Supergirl

Supergirl is a DC Comics superhero, generally considered the female counterpart to Superman. Created by Otto Binder (the creator of Captain Marvel's female counterpart Mary Marvel) and Al Plastino, she first appeared in Superman #123 (1958).

Due to a somewhat disjointed continuity, several variations of Supergirl have appeared in comic books. However, in her most well-known incarnation, Supergirl is Kara Zor-El, Superman’s Kryptonian cousin, also sent to Earth when Krypton was destroyed. Also like her cousin, Supergirl can fly and possesses superhuman strength and endurance, and has a civilian identity kept to allow her to live amongst humans (that of Linda Lee). In the mid-1980s, after the 12-issue limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths, in which Kara Zor-El died, the character started a 20-year stint where she went through several incarnations unrelated to Kara Zor-El, and characterized by having something to do with more complex science fiction. The most famous of these versions were Matrix (also known as Linda Danvers or the Earth angel of fire) and Cir-El. The Kara Zor-El incarnation has returned in recent years (although not using the alias of Linda Lee, as it would clash with former Supergirl Matrix's civilian identity).

In 1984, Helen Slater starred as Supergirl in an unsuccessful eponymous film, which was part of the Superman film franchise. A version of Supergirl, based on Kara Zor-El, named Kara In-Ze (In-Ze being Kara Zor-El's mother's maiden name in the comics), and using the alias of Kara Kent has appeared in recent animated shows such as Superman: The Animated Series and Justice League Unlimited.

CONTENTS Trial run Superman's cousin Superman's secret weapon On her own Back to school Heroic death Post-Crisis history No longer anyone's cousin Earth angel Return of the original Supergirl Cir-El Post-Crisis Kara Zor-El Power Girl Other media Film Animation Live-action television

Trial Run
In the years following the first appearance of Superman there had been numerous one-off stories dabbling with the notion of a female Superman. The first likely being Lois Lane - Superwoman, a story published in Action Comics #60 (May 1943), in which a hospitalized Lois Lane dreams she had gained superpowers thanks to a blood transfusion from the Man of Steel, and begins her own career as Superwoman complete with copycat costume.

Superwoman was reborn in Action Comics #156 (May 1951) when Lois accidentally gains superpowers thanks to an invention of arch Superman foe, Lex Luthor. This time, Lois employs a short blond wig in her crime fighting identity, thereby giving Superwoman an almost identical look to the later Kara Zor-El version of the Supergirl. (Interestingly, Superman suggested the same idea to Kara for her brunette Linda Lee alter-ego.)

In the years that followed both Lois Lane and Lana Lang would continue to infrequently don cape and boots for one-off gimmick stories, although no longer such obvious clones of Superman, nor sporting a 'super' nom de plume. But none of these throw-away characters would model themselves so directly on the Man of Steel himself (for example, adopting his costume) until the arrival of the first 'Super-Girl'.

In Superman #123 (August 1958), Jimmy Olsen used a magic totem to wish a "Super-Girl" into existence as a companion and aid to Superman. However, the two frequently got in each other's way until she was fatally injured protecting Superman from a Kryptonite meteor; Jimmy wished the dying girl out of existence. DC used the story to gauge public response to the concept of a super-powered female counterpart to Superman.

In Superboy #78 (a story entitled "Claire Kent, Alias Super-Sister"), Superboy saves the life of an alien woman named Shar-La. Angry about his disrespect towards women, Shar-La turns Superboy into a girl. With the help of his parents, his name was changed to Claire Kent, an out-of-town relative who will be staying with the Kents, in turn Clark will stay with Claire's family. As a girl "he" appears as Superboy's twin sister Super-Sister, a sort of "Supergirl", claiming they exchange places. As a girl, "he" is ridiculed and scorned by men, and "he" wants to prove "he"'s as good as he always was. In the end, it has all been a mental vision created by Shar-La. He has learned not to ridicule women.

Superman's Cousin
After positive fan reaction to Super-Girl, the first—and still most familiar—version of Supergirl debuted in 1959.

Superman's Secret Weapon
The character of Supergirl was introduced in Action Comics #252 (May 1959) as Kara Zor-El, the last survivor of Argo City of the planet Krypton, which had survived the explosion of the planet and had drifted through space. When the inhabitants of the colony were slain by Kryptonite, Kara was sent to Earth by her father Zor-El to be raised by her cousin Kal-El, known as Superman. Fearing that she might not be recognized by Superman, Kara's parents provided a costume based closely on the Man of Steel's own. This uniform served as her crime-fighting attire for the first decade of her adventures in print.

Upon meeting Kara—who on Earth now had superpowers identical to her cousin's—Superman decided she would become his secret weapon, and explained that her presence on Earth must be kept confidential while he trained Kara in the use of her new powers. Kara adopted the identity of Linda Lee, an orphan at Midvale Orphanage, hiding her short blonde locks beneath a brunette wig. Her adventures often accompanied the main Superman story in issues of Action Comics. They typically revolved around secretly helping fellow orphans, although occasionally she was allowed to play a small role alongside her famous cousin. She also became a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes alongside Superboy, the teenage incarnation of her cousin.

Superman permitted Supergirl to reveal her existence to the world in Action Comics #285 (February 1962). In the same story, Linda was adopted by Fred and Edna Danvers, to whom she revealed her secret identity. Changing her name to Linda Lee Danvers (later known as just Linda Danvers), she became a student of Midvale High School.

Besides her heroic feats, Kara juggled several beaus, including Jerro, a merman, Brainiac 5, and Dick Malverne, a former fellow orphan, and gained Streaky, a pet cat that also possessed superpowers.

On her own
Graduating high school in 1964, Linda left home to attend Stanhope College on a scholarship. Supergirl won the lead slot in Adventure Comics #381 (June 1969), trading Action Comics with the Legion. During her Adventure run, Supergirl—mirroring the fashions of the times—began to experiment with a wide variety of costume and hairstyle changes; her best-known outfit from this era remained through much of the 1970s and into the 1980s. Although Superman became only an infrequent visitor in her adventures, Kara maintained close ties with her cousin while pursuing her own career as a superhero. Her term at Adventure ended when Kara received her own title in November 1972, which ran for only ten issues before being rolled into Superman Family, alongside other Superman-related supporting characters' titles.

Throughout the 1970s twists and turns in Kara's career as Supergirl ran parallel to changes in her civilian life. As Linda, she moved from student, to television reporter, to student counselor, to actress on the TV soap Secret Hearts.

Back to school
In November 1982, Supergirl again received her own title, The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl (later simply Supergirl). DC intended to return the character to her roots, and by implicitly ignoring the previous 18 years of stories, Linda again became an 18-year-old student, this time at Lake Shore University in Chicago, Illinois. During its 23 issue run, Supergirl adopted her final costume (originally designed, but not used, for the Supergirl movie) and finally discarded the brunette wig, in favor of a special comb which changed her hair color and style.

When DC canceled Supergirl in 1984, the company intended to start a new title starring both Supergirl and Superboy. However, fate took a different path.

Post-Crisis History
After the reboot of Superman in the late 1980s, Supergirl's origin was completely rewritten. No longer would she be Superman's cousin, or even Kryptonian.

No longer anyone's cousin
Debuting in Superman v2 #16 (April 1988), Supergirl was now an artificial life form made from a protoplasm matrix created by a parallel Earth's Lex Luthor. Fashioned to resemble Lana Lang, and wearing a feminine version of Superman's costume, the protoplasmic "Supergirl" called "Matrix", did not have Superman's powers, but did have flight, telekinesis (which she could use to increase her strength and speed to super-human levels), shape-shifting, and invisibility. She was sent to recruit Superman to return to her world and save it from destruction at the hands of three escaped criminals from the planet Krypton. When the mission failed and the world was destroyed, Superman returned home with the injured girl.

For a while Matrix developed amnesia and thought it was Superman, coincidentally helping to preserve Superman's secret identity during a lengthy absence from Earth. Later, Matrix again took on a permanent female form, this time a blonde girl resembling the pre-crisis Supergirl, under the name "Mae" (short for "Matrix"). She then donned her original costume and assumed the identity of Supergirl. In this guise, she began a romance with the mainstream DC universe's Lex Luthor. When Mae realized Luthor's evil nature, she left him to find her own way in the world, serving for a time as a member of the Teen Titans.

Earth angel
A new Supergirl title appeared in September 1996. Writer Peter David merged the protoplasmic Supergirl with a troubled young Virginia woman named Linda Danvers, together becoming an "Earth-Born Angel". There were three of these Earth-Born Angels: the Angel of Fire (Supergirl); The Angel of Love (a super-being named Comet based in Linda's hometown of Leesburg, Virginia); and the Angel of Light (a super-being named Blithe). All three earth-angels were created under very specific circumstances in which one being selflessly sacrificed him or herself to save the life of another who was, in every way, beyond hope. This selfless sacrifice resulted in the two beings merging and becoming Earth-born angels.

As an Earth-born angel, Supergirl lost her powers of invisibility, and could only shape-change into her Linda Danvers persona, but gained flame vision, burning wings, and the power to teleport. She faced the first vampire, the Carnivore, a supremely evil being. The Carnivore was determined to create hell on Earth by taking control of all three of the Earth-born Angels. Following the death of Linda's romantic interest, Dick Malverne, Supergirl succumbed to the Carnivore, resulting in the balance of good and evil shifting in evil's favor. With the help of the other two Earth-borns, she defeated the Carnivore, but the only way to do so was by taking his life. Linda fell from grace and was separated from the angelic part of herself. Linda retained some of Supergirl's super-strength and invulnerabilty, and (while she could no longer fly) could leap 1/8th of a mile.

Linda acted as Supergirl for a while, attempting to locate her angelic aspect with the help of a former demon, Buzz. The angel was being held by the Demon Mother, Lilith, mother of the Carnivore, who wanted to use Supergirl to free her son from perdition. By forcing Supergirl to follow the chaos stream, a tributary of the river Styx, to find her Earth-born aspect, she caused Supergirl to absorb enough chaos energy to warp reality and open the gates to perdition. Buzz and Linda managed to stop the Demon Mother, and Linda's powers were returned to their former level, minus the Earth Angel powers. Her Earth Angel aspect merged with the super-being Twilight, who became the new Earth-born Angel of Fire. Twilight used her healing powers to increase Linda's strength back to her 'Supergirl' levels, and restore her powers of flight and telekinesis.

The themes and plotlines of David's Supergirl often dealt with sophisticated and more mature subject matters, including religion. In the "Earth Angel" storyline, Supergirl even met and conversed with a young boy who she believed was God. Supergirl's Earth-born aspect was being held in the Garden of Eden, revealed by this series to exist somewhere in South America, hidden from mortals. The Demon Mother was also said to be Lilith, who is believed by some to be the first wife of the biblical Adam, the first man.

Return of the original Supergirl
In Supergirl #75 (December 2002), David reintroduced the original Supergirl—who had apparently been detoured into the post-Crisis universe on her way to the pre-Crisis Earth—into the current Supergirl's life. Learning Kara was destined to die, Linda traveled to the pre-Crisis universe in her place, where she married Superman and had a daughter, Ariella. However, in the end Linda had to allow history to unfold as it should have, with Kara assuming her rightful place, including dying during the Crisis in order to ensure one universe would survive.

Upon returning to the contemporary DC universe, Linda abandoned the role of Supergirl. While Linda Danvers' whereabouts within the DC universe proper are unknown, fans have speculated that she may, at least in creative spirit, be the unsympathetic lead "Lee" of David's creator-owned series, Fallen Angel, due to similar story motifs. (However, the title's transfer to a different publisher has rendered such speculation moot.)

Cir-El
Following this, another Supergirl appeared, claiming to be the daughter of Superman and Lois Lane from the future. She had super-strength, speed, and hearing like Superman, but instead of flight she could only leap great distances. Strangely, she had the power to fire blasts of red solar energy (the very hue of sunlight that diminishes Superman's strength). Her name was, apparently, Cir-El, though her alter ego, which seemed to be more of a personality change than a simple change of costume, was that of a street person named Mia. She was later found to be a human girl, altered on a genetic level to seem Kryptonian [or partly Kryptonian]; she died to thwart a plot involving Brainiac 13.

Post-Crisis Kara Zor-El
In 2004, Kara Zor-El was reintroduced into DC continuity in the Superman/Batman series. Like the pre-Crisis version, this Kara claims to be the daughter of Superman's uncle Zor-El and his wife Allura. In a twist from the traditional Supergirl origin, Kara is actually older than Kal-El (Superman); she was a teenager when he was a baby. When Krypton exploded, she was sent in a rocket (in suspended animation) to find and look after Superman. However, her rocket got caught in a Kryptonian asteroid and she arrived on Earth years after her cousin did. Writer Jeph Loeb explains, "She came to Earth essentially to look after this baby who was sent at the same time. But her rocket got wedged into a huge chunk of the planet and it has taken years to get here. When she arrives, the baby isn't a baby, he's Superman—the greatest hero the universe has ever known. And as a teenager who has lost everything in her past, this is quite the monkey wrench. It may be part of the reason why, at least at first, she'll be hesitant to spend too much time with Superman. She was supposed to take care of him, not the other way around."

Following the end of "The Supergirl from Krypton" arc, Kara officially introduced herself to many of the heroes of the DC Universe, adopted a Supergirl costume, and accepted the name. Jeph Loeb commenced a new Supergirl series in August 2005. In the first issue of the new series, the new Kara acknowledged that she is not the first Supergirl, and that the other Supergirls prior to her were gone, a fact that troubled her. This was the new series' first acknowledgment of the Matrix/Linda Danvers incarnation of Supergirl, (confirmed as the first, original Supergirl in post-Crisis continuity) and of Cir-El as well.

Mindful that the inexperienced Supergirl could be harmed, manipulated, or exploited by a foe, Wonder Woman and the Amazon Artemis took it upon themselves to bring Kara to live on Themyscira, where she underwent training as an Amazon. Kara's proficiency in battle was enhanced by Amazon combat training. She also studied Oracle's and Harbinger's files on superheroes and supervillains. Kara is also able to use her powers for first aid; when she broke Superboy's jaw she immediately reset it, guiding her hands with her X-ray vision. Being a fast learner, she's able to pick up new techniques by simple observation. For example, she learned how to use her super-speed effectively by studying Flash.

As it stands, she is essentially a female version of Superboy: a superpowered girl with all the issues of being a teenager. While sometimes chirpy and cheerful, Kara is still given to adolescent crushes (especially with Nightwing, previously the first Robin and former leader of the Outsiders) and mood swings, as well as a sense of isolation. As a consequence of her traumatic arrival, Kara suffers from claustrophobia, and overreacts when bound or cornered.

Recent events in the series include Supergirl being covertly watched by Lex Luthor, the discovery that she is somehow resistant to synthetic kryptonite, and various observers implying that she may be stronger than the Man of Steel himself. The most recent plot twist had Lex Luthor attacking and exposing Supergirl to black kryptonite. As on Smallville, this particular isotope of the meteoric element "frees" a ruthless, evil persona, leaving behind an unconscious "normal" version. DC solicitations for future issues of the comic book imply there will be a battle between Supergirl's opposing natures.

Power Girl
Power Girl was a superheroine created in 1976; her first appearance was in All-Star Comics #58. Power Girl was originally intended to be the Earth-Two counterpart of the pre-Crisis Supergirl, and thus Power Girl was the cousin of her world's version of Superman. However, Power Girl was noted for behaving in a much more aggressive manner than Supergirl, including adapting a costume that wouldn't let anyone confuse her with her cousin. Since Crisis on Infinite Earths, Power Girl's back-story and origin have undergone various revisions—the most prominent of which was her being the grand-daughter of the Atlantean sorcerer, Arion—and her connection to Superman was mostly eliminated.

During the [Infinite Crisis] story arc, Power Girl was retconned back into being the Earth-Two "Supergirl", who somehow survived the multiversal compression of the first Crisis. Physical contact and close proximity to Supergirl causes Power Girl to lose control of her abilities. It is suggested that the effect is similar to what might occur if two copies of the same object try to occupy the same point in space.

Other Media

Film
A feature film adaptation Supergirl was released in 1984, starring Helen Slater in her first motion picture role. It was a spin-off from the popular 1978 film Superman, with Marc McClure reprising his role as Jimmy Olsen. The movie performed poorly at the box office and failed to impress critics or audiences. In fact, Peter O'Toole received a Golden Raspberry Award nomination for Worst Actor for his performance. Prior to release, Supergirl was expected to be the first film of a series, but its failure at the box office canceled plans for a Supergirl II.

Animation
In Superman: The Animated Series, Supergirl was introduced as Kara In-Ze, from Krypton's "sister world" of Argo. A headstrong and independent teenage girl, she was placed in suspended animation before Argo became uninhabitably cold due to the aftershocks of Krypton's destruction, and later found by Superman. The Kents—Clark Kent's adoptive parents—took Kara in, with her posing as Clark's cousin Kara Kent. This Supergirl shares Superman's vulnerability to kryptonite; she also suffers from cheimatophobia (fear of cold) due to the events leading up to her time in suspended animation.

This Supergirl currently appears in the USA on Cartoon Network's Justice League Unlimited animated television series. On that show, Cadmus creates a clone of Supergirl named Galatea for nefarious purposes. Grown into a slightly more mature physical state, the clone resembles Power Girl. Both Supergirl and Galatea were voiced by Nicholle Tom. At the start of Justice League Unlimited's third season, Supergirl undergoes a costume change to one that more closely resembles the new comics Kara Zor-El. In the series, she has a rivalry with Stargirl; this is an odd contrast to the Supergirl comic book series, where Stargirl and Supergirl are friends.

In the fifth season episode, Far From Home, Supergirl travels with the Green Lantern and Green Arrow into the 31st century in order to aid the Legion of Super-Heroes against the Fatal Five. Falling in love with Brainiac 5, who tells her that historical records show that she never returns to the past, and who believes that she will die, Supergirl proves her worth by single-handedly defeating almost the entire mind-controlled Legion. At the episode's conclusion, she proves history true by electing to stay in the future with Brainiac.

Live-action television
A girl named Kara (played by Adrianne Palicki) appears in an episode of the Smallville television series claiming to be from Krypton in the episode "Covenant". This Kara did not claim to be Kal-El's cousin, though, and she seemed to be interested in him in a sexual way. At night, she emerges from the woods naked and uses her strength to ruin a car. Acquiring clothing (but not footwear), she goes to Clark Kent's house. It is later revealed that she was not an actual Kryptonian, but an innocent girl kidnapped, brainwashed, and given superpowers by the artificial intelligence that claims to be based on the mind of Jor-El. She was recruited by the A.I. to bring the teenage Clark Kent to confront his Kryptonian heritage and to persuade him to follow his destiny, which is as yet not disclosed. She took Clark Kent to an ancient Indian cave which contains Kryptonian technology. In the end she vanishes, "Jor-El" saying she'd "served her purpose". It is not known whether she survived this or whether she will ever return in the series.