Things We Saw Today: Ava DuVernay Has Big Plans for the ‘Naomi’-Verse

Tonight, DC comic book superhero Naomi McDuffie makes her onscreen debut in the CW’s Naomi. The series, based on the eponymous comic book series co-written by Brian Michael Bendis (Powers, Daredevil) and David F. Walker (Deadpool, Luke Cage) with art by Jamal Campbell (Far Sector), follows teenage girl Naomi (Kaci Walfall) who discovers she has superpowers after a supernatural event hits her small hometown.

And while Naomi is a big fan of Superman (and runs a large fansite for Supes), executive producer Ava DuVernay (who developed the series and co-wrote the pilot) wants to keep the focus on Naomi in season one. The Oscar-nominated director told Variety, “I want this to be an autonomous story about Naomi … One of the things I really wanted was for her to live in her own universe. We call it the ‘Naomi-verse.’ And she’s not tethered to and she does not have to speak to the other stories that are going on now. It would just be too complicated, taking on too much legacy of the other shows, and doesn’t give the character the freedom to live her own life.”

DuVernay continued, “It’s not about representation, it’s about normalization … We’re doing really muscular things that relates to race and gender and class but we’re doing it by playing it normal like it’s just a part of the everyday. I say it kiddingly but it’s real. The more you can portray images without underlining or highlighting them and putting a star next to them. By showing a different type of hero that centers a girl, a Black girl, that centers different kinds of folks. We start to make that normal and that’s a radical and revolutionary thing.”

DuVernay doesn’t rule out eventual crossovers with the Arrowverse, but she adds that for season one, the focus is all on Naomi. “In terms of crossovers, we’re not thinking about that right now. She’s on her own path and I really think this is the first part of the Naomi-verse. People need to be trying to crossover into here! So we’ll see what happens, but you won’t see any crossovers in Season 1. We’re focused on Naomi’s journey singularly.”

Naomi premieres January 11th, 2022 on The CW.

(via Deadline, image: Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Disney)

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Chelsea Steiner

Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.

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