“We Can Be Heroes” is episode ten of season two of Supergirl.
In the previous episode, “Supergirl Lives”, Mon-El told Kara that he wanted to be a superhero. This episode opens with the two of them training against drones firing lasers. There are also cardboard cut-outs representing innocent civilians. At the end of it, the cardboard cut-out of a little girl has been decapitated. Mon-El admits that mistakes were made, but that was the fewest cardboard fatalities yet. Kara thinks Mon-El is ready, but reinforces to him that the number one rule as heroes is to protect people.
A couple of police cars pull up by some rubbish bags, under which are two tied up men and some drugs. Maggie is one of the cops and she comments that the Guardian is working the night shift too. Winn is asleep in the van when James comes in. James has a bullet hole in his suit and a grazed arm. He got a little shot. Winn wants to tell Kara, because if James got hit, the suit is faulty and he needs to fix it. Plus, Winn is also making Mon-El suit – James didn’t know that Mon-El – the frat boy – was nearly ready. Winn is tired from trying to do too many things, and he says that maybe Kara will take the news well. James agrees to tell her. Tomorrow.
M’gann is in her cell at the DEO when she senses something, which causes her pain. Hank gets informed that there is a problem in her cell. She sees Mars and the White and Green Martians. Then starts saying ‘Blood. Death. Beautiful war.’ Not a bunch of words that are great to hear. M’gann screams, shattering the glass, then collapses as Hank arrives. Alex tells Hank that there is nothing wrong with M’gann. Physically. Nothing showed up as attacking her either. Hank knows that M’gann isn’t faking it – he may not be as indifferent to her as he likes to make out.
Livewire is in her cell, and a doctor is talking to her. The doctor isn’t getting very far. Livewire wants to talk about Supergirl, who she says she is going to fry from the inside out. The doctor says that Livewire can’t hurt her – she’s got her feet in water. Livewire admits that it would probably hurt to use her powers right now. Which isn’t the same as not being able to use her powers. Still, killing the doctor would be pointless. Elsewhere in the prison, one guard takes down another then frees a woman from her cell. Both arrive at Livewire’s cell – and the doctor gets stunned.
Afterwards, Alex and Maggie are in the cell making a bet on how soon Kara – as Kara – will get there. A guard apologises when Kara shows up, saying that she is so strong. He has no idea. Maggie tells Kara that it looks like another inmate, Lisa Gold, and a guard freed Livewire.
At the DEO, Winn is giving a presentation on Livewire and Mon-El is getting excited by it. Kara is rather more serious. She feels that Livewire should have been kept at the DEO. She feels this so strongly she breaks something. Something expensive, according to Hank. Mon-El asks what the big deal is, as Kara has defeated Livewire twice. Hank tells him the deal is Livewire brings death and destruction.
Alex approaches Hank. She says that there is nothing physically wrong with M’gann. Mentally, it’s a different matter. Brain death is a few hours away. Alex thinks that Hank could help, by linking minds with M’gann. Hank rally doesn’t like the idea of linking to a White Martian and refuses.
Outside NCPD, lights start flickering. Then Livewire appears and attacks.
At CatCo, Kara appears in James’ office. He wants to tell her something but Kara is fretting too much about Livewire. She hates having a Nemesis; Clark makes it look like so much fun, a deadly pen pal you see once a year. James reminds Kara that she isn’t the only hero in National City. Which Kara realises. Unfortunately, James is talking about the Guardian – himself – and Kara is talking about Mon-El. James thinks Mon-El is a fun guy, but not a hero. He cares about himself, and Kara. James doesn’t bring up Guardian now, then the screen behind James shows Livewire attacking NCPD. So, both plan to go there.
Kara and Mon-El arrive at NCPD and Kara talks to Leslie – Livewire. Who says she isn’t Livewire. Because she isn’t. Same powers though. It’s the woman from the prison. Then the guard, with similar powers, appears behind them. Mon-El asks if that’s Leslie. The two team up on Kara and she tells Mon-El to protect the cops. However, Mon-El has to help Kara when she gets hurt, James appears and protects the cops and he and a cop get hit by a lightning blast that Mon-El had deflected. And Kara finds out that James is the Guardian.
At the DEO, Alex checks out James. Mon-El really likes his motorcycle and wants one. Kara is not happy. She also isn’t happy when she finds out that Alex knew James was the Guardian. Mon-El quickly points out that he didn’t. They are happy to leave when Kara wants a private word with James. She’s concerned that he will get hurt or killed because he has no powers. Although she did meet Oliver Queen and Team Arrow in “Invasion!” so she knows that people with no powers can be effective. Perhaps it’s because she cares about James and Winn.
Kara isn’t happy about Mon-El abandoning the cops for her, and tries to get him to admit why. She also thinks that no-one else knows how dangerous Livewire is. Only, it turns out, Livewire isn’t behind this – she’s a captive and a scientist is experimenting on her. Both Guardian and Mon-El decide to prove themselves to Kara. And Hank, of course, changes his mind about helping M’gann. Which gives a thread leading into the next episode, “The Martian Chronicles”.