The latest addition to The CW’s line-up of DC Comics programming brings a relatively new creation into live-action for the very first time, with acclaimed filmmaker Ava DuVernay among the creative team.
Naomi made her debut in the comics back in March 2019, co-created by legendary writer Brian Michael Bendis, who was also one of the minds behind Marvel’s massively popular Miles Morales.
She is a highly intelligent and popular high schooler with a fascination for Superman, who one day finds herself manifesting powerful abilities that could be linked to her mysterious past.
Relative newcomer Kaci Walfall leads the cast of the DC Comics drama, which also stars Barry Watson (7th Heaven) and Stephanie March (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit).
Read on for everything you need to know about DC’s Naomi on The CW, including cast and Arrowverse connection explained.
Naomi release date
Naomi will premiere in the United States on The CW on Tuesday January 11th, with the first episode airing directly after Superman & Lois at 8/9pm central time.
The series is yet to secure a UK broadcaster, but most of The CW’s previous DC Comics offerings have made their way over here eventually, being snapped up by the likes of Sky, Netflix and E4.
Naomi cast
Kaci Walfall plays the title role in the series, portraying teenage superhero Naomi McDuffie, who lives in a small town with her adoptive parents and runs a popular Superman fan site.
Will Meyers also stars as one of Naomi’s classmates, Anthony, appearing in high school scenes alongside Daniel Puig (Nathan) and Aidan Gemme (Jacob).
Cranston Johnson (Atlanta) is also in the cast as Naomi’s comic book adversary Zumbado, who is here depicted as the owner of a local car dealership.
Rounding out the cast of Naomi season one is Mary-Charles Jones (Kevin Can Wait), Alexander Wraith (Orange Is the New Black), Barry Watson (7th Heaven), Stephanie March (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) and newcomer Camila Moreno.
The clip below sees the cast of Naomi discuss their new roles.
Naomi plot explained
It’s unclear exactly how faithful Naomi will be to the source material, but so far there are definite parallels between the series premise and her comic book origin.
Therefore, it seems that an encounter with her idol, Superman, will trigger incredible abilities that have been lying dormant within Naomi since she arrived in her oh-so-ordinary hometown.
This compels her to look into the days before she was taken in by her adoptive parents, discovering a shocking past that will have major ramifications for her new life.
Is Naomi in the Arrowverse?
While the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths confirmed that every single DC Comics production is part of the same multiverse, Naomi will be self-contained for at least its first season.
“In terms of crossovers, we’re not thinking about that right now,” executive producer DuVernay told attendees during a panel for the Television Critics Association tour in January 2022.
DuVernay continued: “She’s on her own path, and I really think that this is the first part of the Naomi-verse, and that people need to be trying to cross over over here.
“You won’t see any crossovers season 1. That’s not there. [Naomi] is firmly in her story and we are singularly focused on that journey.”
However, the filmmaker did hint that if Naomi were to be renewed for multiple seasons, then the young hero could well cross paths with the other icons of the Arrowverse.
Naomi trailer
The CW has been releasing fortnightly trailers for Naomi to keep anticipation high, with the latest being titled Flying High and giving fans a first-look at her action-packed origin story. Watch below.
Previously, another teaser trailer had been released, including an introduction from Academy Award-nominated director DuVernay.
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