Introducing: Dahlia Briggs-Rhodes
Dahlia is a long loved comic book character. She appears across multiple comic runs as Superman’s love interest, originally introduced as ‘Dahlia Briggs’. Some writers give her metahuman abilities such as telekinesis and telepathy, while others prefer her to remain as a Daily Planet reporter only. When she does appear with powers, she often only uses them to protect others in times of crisis, not necessarily classed as a ‘Superhero’.
One of her most loved live action appearances is in ‘Smallville’. After licensing issues, she appears in Season 4 alongside her comic best friend Lois Lane, however this time sporting the last name ‘Rhodes’. Her close bond with Lois ended up prompting a short, lighthearted comic run of the two of them investigating Metropolis metahuman incidents after the show ended in 2011. Dahlia had been briefly alluded to before her appearance, referred to as Chloe’s ‘Reporter friend in the city’. Dahlia moves in with her grandparents in Smallville after discovering her mind reading capabilities, her parents hoping the smaller town would be good for her. Her powers appear as white in this adaptation, however in modern comic runs they now prefer to use red.
Dahlia’s Snyderverse adaptation shows the reappearance of ‘Briggs’ as her name, and shows her using her powers to gain an advantage in interviews, this version was sidelined as a love interest, Lois Lane instead taking the role in Clark’s life. Snyder insisted he wanted to show a darker side of Dahlia’s powers, and there were rumours she would later become a villain in the franchise.
Fans were shocked to see that CW introduced the character in their ‘Supergirl’ run, the first season nonetheless. They maintained her Smallville name, but removed her powers, showing her running away from her life in Metropolis - working at CatCo alongside Kara and James. Fans enjoyed seeing Kara interact with another woman, and they developed a close friendship over the seasons. It is revealed in season 2 that she was dating Clark, but her own insecurities led to her leaving him and Metropolis behind, they reconnect in the Supergirl finale.
Finally, James Gunn’s ‘Superman’ brought ‘Dahlia Briggs-Rhodes’ to the spotlight. Fans were ecstatic at his choice to use both names, perhaps a nod to his Smallville love. Dahlia is the most comic accurate adaptation seen in live action since the early Superman movies: it is hinted that she struggled with her powers as a teenager, and this led to her being a ‘problem’ child, interacting with underage drinking and smoking to stop her powers. In the movie however, we see a softer Dahlia who’s grown from her past mistakes and tries to be a better person each day.
Heavily inspired by @juliaswickcrs billie edit. Thanks for dealing with my Dahlia and Smallville ramblings <3.
