, who is better known as The Cyborg in DC Comics lore. So far, Henshaw has begrudgingly overseen Supergirl's (Melissa Benoist) transition to embrace her powers, but he may pose more of a threat than anticipated.
Harewood is best known for his role in Showtime's "Homeland" as David Estes, the Director of the Counterterrorism Center for the CIA. The British actor also stars in the upcoming spy thriller, "MI-5" and the mini-series, "The Night Manager." He also narrated the popular video game, "Destiny," last year.
Learn more about Harewood and what the "Supergirl" writers have in mind for Hank Henshaw.
Hank Henshaw Could Be Good or Bad
In the DC Comics, Hank Henshaw was a crew member of the NASA space shuttle Excalibur, which crashed due to a solar flare leading to radiation exposure. When his body succumbed to the radiation, he transferred his consciousness into a robotic body and sought revenge on Superman, who may have caused the solar flare that led to the accident.
"Supergirl" co-creators Greg Berlanti, Ali Adler and Andrew Kreisberg will change some storylines if necessary, much like Berlanti's other comic book adaptations on The CW, "Arrow" and "The Flash." So Henshaw's transition into Cyborg Superman could happen, but his journey into the supervillain role may unfold differently on the CBS series.
"We don't want to say too much about [Henshaw's alter-ego] because I think we had a lot of success with the way we doled out information about Tom Cavanagh's character last year on 'Flash,'" executive producer Andrew Kreisberg told Entertainment Weekly. "For us, it's so exciting to walk into every scene with him and not know is he there to help you? Or is he possibly there to harm you? That dichotomy and how it plays out is one of the most exciting, unexpected parts of the show. It was something we were actually going to do in the pilot, but we decided to wait."
His Daughters Are Already Big Fans of "Supergirl"
Harewood married his long-term partner Kirsty Handy in 2013. The couple has two daughters - 12-year-old Maize and 10-year-old Raven - who were thrilled to have their father working alongside a real superhero, much more so than impersonating a CIA operative on "Homeland."
"I brought my kids to the 'Homeland' set and they just didn't get it. But when I brought them to the 'Supergirl' set, they finally got what daddy does," he told Collider. "I was walking next to Supergirl, and in their head, that was a superhero. When the pilot finished, my kids were like, 'Well, where's the next episode?' They were really, really, really excited about this."
Studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
The British actor studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England and has performed both on stage and screen. Memorable performances include the films "The Merchant of Venice" in 2004 and 2006's "Blood Diamond" with Leonardo DiCaprio and Djimon Hounsou as well as TV roles in "Doctor Who" and BBC's "Robin Hood" as Brother Tuck.
He's also portrayed historical figures Nelson Mandela in the TV movie "Mrs Mandela" and Martin Luther King Jr. in the Olivier Award-winning play, "The Mountaintop."
Surname Comes from Slave Ancestors who Built the Harewood House in England
Harewood visited the Harewood House in England to research the origin of his surname. The slaves who worked on the Caribbean sugar plantations helped the Lascelles family build up their fortune that financed the English estate. Those slaves were named Harewood after the project.
His great-great-great-great-grandfather was taken from Africa to the Bahamas to work on the plantation. Harewood interviewed David Lascelles, a living ancestor of the family, in 2007 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Parliament's act to abolish the slave trade, and commended Lascelles for his knowledge of the slave trade and willingness to speak about his family's involvement.
Threw His Hat in the Ring to be James Bond
Daniel Craig has expressed his reluctance to return to the James Bond franchise after "Spectre" leaving the role open for the next Bond. Idris Elba's name has been mentioned often in the conversation, but that didn't stop Harewood from offering himself for the role.
"Everyone wants to be James Bond and there's a queue of guys ahead of me - but I will throw my hat into the ring," he told the Evening Standard last month. "Bond is such an iconic role, you would have to seriously think how to approach it."
Be sure to catch Harewood in "Supergirl" on Mondays at 8 p.m. on CBS.
