Supergirl Finale Spoilers: Brainwashed Superman, The Arrival of General Zod

The season 2 finale of “Supergirl” teases the fight of the century, pitting our two favorite supers against each other while the Daxamites continue their invasion of Earth. That’s right, in a surprising turn of events, Kara (Melissa Benoist) must stand against her own cousin. Superman (Tyler Hoechlin), for his part, doesn’t exactly look like he’s in his right mind. Brainwashing, perhaps? Executive producer Andrew Kreisberg promises the show’s biggest finale yet, with epic showdowns, difficult decisions, and tear-jerking moments guaranteed to have us grabbing for a Kleenex.

Here’s what we know so far:

The House of El Divided: Superman V Supergirl

Superman returns in the “Supergirl” season 2 finale – but he won’t be reprising his heroic role. At least, not at first. The trailer of “Nevertheless, She Persisted” shows “Supergirl” and Superman in a vicious face-off. It’s up in the air if Superman is being controlled – but let’s be honest, Clark Kent in his right mind would never go against his cousin like this. What we’re looking at is a knockdown drag out brawl, not a friendly spar. We place our bets on Clark being brainwashed.

Of course, that leads to the question: brainwashed by who? The culprits include villainous Daxamite queen Rhea, and Clark’s old adversary General Zod, who is rumored to be making his series debut in the finale. Could they have something to do with Superman’s presumably compromised state? Thankfully, Superman’s antagonistic condition seems to just be temporary and he’ll probably join the Superfriends in repelling the invasion.

Iconic Villain General Zod Debuts in Supergirl Finale

Add a third Kryptonian to the rumble. Iconic Superman villain and commander of Krypton’s military General Zod (Mark Gibbon) make his series debut in the finale. No word yet on where exactly he fits in within an already jam-packed finale, but Kreisberg teased his appearance to be a fun surprise.

Comic book fans will recognize Dru-Zod as one of Superman’s greatest enemies. The character has gone through several incarnations over the years, but originally Zod was a general who tried to take over Krypton, only to be stopped by Jor-el, Clark’s father (and Kara’s uncle). Jor-el exiled Zod into the Phantom Zone, where the general remained trapped for years. Eventually, Zod left the Phantom Zone and tried to conquer Earth – only to be stopped by Superman. In whatever incarnation, General Zod harbors a longstanding grudge against all members of the House of El, but most especially Superman. It will be interesting to see how their legendary rivalry is played out in Supergirl.

Andrew Kreisberg Teases ‘Kara’s Darkest Hour’

Bring out the tissues, it looks like the finale is going to be another tear-jerker. Kreisberg said that the Supergirl’s final episode would see Kara in her darkest hour. Faced with some awful choices to make, Kara will need to lean on mentor Cat Grant (Calista Flockhart) and cousin Superman more than ever. Her decisions will ultimately affect her both as Kara and as Supergirl. What those decisions are, we can only guess. It’s been a rough season for Kara – let’s hope she’ll be seeing less tragedy going into Season 3.

The Supergirl finale “Nevertheless, She Persisted” airs Monday, May 22 at 8 PM on the CW.