‘Supergirl’ Season 2 Star Brenda Strong Defends Lillian Luthor’s Mission To Eliminate Alien Life On Earth

Although “Supergirl” executive producer Andrew Kreisberg named CADMUS as one of the two main villains in Season 2 of the CW series, actress Brenda Strong said that her character Lillian Luthor — the woman who runs CADMUS — doesn’t necessarily sees herself as one of the bad guys.

“I don't think any villains see themselves as a villain,” Strong recently told The Hollywood Reporter when asked about Lillian’s mission to eliminate all forms of alien life on Earth. “She sees an opportunity to right a wrong and she sees an imminent threat that she perceives other people aren’t fully aware of.”

“She’s got two vendettas: her personal vendetta and then trying to protect the world from what she sees as imminent doom,” the 56-year-old said of Lillian who she thinks is a character with “gray areas” rather than a full-blown villain. “When you have someone who is that single-mindedly focused, you can definitely cast dispersions on their characters because there are blind spots in that commitment.

In a separate interview with Entertainment Weekly, Strong said that her evil plan to eliminate Earth’s alien population is justified by her intention to protect her son Lex Luthor and foster daughter Lena Luthor (Katie McGrath).

“I think being a parent sets you up to justify almost anything to protect your child,” said the “Desperate Housewives” alum, before explaining why Lillian has personal dislike for aliens. “And I think [Lillian] really, honestly believes that Lex was wronged and unfairly treated and wrongfully imprisoned because of Superman (Tyler Hoechlin) and his lies that he spread about Lex and the misinterpretation of his intentions.”

In Season 2, episode 8 of “Supergirl,” Kara (Melissa Benoist) seeks Lena’s help when CADMUS unleashes a virus that instantly kills any alien in the vicinity. The episode, titled “Medusa,” airs on Monday, Nov. 28, at 8 p.m. EST on The CW.