SUPERGIRL Casts Chris Vance as Non

Ah, but will this Non be as without thought as he is without voice?

The Hollywood Reporter revealed yesterday that the upcoming CBS series Supergirl has cast Chris Vance as the Phantom Zone criminal Non.  The role will be recurring, and Non will make his debut in the series' eighth episode.

According to the article, Non is described as "as a former scientist in league with the House of El.  Non is a brutal Kryptonian military officer who is sinister, powerful and angry.  He's the antithesis of all things Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) stands for.  Non will quickly become Supergirl's greatest threat."

Vance, 43, is an English actor best known as the television version of Frank Martin on TNT's Transporter: The Series.  He's also had roles on the series All Saints, Prison Break, Burn Notice, Dexter, Rizzoli & Isles, and Crossing Lines.

First appearing in the 1978 Richard Donner film Superman and played by Jack O'Halloran, Non was introduced as a mute, brutish strongman that aided General Zod and Ursa in their attempted coup d'etat of the Kryptonian government.  The three were sentenced to be imprisoned in the Phantom Zone, sent inside shortly before the planet Krypton was destroyed.  Non was the most docile of the three, not even having the ability to speak, though he occasionally whined and grunted.

Non, Zod and Ursa returned in the sequel Superman II, when a hydrogen bomb that Superman hurled into space destroyed the Phantom Zone portal, allowing the three to escape.  After reaching Earth, they discovered that, due to their Kryptonian physiology, the Earth's yellow sun gave them each the same powers as Superman.  Later, during a confrontation in Superman's Fortress of Solitude, Superman tricked Lex Luthor into operating a reversed molecule chamber, so the rays affected those on the outside of the chamber, stripping Non, Zod and Ursa of their powers.  Non, being the stupid one, attempted to fly at Superman and fell into a deep pit, killing himself.

In 2007, the character was introduced into the DC Comics Universe in Action Comics (vol.1) #845, written by Donner along with Geoff Johns and art by Adam Kubert during the storyline "Last Son."  In Action Comics Annual #10, Non was revealed to be one of Krypton's greatest scientific minds, and a mentor to Jor-El.  Together, they discovered that Krypton only had ninety days before it would explode.  The Kryptonian Science Council refused to listen to such sensationalized analysis and accused them of committing acts of heresy, sending the military defense officers under the command of General Zod to arrest them.  The council let them off with light sentences and warned them against speaking further of Krypton's alleged destruction.  

Non however, became more active and began holding public forums, warning people of the planet's imminent demise.  General Zod and his mate, Ursa, discovered that Jor-El and Non's research was true, which led to them defecting from the Kryptonian Defense Council and joining Non's cause.  The Science Council captured Non and lobotomized him, turning him into a mute, brute savage.  This cowardly and brazen act was the last straw for General Zod, embarking him upon an ambitious campaign to take control of Krypton, if only to save it from itself.  He pleaded with Jor-El to join his cause, but Jor-El refused.  Eventually, Zod and his followers (along with Non) were captured.  The Science Council wanted to sentence them to death, but Jor-El convinced them to instead exile the insurrectionists into an alternate dimension known as the Phantom Zone.

Supergirl debuts Monday, October 26 at 8:30 p.m. on CBS.