Peter Facinelli Thinks the Time Is Right for Supergirl, Even Though His Character Definitely Does Not

Exclusive! Meet the man who opposes Kara on the new CBS hit

As National City continues to embrace its new superhero, one of its most prominent citizens will remain a Supergirl naysayer.

We got a quick glimpse of Peter Facinelli's Maxwell Lord on last week's episode of Supergirl as the tech billionaire expressed his disinterest in his city's alien protector, and he'll be back in tonight's episode of CBS' new hit drama, still as opposed as ever. But it's nothing personal, Facinelli tells E! News—It's all just a part of his larger worldview. "His whole ideology is that humanity should save themselves and aliens—good or bad, superheroes or super villains—it's just outside interference that we don't need," he says. "So everything that he does kind of stems from that ideology."

Why, exactly? "You'll get to see in the show as to why he doesn't like people with power dictating what people should do," Facinelli teases.

So, just who is this Maxwell Lord? In the comic books, he's a powerful businessman who plays a major part in the development of a little something called the Justice League. As for the TV version of him, Facinelli tells us he's been given a bit of an update. "In the comics, he's more of a Forbes-esque kind of businessman. And I think that in the series, he's more of an Elon Musk, Steve Jobs," he says. "Hipper, cooler. Less Forbes, more GQ, but really intelligent. It's just a different kind of billionaire today. A high-tech billionaire, not a stock billionaire, and he's got more charm."

That charm will come in handy when Maxwell encounters Supergirl's—excuse us, Kara Danvers' (Melissa Benoist)—high-powered boss Cat Grant (Calista Flockhart). "They're both powerful in their own right, and they're rivals. And it's more of this sexually-charged rivalry, as opposed to a more bitter rivalry," Facinelli teases. "There's a lot of cat and mouse between the two of them...which will be a fun one to watch."

And about that Justice League connection? Facinelli confesses to having no knowledge about any possible plans for that on the series. "I have no idea what the powers that be are thinking or what their agenda is," he says. 

While Maxwell may not be a fan of Supergirl, the man bringing him to life certainly is. "I think it's time for there to be some female-driven shows that are inspirational for young women. I have three daughters myself, and I think a show like this sends a great message," he tells us. "It's not about the guy always coming in to save the girl."

Supergirl airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on CBS.