Supergirl

Supergirl is the name of several superheroines in DC Comics. The most iconic is Kara Zor-El, cousin of Superman. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, she first appeared in Action Comics #252 (May 1959).

Concept

Designed as a female counterpart to Superman, Kara shares his powers—super strength, speed, flight, invulnerability, heat vision, and more—granted by Earth’s yellow sun, along with his vulnerability to Kryptonite. She has supported him in titles like Action Comics and Superman while headlining her own stories.

Her solo adventures led Adventure Comics starting in 1969. She starred in her own series from 1972 to 1974 and in The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl (1982–1984). In her classic origin, she is a Kryptonian from the planet Krypton. Other versions have non-extraterrestrial roots, including artificial life forms.

A standout modern take is the 2016 miniseries Supergirl: Being Super by Mariko Tamaki and Joëlle Jones. It portrays Kara as a seemingly ordinary teenager living in rural Midvale with the Danvers family after they find her in a pod. She grows up aware of her mysterious origins (glimpsed in dreams), struggles with normal life, and secretly discovers her powers.

Editorial decisions led to Kara’s death in the 1985 Crisis on Infinite Earths event, rebooting continuity so Superman was Krypton’s sole survivor. Post-Crisis, other characters assumed the Supergirl mantle. Kara returned in the 2000s. She ranked 94^th on IGN’s Top 100 Comic Book Heroes (2011) and 17^th on their Top 25 DC Heroes list (2013).

In May 2025, DC launched a new ongoing Supergirl series (Volume 8), written and drawn by Sophie Campbell. The series returns Kara to Midvale with a blend of Silver Age charm and modern storytelling sensibilities as part of the “Summer of Superman” publishing initiative. It features a new costume design by artist Stanley “Artgerm” Lau on select covers.

Precursors

Before Kara Zor-El became the definitive Supergirl, DC Comics tested the concept of a female counterpart to Superman through several one-off stories. These early appearances helped build interest in the idea and directly influenced the creation of the ongoing character.

Superwoman (Lois Lane): The very first female version of Superman appeared in Action Comics #60 (May 1943) in the story “Lois Lane – Superwoman.” After being hit by a truck and hospitalized, Lois dreams that Superman gives her a blood transfusion, granting her Kryptonian-like powers. She dons a costume and begins her own career as Superwoman. A later story in Action Comics #156 (May 1951) gave Lois actual (temporary) superpowers when she accidentally activates one of Lex Luthor’s machines. In this tale, she wears a short blond wig as part of her disguise, giving her an appearance remarkably similar to the later Supergirl.
Supergirl (Queen Lucy): The first character to be explicitly called “Supergirl” debuted in Superboy #5 (November–December 1949) in “Superboy Meets Supergirl.” Queen Lucy Regent of the fictional Latin American nation of Borgonia is a talented athlete and scholar who tires of royal life and travels incognito to Smallville. There she meets Superboy, and the two develop a romantic connection. During a school festival, Superboy secretly uses his powers to make her appear superhuman in athletic contests, leading others to call her Supergirl. She wears a simple tan dress with a brown cape featuring Superboy’s “S” emblem rather than a traditional superhero costume. Superboy later rescues her from danger, and she returns to her kingdom.
Super-Sister (Claire Kent): In Superboy #78 (January 1960), the story “Claire Kent, Alias Super-Sister” sees Superboy rescue an alien woman named Shar-La. After Superboy makes dismissive remarks about women, Shar-La transforms him into a girl named Claire Kent as a lesson in empathy. Clark poses as Superboy’s sister and adopts the identity of Super-Sister. As a girl, he experiences sexism and ridicule but ultimately proves his worth. The entire experience is revealed to be an illusion created by Shar-La to teach Superboy not to ridicule women.
Super-Girl: The most important and direct precursor to Kara Zor-El appeared in Superman #123 (August 1958). In this story, Jimmy Olsen receives a magic totem capable of granting wishes. Inspired by Superman’s comment that only a “Super-Girl” could keep up with him, Jimmy wishes a Super-Girl into existence as a companion and helper. She appears as a blonde heroine wearing a blue-and-red costume that closely resembles the one later used by Kara Zor-El (and is nearly identical to the costume worn by Helen Slater in the 1984 Supergirl film). Although powerful, she and Superman frequently get in each other’s way. When a criminal threatens Superman with a Kryptonite meteor, Super-Girl sacrifices her life to save him. At her request, Jimmy uses the totem to wish her out of existence. DC Comics intentionally published this story as a test to gauge reader reaction to a permanent new female superhero. The enthusiastic response from fans led directly to the creation of Kara Zor-El, who debuted less than a year later in Action Comics #252. Some reprints of the story changed her hair color to red and altered her costume colors to avoid confusion with the new Supergirl.

These prototype stories demonstrated strong audience interest in a super-powered female version of Superman and laid the groundwork for Supergirl’s official debut in 1959.

Kara Zor-El: the original Supergirl

Debut
Positive reaction to Super-Girl led to Kara Zor-El’s introduction in Action Comics #252. Binder (co-creator of Mary Marvel) and Plastino crafted a teenage heroine in a skirted version of Superman’s costume. Her debut drew thousands of enthusiastic letters.

In the continuity reintroduced in Superman/Batman #8 (2004) by Jeph Loeb, Kara is older than Kal-El. Sent as a teenager to protect the infant Kal-El, her rocket is trapped in a Kryptonite asteroid and arrives years later. Superman introduces her to the hero community; she adopts the Supergirl identity. Loeb’s 2005 Supergirl series began with darker tones, including Black Kryptonite exposure, later revealed as poisoning-induced delusions.

Pre-crisis biography
Kara is the last survivor of Argo City, a chunk of Krypton protected by a dome created by her father, Zor-El (Superman’s uncle). The city drifts through space until meteors breach the lead shielding over green Kryptonite ground. Zor-El and Alura send Kara to Earth in a rocket.

She gains full powers on Earth and lives secretly as Linda Lee at Midvale Orphanage before being adopted by Fred and Edna Danvers as Linda Danvers. She wears a brunette wig, attends high school and Stanhope College, and holds jobs in counseling, reporting, and soap-opera acting. She joins the Legion of Super-Heroes and has romances with Dick Malverne, Jerro the Merboy, and Brainiac 5. Companions include Streaky the Supercat (empowered by X-Kryptonite) and Comet the super-horse (a former centaur).

Her secret is known only to a few. In Crisis on Infinite Earths #7, she sacrifices herself to save the multiverse. The reboot erases her from continuity. After Infinite Crisis, some memories return. Later stories feature sunstone crystals from her father (for Phantom Zone protection) and a personal quest to save a boy with cancer, where she learns she cannot save everyone.

New 52 continuity
In the New 52 reboot, amnesiac Kara crashes to Earth during a meteor shower. She attacks Superman, believing him an impostor due to time displacement. She battles Worldkillers, faces manipulation, poisons herself with Kryptonite, and leaves to die. Captured by Brainiac’s forces, she escapes, time-travels to stop H’el (sacrificing Krypton), kills Lobo in rage (attracting a Red Lantern ring), and joins the Red Lanterns. Guy Gardner helps restore her sanity. She later confronts Worldkillers again, uses the sun and Kryptonite to destroy a parasitic suit, and survives.

Post-crisis versions
To keep Superman as the only surviving Kryptonian, post-Crisis Supergirls had non-Kryptonian origins.

Matrix — Debuting in Superman vol. 2 #16 (1988), this synthetic protoplasm being from a heroic pocket-universe Lex Luthor has flight, super-strength, psychokinesis, shapeshifting, and invisibility. She lives with the Kents as “Mae,” briefly romances Lex Luthor II, joins the Teen Titans, and appears in major events like Death and Return of Superman and Zero Hour.
Matrix / Linda Danvers — Peter David’s Supergirl vol. 4 (1996–2003) merges Matrix with dying human Linda Danvers, creating an “Earth-born Angel” with fiery wings and teleportation. After separation and further events (including a merge with Twilight), Linda retains enhanced powers. The series incorporates pre-Crisis elements in Leesburg. In a time-spanning arc, Linda swaps with pre-Crisis Kara, lives an alternate life (marrying Superman and having daughter Ariella), then steps away from the role.
Cir-El — Appearing in 2003’s Superman: The 10 Cent Adventure, she claims to be Superman and Lois Lane’s future daughter. She has super-strength, speed, hearing, and red solar energy blasts (but leaps rather than flies). Revealed as a human genetically altered by Brainiac, she dies stopping a plot and is erased in timeline realignment.

Supporting characters

Zor-El and Alura In-Ze — Kara’s biological parents; Zor-El created Argo City’s protective dome.
Streaky — Supergirl’s cat (pre-Crisis super-powered via X-Kryptonite; post-Crisis, a normal pet).
Comet — Pre-Crisis super-horse (former centaur); post-Crisis, a superhero and romantic interest for Linda Danvers.
Fred and Edna Danvers — Adoptive parents who know her secret.
Dick Malverne — Orphan friend and romantic interest who suspects her identity.
Jerro the Merboy — Atlantean romantic interest.
Lena Thorul — Close friend (secretly Lex Luthor’s sister with ESP).
Siobhan Smythe — Modern best friend who initially mistakes Kara for an enemy; battles her father, the Black Banshee.

Enemies

Key foes include:

Black Flame — Criminal Kandorian.
Blackstarr — Reality manipulator and neo-Nazi leader.
Buzz — Chaos agent who sold his soul.
Carnivore — Ancient vampire, son of Lilith.
Lesla-Lar — Kandorian rival who tries to swap identities.
Nasthalthia Luthor — Lex Luthor’s niece and rival.
Psi — Psionic manipulated to attack Chicago.
Reactron — Radioactive energy generator.
Reign — Kryptonian Worldkiller.
Silver Banshee — Arch-enemy with sonic powers.
Superwoman (Lucy Lane) — Agent against New Krypton.
Others such as Decay, The Gang, Matrix-Prime, Murmur, Princess Tlaca, and Twilight (initial foe, later ally).

Other notable versions

Power Girl (Kara Zor-L) — Earth-Two counterpart, cousin to that world’s Superman; often more independent.
Laurel Gand / Andromeda — Post-Crisis replacement for Supergirl in the Legion of Super-Heroes.
Ariella Kent — Far-future Supergirl, daughter of Linda Danvers and an alternate Superman.

Alternate universe versions

DC’s Multiverse features many variants, including:

Earth-2 (Power Girl with Justice Society Infinity)
Earth-3 (Ultragirl, cousin to Ultraman)
Earth-10 (Overgirl in a Nazi-victory world)
Earth-11 (gender-reversed world with male counterparts)
Kingdom Come (Earth-22: Power Woman)
Tangent Comics (Earth-9: genetically engineered Powergirl)
Earth-29 (Bizarro-Supergirl)
Earth-38 (Kara Kent, daughter of Superman and Lois in Generations)
Elseworlds tales such as Elseworld’s Finest: Supergirl & Batgirl, Superman/Aliens, Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again, Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade, Tiny Titans, and crossovers like Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong.

As of mid-2026, DC has not announced an Absolute Supergirl series. However, the publisher has run fan surveys specifically asking about interest in bringing Supergirl into the Absolute Universe line (alongside Aquaman). In Absolute Superman, writer Jason Aaron has stated that the series is deliberately avoiding traditional Supergirl storylines, though Kryptonian elements have been explored in the book.

In other media

Film
The first live-action Supergirl was Helen Slater in the 1984 film, a spin-off from the Christopher Reeve Superman movies. Kara leaves Argo City to retrieve the Omegahedron from the witch Selena. The film was poorly received.

A standalone Supergirl film entered development with Oren Uziel writing the script. Sasha Calle portrayed a version of Kara Zor-El in The Flash (2023).

In the DC Universe (DCU) reboot led by James Gunn and Peter Safran, Milly Alcock was cast as Kara Zor-El / Supergirl in January 2024. She first appears in Superman (2025) before headlining her own solo film. Directed by Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya, Cruella) from a screenplay by Ana Nogueira, the movie is inspired by the acclaimed Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow comic miniseries by Tom King and Bilquis Evely (the subtitle was dropped for the theatrical release).

The film presents a more jaded, morally complex, and anti-heroic version of Kara. Traumatized by surviving Krypton’s destruction and arriving on Earth decades after her cousin Superman, she reluctantly embarks on an epic interstellar journey of vengeance and justice. She teams up with an unlikely young companion named Ruthye after a ruthless adversary strikes too close to home. The story emphasizes themes of survivor’s guilt, revenge, and finding purpose. It also features Krypto the Superdog in key sequences. The film premiered in Brooklyn on June 22, 2026, and was released theatrically (including in IMAX) on June 26, 2026.

Television

Smallville (seasons 7–10): Laura Vandervoort as Kara, Clark’s cousin who arrives later and joins the Justice League.
Supergirl (2015–2021, CBS then The CW, part of the Arrowverse): Melissa Benoist as Kara Danvers / Supergirl. Sent to protect baby Kal-El but delayed 24 years in the Phantom Zone, she is adopted by the Danvers, hides her powers as a reporter, and reveals them to save her sister Alex. She fights with the DEO (led by J’onn J’onzz), allies including Winn, James, Lena Luthor, Mon-El, Brainiac-5, and Dreamer against threats like aunt Astra, the Worldkillers (including Reign), Red Daughter, Agent Liberty, Leviathan, Nyxly, and Lex Luthor.
She makes a cameo in Peacemaker.

Animation
Supergirl has appeared in a variety of animated projects across different tones and target audiences, showcasing her in both serious superhero adventures and lighter, character-driven stories.

In the DC Animated Universe (DCAU), Nicholle Tom voiced Kara In-Ze in Superman: The Animated Series. To comply with DC’s editorial rules at the time (which required Superman to be the last surviving Kryptonian), she originates from the planet Argo—a Kryptonian-colonized sister world to Krypton—rather than being a direct biological cousin. Superman discovers her in stasis and brings her to Earth, treating her as family. She debuts in the two-part episode “Little Girl Lost,” where she adjusts to her powers and new life. Additional appearances include “Unity” and the two-part “Legacy.” Her story continues in Justice League Unlimited, where she features in multiple episodes (such as “Initiation,” “Fearful Symmetry,” “Far From Home,” and others). She develops a close, almost sibling-like bond with Superman, participates in major team-ups, and ultimately leaves for the 31st century after falling in love with Brainiac 5 of the Legion of Super-Heroes, feeling she never fully belonged in the present day.

The DC Super Hero Girls franchise (launched in 2015 as a toy line, books, and media property aimed at younger audiences) places Supergirl at Super Hero High School alongside Wonder Woman, Batgirl, and other heroes. She navigates school life, friendships, and the awkwardness of growing up with superpowers. Anais Fairweather voiced her in the original web series and the 2016 movie DC Super Hero Girls: Hero of the Year. A 2019 reboot TV series continued her adventures with Nicole Sullivan in the role.

In the adult-oriented animated series Harley Quinn, Supergirl makes a memorable guest appearance in Season 4, Episode 5 (“Getting Ice Dick, Don’t Wait Up”), voiced by Lacey Chabert. In a humorous cameo, she works as an ophthalmologist and performs eye surgery on Harley Quinn to improve her night vision.

My Adventures with Superman (Season 2, 2024) features Supergirl as a central character, voiced by Kiana Madeira. Her backstory is significantly reimagined: captured by Brainiac as an infant before her father Zor-El could send her to Earth with Kal-El, she is brainwashed and conditioned into serving as a conqueror for Brainiac’s vision of a utopian Kryptonian Empire. In reality, Brainiac uses her to destroy worlds (including Thanagar) while erasing her memories. Introduced in a more villainous light, she gradually breaks free through resurfaced subconscious memories, interactions with her cousin Superman, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olsen, and a heavy dose of reality. Her redemption arc explores themes of family, identity, and choice. She develops a notable bond with Jimmy and plays a major role in the season finale, teaming up with Superman, Lois, and Jimmy to confront Brainiac’s invasion of Earth.

In the 2023 animated film Legion of Super-Heroes (part of the DC Tomorrowverse), Meg Donnelly voices Kara Zor-El / Supergirl as the central protagonist. Devastated by tragedy and struggling to adjust to life on Earth, she follows Superman’s advice and travels to the 31^st century to train at the Legion Academy. There, she joins the Legion of Super-Heroes in battling the terrorist organization known as the Dark Circle. The story emphasizes her personal growth, new friendships, action sequences (including heists and confrontations with reality-warping threats), and a developing romance with Brainiac 5. It also includes emotional moments tied to her Kryptonian heritage and her mother Alura.

These appearances highlight Supergirl’s versatility—from a young hero finding her place in the DCAU, to a schoolgirl in DC Super Hero Girls, to more mature or reimagined takes in modern projects.