Supergirl is Stronger Than That Other Super Guy – The Kara Zor-El Breakdown
Supergirl Kara Zor-El has all of her super cousin’s powers plus all of the memories of home–and the Kryptonian training he never got.
Kara Zor-El will officially be one of the next heroes to appear on the big screen. But who is Supergirl, where did she come from, and how did Superman end up with a Supergirl counterpart in the first place? And will we see Sasha Calle’s Kara Zor-El again in DC Films’ shiny new cinematic universe?
Who is Supergirl?
Created By: Otto Binder & Al Plastino
First Appearance: Action Comics #252
Supergirl came onto the scene in 1959, but she was the third time DC experimented with female counterparts of Superman. First was a comic in 1943 where Lois Lane dreamed about being a “Superwoman” complete with a costume and all of the powers. Later an alien named Sar-la turned Superboy into a girl briefly. And finally, in 1958 Jimmy Olson used a magic totem to wish for a Super-Girl to help Superman, but she was mortally injured and wished back out of existence. So by the time Kara Zor-El came around in 1959, they’d gone through quite a few attempts at super-powered girls.
Her own backstory is fairly similar to Superman’s. Kara grew up in Argo City, a piece of Krypton that had managed to survive. Only to see the city threatened and destroyed by a meteor shower. Her parents Zor-El and Alura In-Ze sent her to Earth to be raised by her cousin Kal-El- also known as Clark Kent or Superman.
On Earth, she took on the secret identity of Linda Lee and promised to keep her true self a secret and periodically helped out her cousin with his superheroic missions as his “secret weapon.”
In Other Media
Since her introduction, Supergirl has become a key member of the DC family and has shown up in many varieties across the universe. Some of her more well-known appearances include in Smallville where she is played by Adrianne Palicki and Arrow where she is portrayed by Melissa Benoist.
Both of these shows feature a somewhat pared-down version of her backstory. She too was sent from Krypton. Each version has different explanations for why she is so much younger than her cousin. Usually, variations on her origin story include being frozen in stasis for a time or trapped in the Phantom Zone.
Supergirl also has numerous animated appearances including Young Justice, Superman/Batman Apocalypse, and Justice League Action. She also appears in shows with a younger audience in mind such as DC Super Hero Girls and Super Best Friends Forever.
Kara Zor-El in The Flash
Kara Zor-El was a feature character in the hodge-podge DC film The Flash. Full of alternate reality shenanigans, the film was pieced together as its star and its production company, Warner Brothers-Discovery, caused chaos outside of production.
In January, shiny new CEOs of DC Films Peter Safran and James Gunn announced that everything was on track for Sasha Calle’s version of Kara Zor-El to lead her own title, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. But in late June, the project was given the axe.
As it stands, the restructured end of The Flash suggests a possible universal restructuring — the studio has instead fixed its eyes on Kara’s cousin, Kal-El, as the lead in a new Superman film.
Powers and Abilities
Like her cousin Clark, Kara has all of the powers enjoyed by a Kryptonian living under a yellow sun. Supergirl has godlike strength, stamina, and invulnerability as well as the ability to fly. But she also has super speed when running on foot as well. Also like Superman, Supergirl has super senses and freeze-breathe, as well as X-ray vision, infrared vision, telescopic vision, and microscopic vision.
Supergirl can, on occasion be hurt by foes who know her weaknesses or can match her strength. But she has the ability to heal herself very quickly. Due to all of this, she has a longer lifespan than humans with the possibility of being effectively immortal.
Unlike Superman, Kara spent her childhood among other Kryptonians and became skilled at Kryptonian martial arts at the Crucible Academy. She can manipulate her Chi to better control her powers and overcome the strain of being overwhelmed during battle.
We’re looking forward to seeing more of Kara Zor-El when Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow becomes a reality. But until then we will be keeping our eyes and ears open for updates and announcements about this upcoming project.
Do you have a favorite Supergirl appearance or story? What would you do if you had the powers of a Kryptonian? Who do you think should play Kara next? Let us know in the comments!
Happy adventuring!
