WonderCon 2022: ‘Naomi’ Showrunner Teases Yet Another Person Will Learn The Secret
by Erik Amaya
In superhero fiction, the moment when a hero’s friends or loved ones learns about their power or secret is a key moment of transition — particularly on The CW’s hero shows, where every member of the team must know the truth. In the case of Naomi, though, the secret of Naomi McDuffie’s (Kaci Walfall) origins and powers have been kept to a select few. But as showrunner Jill Blankenship explained during a panel about the show at WonderCon on Saturday, things are about to change.
“Jacob discovered Naomi’s secret in episode eight,” she said. “He will not be the last to do so.”
The series, still in its first season, is currently on a three-week hiatus, but that did not stop Blakenship and a few of the program’s stars from attending the first in-person WonderCon since 2019. The program, meanwhile, focuses on geeky Naomi, a 17 year-old-girl who discovers she is not only from another reality, but has inherited superpowers from her birth parents.
The panel was very much a casual Q&A with fans and about as gentle an introduction to major convention-going as possible for star Walfall, who got stumped when a young fan asked what Naomi’s Dungeons & Dragons alignment might be. Ultimately, she asked the fan for her guess, which turned out to be somewhere between lawful good and neutral good. Hilariously, the panel participants, which included Walfall, Blankenship, Cranston Johnson, and Alexander Wraith – “Naomi’s cool uncles” according Walfall – were all stumped by the D&D question. Of course, the show has been more focused on comics and its weird dislike of The Lord of the Rings to delve into role-playing games very much. That’s more of a Flash thing thanks to Chester (Brandon McKnight) and Allegra’s (Kayla Compton) regularly scheduled campaign.
Fans also asked about Naomi codename and costume. “Powerhouse is the greatest superhero name,” Walfall said, but both she and Blankenship stopped short of saying whether or not it will appear by the season’s end. Blanekship said, “you’ll have to stay tuned.” That answer also covered a question about Dee (Wraith) going full Hawkman. Although, both the showrunner and Wraith suggested Nth Metal may make a named appearance before too long.
Johnson, meanwhile, said he looks forward to the point when the show allows his character, Zumbado, and Naomi visit their home reality on Earth-29. Although, from the tenor of his voice, that sounds more like a something he hopes for in a theoretical second season than something viewers can expect soon.
Naomi returns April 26th on The CW.
