Why Zor-El From Supergirl Looks So Familar

Contains spoilers for "Supergirl"

Critics didn't hold back in their negative reviews for "Supergirl." But one sequence that is a highlight is the flashback to Kara's (Milly Alcock) time in Argo City, the last vestige of Krypton after its destruction. Kara was born in a world already on the decline, and despite her father saving the city, everyone starts getting sick and dying due to exposure to kryptonite from within the now-exposed planet. Fortunately, Kara's father, Zor-El, played by David Krumholtz, designs a spaceship to send Kara to Earth just like her cousin so that she may carry on Krypton's legacy.

Krumholtz has a small but vital role to play, and it's just the latest chapter in what's been a pretty astonishing career in Hollywood. Most people were probably first introduced to Krumholtz as Bernard in "The Santa Clause," a part he's continued to reprise over the years. It may not be as flashy of a role as Santa Claus, but Krumholtz thinks the character stands out thanks to his tough guy attitude contrasted with the fact he's a little elf.

Memorable supporting roles would go on to define Krumholtz's career. He played the goofy dork Michael in "10 Things I Hate About You" as well as the vulgar Goldstein in "Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle."

While David Krumholtz made a name for himself as eccentric secondary characters, he's had the chance to play leads before. He starred as Charlie Eppes on the hit CBS drama, "Numbers." Eppes is a mathematics professor who helps his brother in the FBI, Don Eppes (Rob Morrow), solve crimes in his spare time. The show ran for six seasons, but Krumholtz hasn't been short on work since it went off the air.

These days, you never know where Krumholtz might pop up next. He had a hilarious cameo in "This Is The End," where he quickly meets his doom when the end of the world begins. The Coen brothers have proven eager to work with Krumholtz, as he plays a communist screenwriter in "Hail, Caesar!" and a Frenchman in "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs." 

But one of his most astonishing turns as of late was as Isidor Isaac Rabi in "Oppenheimer." Krumholtz's performance as Rabi is wildly underrated. He doesn't get a ton to do, but he provides a sage voice of reason when the fate of the world literally rests on Oppenheimer's (Cillian Murphy) shoulders. In fact, Krumholtz recounted to Vanity Fair how director Christopher Nolan was a fan of "Numbers" and wound up casting him in a Best Picture winner all those years later. "Chris remembered, which meant the world to me," Krumholtz stated. "I mean, it meant the world to me in any moment where it feels like my work mattered."

Now, Krumholtz is known to moviegoers as Supergirl's father. It's been a wild, eclectic career for Krumholtz, but when you've steadily worked in the entertainment industry for over three decades, it's hard to complain.