From Bonkers to Badass: Whedon Darling Summer Glau Channels Alias on The Cape

The Cape, NBC's new superhero comic-book caper, has an unlikely leading lady: geek goddess Summer Glau.

After her acting debut in Joss Whedon's Angel, Summer became TV's go-to quirky girl—including roles in Whedon's Firefly and Dollhouse, The 4400 and Terminator. 

But her new character, the lovely Summer told us at The Cape's Hollywood premiere, "is a sophisticated woman"—who also happens to be an utter badass.

The Cape's creator, Tom Wheeler, said he modeled Summer's character after Alias' Sydney Bristow. "Summer's so awesome and fun to work with and a wonderful talent," Tom gushed to us. "I think of her as our Wolverine. She's got this really military aspect to her. We have a lot planned for her."

And Summer is definitely savoring her character's flavor: "She is extremely passionate and she has a point of view—and she's not going to back down for anybody."

"She's coming into her own," Summer added. "There's still a recklessness about her and she's trying to become more sophisticated."

"The role is 'really rewarding'," said the (fun fact!) prima ballerina, because "that's where I am in my own life...It's really rewarding to be with this character all the time."

So, sorry Nerd Herd. Roughly translated from Klingon, that means we probably won't be seeing Summer appearing again on Chuck or The Big Bang Theory.

The Cape premieres tonight on NBC at 9 p.m.